Morgan watched as Bronwyn pulled the metal ring off the Overclaw’s bicep. “I’ll hold onto this and the one from that Carnage bastard that Issa killed. I need to talk to my followers about them. You know, how many Underclaws there are, how one becomes an Overclaw, whether I should destroy these or what.”

“Sure, makes sense.” Morgan knelt by the huge Overclaw’s corpse and pulled the red-gold crown off his blood-matted, furry head. The crown was heavy and unnaturally cold as he slipped it into his storage ring. Before going over the rest of Spineripper’s gear, he looked around, almost feeling guilty for stripping the corpse. Most of the crowd had dispersed, and bodies were being pulled away - the Urghat corpses to the field outside the wall to burn on a pyre and the dead colonists to a plot of land outside the south gate. The engineers had decided that a cemetery would be best placed in that direction because it was downslope from the colony. He sighed and knelt to start unstrapping the black, rune-covered armor from the Urghat.

“Morgan,” Olivia walked up, her face flushed with exertion, “everyone’s talking about your battle. Yours too, Bronwyn.”

“We were just two among many that fought tonight. How many colonists paid with their lives for that fucking asshole’s treachery?” Bronwyn spat on the ground.

“Well, it’s lucky that you were here to fight their leaders - it cut the invasion off at the knees. You, too, Issa. Thank you for helping Bronwyn.”

“You’re welcome,” Issa said, walking up to the three of them, dragging the massive scimitar that Spineripper had dropped when he went through his transformation. Morgan chuckled and reached out a hand, and Issa pulled the sword’s handle up to him. He hefted the sword, but it took two hands and felt too unwieldy for him. He lowered it to better look at the weapon; its hilt was some kind of polished wood, but it didn’t feel slippery. The guard and pommel were red tinted steel, adorned with runes, and the blade was a wide, curved affair with a baleful red glint. It seemed like a truly powerful weapon, but he’d have to revisit it when he’d gained more strength. For now, he added it to his ring’s inventory.

“Help me get this armor off this guy,” he said to Issa, and she grunted in disgust but knelt to help. “Any sign of Reggie?” Morgan asked Olivia, reminded of the traitor by Bronwyn’s comment.

“No, but Arthur, a few others, and I removed him from the council at the Colony Stone.”

“Well, that’s good at least. Hopefully, he winds up as Urghat food,” Issa grunted, pulling on the leather straps of the Overclaw’s breastplate. Soon they had all the armor removed from the dead warlord, and Morgan put it into his storage pouch.

“I got two sets of heavy armor off the other guys that Issa and I killed. I don’t think they’re better than what you have, Morgan, so I’ll probably trade it to the smiths here for some labor credits. You don’t want it, do you, Issa?” Bronwyn asked.

“No, thank you. I don’t do well with armor that weighs twice what I do!”

“Well, they each had storage pouches, too. Here’s the one off your guy.” Bronwyn tossed a rune-inscribed leather pouch to Issa. “Hopefully, it has some good stuff. My guy’s only had a few dozen Energy beads, a bunch of meat, some camping supplies, and some leather and fur clothes.”

“Thank you, Bronwyn.”

“This Overclaw didn’t even have a pouch or ring or anything,” Morgan sighed. “You supposed he had a designated lackey to hold his gear?”

“Probably. One of the Urghat that challenged me on the plains had some little Urghat helpers that carried his stuff.” Bronwyn shrugged.

“Ahh, well, I suppose we should help clean up. Then I’m going to sleep like the dead. I have a class refinement waiting for me, and I want to tackle it with a fresh head in the morning.”

“Hah, in the morning? It’s already here.” Issa pointed to the east, where the sky was beginning to lighten.

“Oh dammit.” The four of them got to work, helping the colonists drag corpses out of the colony. Someone had the idea to use storage containers, which made the job go a lot faster, though it weirded Morgan out, popping corpses in and out of his storage bag. The pyre to burn the Urghat was easily accomplished by the various people who knew fire magic, but digging the two hundred and eighty graves for the dead colonists was a much bigger task. A few colonists had some skill with earth magic, though throwing stone darts was different than digging holes. With experimentation, one colonist discovered a spell that raised large clumps of soil out of the ground, and he taught it to several others. With their help and nearly everyone in the colony pitching in and taking a turn with the shovels, it was done in a few hours.

Arthur Ballard spoke to the assembled colonists, commemorating the battle, honoring the dead, and noting that their sacrifices helped bring about the end of the first real threat they’d faced as a people on this new world. “Let me remind everyone here: our challenges have only just begun, and true fortitude will be required to make this world our home. We’ve forged an alliance with the people of Tarn’s Crossing that has been tempered in blood, and we’ve shown the hostile entities in these parts that we aren’t going anywhere. Now, in honor of our fallen comrades, let this day, the 34th day of Hondine, be ever known as a First Landing holiday. It is a day of victory and defiance in the face of evil.”

More people spoke after Arthur - Maria Rios, Dr. Kerns, and even Olivia. Morgan and Issa listened, holding hands, and for the first time in a long while, he didn’t feel like he had a threat hanging over his head.

****

Morgan looked through his options one more time:

***Class refinement option 1: Hollow Swordsman - Advanced. You’ve embraced the way of the sword and seek to master its nuances. You use your unique abilities to siphon the Energy of your foes while dominating them with speed and martial prowess. Class attributes: Agility, Dexterity, Strength, Vitality, and Will.***

***Class refinement option 2: Hollow Weapon Master - Advanced. The right tool for the right job, and you have all the tools. The weapons of war are yours to choose from. You learn to manipulate Energy to weaken your foes while controlling the battlefield with your wide array of martial skills. Class attributes: Strength, Agility, Dexterity.***

***Class refinement option 3: Hollow Bulwark - Advanced. Standing in the path of danger is your hallmark. You begin to learn how to absorb damage and recover from blows that would defeat a lesser being. Class attributes: Vitality, Strength, and Will.***

***Class refinement option 4: Vortex Duelist - Epic. More than strength, and more than low cunning, you value skill and the rule of single combat. With consummate adroitness and unparalleled mastery of Energy, you seek to face your foes in open, honorable combat. Class attributes: Intelligence, Agility, Will, Dexterity.***

***Class refinement option 5: No Refinement - You are pleased with the path on which you find yourself and choose to continue until your next refinement option.***

As soon as he and Issa had come back to the tower, bathed, and put on clean clothes, he’d sat down in front of the window in their bedroom and started going over his options. He’d already described his choices to Issa, and before going to sleep, she had given him her take: an Epic class at level twenty was rare and valuable but not something he should automatically choose. Epic classes gave more stats and more powerful skills, but they also took longer to level and might force him down a narrower development path than he wanted. She’d learned that the higher level a person got, the more likely they’d see Advanced and higher classes, so if he had the option at twenty, there was a good chance he’d see an Epic class at thirty. All in all, her advice had been to focus on the class descriptions and stats. She had suggested paying particular attention to the order in which those stats were listed while he decided; he shouldn’t only focus on the label of “Epic” or “Advanced.”

The truth was that Morgan liked the sounds of all of the classes. The idea of becoming a true swordmaster appealed to him on a visceral level that called forth memories of fantasy novels he’d read when he was younger. Being a master of all weapons was similarly appealing, and Morgan liked the versatility it promised. Then there was the Bulwark class - shrugging off damage meant for those he cared about was what had pointed him to the path he was currently on. Wouldn’t it be great to maximize those abilities? But the Vortex Duelist - that class just sounded badass. He knew he couldn’t voice that line of reason to Issa or someone else; it sounded like something a middle schooler would say, but he couldn’t deny his feelings.

More than his feelings, though, Morgan was considering the name and description of the class. It reminded him of the Vortex Mage class he’d been offered at level ten, seeming to focus on his specific Core type, but this time it incorporated some melee abilities and attributes. He definitely needed the dexterity, but he also liked the idea of continuing to increase his intelligence and, thereby, his spellcasting ability. None of the other refinement options included intelligence.

The most significant factor, though, was the line about him not valuing low cunning; was the System listening to him? Was it learning from his choices and tailoring this class to him? He’d certainly agonized over his decision to switch from the spear to the sword and avoid killing people with surprise attacks - at least where possible. Much of that had been silent introspection, though - he’d only made a few offhand comments to Olivia while traveling and to Issa when she asked. Was the System that much in his head, or was it just a coincidence?

Morgan felt like more deliberation would only lead to more questions and more doubt. He opened his status screen, moved to the class refinement page, and selected the Vortex Duelist.

***Congratulations! You’ve made your first class refinement: Vortex Duelist. Class skill gained: Energy Drain - Advanced. Class skill gained: Circle of Combat - Improved***

***Congratulations! World-first Vortex Duelist! Feat awarded.***

Morgan couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips as he felt a warm rush of knowledge pour, seemingly out of the air, into his head. By the time it stopped, he was lying back on the rug he’d been sitting on, and he had to struggle to sit up. His head was foggy, and his mouth was dry, and he briefly wondered how long he’d been out of it. He called up the description for his new skills and title:

***Energy Drain - Advanced: Prerequisite: Vortex Class Core. You are able to sense the flows of Energy within beings near you and forcefully pull it forth with the strength of your Core. Energy drawn in this manner will help to restore your health and vitality and greatly weaken your target(s). Beings with a stronger Core may resist you. Energy cost: 150 per target being, Cooldown: Medium.***

***Circle of Combat - Improved: Prerequisite: Vortex Class Core. You expend some Energy to create a void barrier around you and an opponent. Attempts to breach the barrier from within or without will require Energy and Will in opposition to your own. The barrier will persist until you run out of Energy or either you or your opponent is defeated. Energy cost: 500 + maintenance to resist breaches, Cooldown: Long.***

***First Vortex Duelist: Feat granted: Void Pocket - You have access to an extradimensional space that persists as long as you allow Energy to sustain it. The size of the space is proportional to the amount of Energy you dedicate to it.***

When Morgan read the description of the Advanced Energy Drain, he had to reread it a few times and then search out the knowledge the System had put into his head to make sure he was right: he could now reach out and pull raw Energy from multiple enemies at once, and he didn’t need to be touching them. “That’s a game-changer,” he muttered as he read through the other descriptions. The circle was another spell with big implications. Presumably, he could isolate an enemy and force them to fight him one on one, even amid their allies. The whole battle would have been different if the Urghat hadn’t been keen on watching a duel. Now, Morgan could force the duel if such a thing came up again.

Finally, Morgan activated his Void Pocket ability, channeling a bare trickle of Energy into it. The space wasn’t visible, but he could feel it. He reached out to it with his mind and saw that with just five Energy devoted to maintaining the space, it was the size of a large box, around eight square feet. To double that size took fifteen Energy. Morgan let the space wink out of existence for now. It would indeed be valuable to have a dimensional container that no one could remove from him, but he wondered what would happen to his things if he ran out of Energy somehow. He’d have to do some experimentation. As he sat there, thinking about this new class and the abilities he’d gained, he realized that the light coming through the window was growing brighter, and he groaned. He’d missed his chance for any sleep; he and Issa were going to meet Olivia and Bronwyn in just a couple of hours.

****

Olivia smiled to herself as she listened to Morgan talk about his new class. Bronwyn was asking him a lot of questions and seemed excited by the prospect of a class refinement. Of the four of them, Olivia was the only one without a class, and she was also excited, but right now, she was content just to listen and enjoy the company. They’d met downstairs in Morgan’s tower and then walked to the tavern together. It was early, and after a hard enough day that most of the colony was still asleep, they didn’t have any trouble getting a table. Olivia had wanted to meet early, and the fact that her friends hadn’t argued was one of the reasons she was smiling. It felt nice to have friends that felt like family. She’d left behind everyone in her life who cared about her, and one of her fears about the journey had been that she wouldn’t be able to make connections with the other colonists.

“Thank you so much for seeing me off, you guys,” she said, interrupting Morgan’s description of how he hoped one of his new skills worked. They all stopped talking and looked at her, and Bronwyn reached an arm around her neck, pulling her into a side-hug.

“You’re crazy for wanting to go so early, but if you think we’d let you go without a goodbye, you’re even crazier!”

“Nah, I get it,” Morgan said. “The school starts in two days, and we don’t know what time it is there. It’s like a thousand miles from Tarn’s Crossing, right? Also, what if the teleportation isn’t instant?”

“Exactly!” Olivia said, beaming at Morgan. Issa reached a hand down to her pouch and brought up a small package wrapped in bright yellow silk.

“A going away gift.” Her smile was wide and warm as she passed the package to Olivia.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” Olivia carefully untied the pale green ribbon and let the silk fall away from the smooth wooden box. The box was polished and light in color, like maple. She carefully lifted the lid, and it swung open on tiny brass hinges. Inside were dozens of brightly colored little pencils. Every color she could imagine was represented. “Oh, they’re beautiful!”

“Who knows what kind of classes you’ll have to take at this school. Maybe they’ll make you draw things, so I thought it would be good to have some colors!” Issa’s eyes were wide and bright in her earnestness, and Olivia suddenly felt glad that they were friends. She stood up and walked around the table to hug her. She was warm, and her bright yellow hair smelled like vanilla.

“Thank you again, and please tell me what you washed your hair with; it smells amazing!”

“Oh? Really? Here!” Issa pulled a small brown bottle from her pouch and passed it to Olivia. “It’s a mix of some essential oils - I just put a little behind my ears.” She glanced around the table and started to blush, her light blue cheeks turning a reddish-purple color. Olivia smiled and took the little bottle.

“Thank you!”

“Oh, geez.” Bronwyn sighed, “I’m such a dope. I didn’t bring a gift.”

“Yeah, me either,” Morgan said, rubbing a hand over his head.

“Oh, hush! I don’t need any presents. Besides, I’ll just expect even better homecoming presents from you two! If they ever let me come home, that is….” She trailed off, some of her bravado seeping away.

“Of course, they will,” Issa said. “Magister Karn wouldn’t send you someplace sinister, don’t worry!”

“I suppose not.” Olivia mustered another smile. They spent another thirty minutes or so speculating about what the academy would be like, then they talked about all their plans and the plans for the colony. Finally, out of topics, Olivia stood up. “I’m going to get going. Don’t make a big deal; just give me a quick hug, then I’m going to use this token.” She held up the silvery coin-shaped token. Issa was first to comply, standing up and giving Olivia another squeeze, then she stepped away. Morgan followed suit, and Olivia was surprised at just how big he was; she could barely reach her arms around his chest, and it was like hugging a tree trunk. He stood off to the side with Issa, and then Bronwyn came over and hugged her.

While still large and strong, Bronwyn was softer than Morgan, and she held Olivia more fiercely. Olivia could feel tears coming into her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, shoving her face into Bronwyn’s thick red hair. Finally, Bronwyn stepped back, holding her at arm’s length, and Olivia could see she wasn’t the only one fighting tears. She forced a smile, then said, “I’ll be back before you know it. Stay safe!”

Bronwyn started to speak, but her voice betrayed her, and she pulled Olivia close again, squeezing her. Finally, she muttered softly in Olivia’s ear, “Remember what I said about anyone messing with you!” Bronwyn sniffed and backed up a step. Olivia sent a trickle of Energy into her teleportation token, and the world went dark.

****

Reggie ran. He ran, and he ran. He’d been running all night, and when the sun came up, he was still running. As soon as he’d recovered from that bitch’s spell, he’d left out the south gate, and he hadn’t stopped running since. He’d turned a bit to the west in the dark; he could tell by the sunrise, and he found himself in some foothills leading up from the thick woods surrounding the colony. He figured they were the hills where some colonists had found caves with black powder ingredients and iron.

He was exhausted, and he started to look for a place to rest. An hour or so after dawn, he saw a dark spot on a hillside, and he started clambering up the scree toward it. Hands bloodied from the effort, he finally pulled himself into the narrow cave. Inside, the cave floor had a steep downward angle, and he carefully started climbing in. He had just gotten his feet out of the open when he felt the ground crumble a bit under his hands, and he began to slide, head-first, down the rough slope. He cried out in alarm, but just as suddenly as his slide had started, it stopped, and he found himself wedged tightly into a dark tunnel.

Panic entered Reggie’s mind as he tried to inch forward or backward, and he found he couldn’t move. He writhed side to side but barely managed to turn an inch in either direction and when he did so, he only seemed to wedge himself tighter. He screamed, suddenly without a rational thought in his mind, and jerked his body in every direction he could think of. It was fruitless, and he soon found himself completely exhausted and stuck tighter than ever. He racked his brain for any sort of solution, but nothing came to him, and after more fruitless grunting and struggling, he finally passed out in exhaustion.

A tickling at his outstretched fingertips woke him. “Is someone down there? Help!” His words croaked out of his dry throat, and then suddenly, the tickling became a searing pain as something bit into his flesh. He screamed again, his vocal cords straining at his panicked agony. More bites on his hands raised the register of his scream several octaves, and then something tickled his beard hairs, and a savage bite ripped away his lower lip.

****

Distantly, Thun felt his connection to the human, Reggie, fade away. It didn’t concern him; the fool had served his purpose, allowing him to do a favor for the Overclaw in exchange for the shrike’s heart. His mouth watered at the thought of the artifact; every cell in his body yearned for him to consume it. “Soon enough, soon enough,” he whispered to himself as he made his way through the pass. First, he had to cross the mountain, then he had to traverse the frost grove, and then, only after he’d gotten the Lady’s blessing would he eat the heart and push his race to the next tier. Perhaps in a few years, he’d make his way back south to see what the humans had accomplished with their victory. Their tenacity and cleverness had impressed him; might be he’d find a much better student in their midst.