Luna followed Michelle through the manor. The building was even more massive than she had previously thought. The front of the building was big, but nothing in comparison to how deep the building seemed to reach. She followed him along a corridor until he opened a small door which surprisingly led directly outside. To one side her backpack was waiting for them, even if Luna had no idea how it had gotten there. The sun had risen high in the sky and she found herself at the entrance to what looked like a garden, planned by children. She looked at Michelle questioningly.

“Ha, I know that look. It has been way too long ago, but I still remember when I saw this place for the first time. It is great isn’t it?”

Luna just kept staring at Michelle. “I have no idea what this is supposed to be. It looks like a group of children from our village school created a garden.”

“Uhm, yes. I keep forgetting that you are not a city person. This is what we call the Training Garden. It was designed with the typical classes of the Pathfinder Guild in mind. We mostly rely on speed, flexibility, dexterity and accuracy. This place trains all that. Hidden throughout the garden are targets to shoot at, obstacles to traverse and overcome, traps that will make you fall flat on your face and most importantly, training in there counts as performing class actions and will gain you experience. Isn’t it great?”

“What do you mean by ‘it counts as performing class actions’?”

Michelle facepalmed and walked up to the next possible bench and sat down. “Alright, get comfortable, it seems like a crash course in ‘Classes and how they work’ is in order. You can read and count, right? Please tell me they at least taught you that much.” He implored her.

Luna was not sure if she should be offended by Michelle or angry at their lacking village education. Maybe both? She decided to just sit down and wait for the explanation. “Yes, I can read and figure, both quite well by our village’s standards, which does not seem to account for much around here.”

“Thank the gods for small mercies.” Michelle whispered.

“You do know I can still hear you, even if you just try to mumble to yourself, right? I have class Skills for that.” Luna told him.

“Alright, alright. It is not your fault your education is less than optimal. Classes are peculiar, the longer your work on something and the more time you spend doing the things that are in the domain of your class, the more experience you receive. Based on the records created by scholars some hundred years ago, every class gains a static 5 Experience every hour, as long as they are actively working inside the domain of their class. Please let me know if you need something explained in detail, otherwise I will just keep talking. ok?”

Lunna nodded and waved him onward. This was interesting, finally someone who knew more than the old hag running the village school.

“The domain of a class is basically ‘all the things that a class is supposed to be doing’. For example, if you get a coach driver job, you get Experience when driving the coach, but also when unloading it, helping passengers down, maintaining the coach or taking care of the horses. You can imagine it as some type of job description listing all the things they would have to do.”

“Looking at your backpack I’d wager that your first classes were Hunter and Scout, correct? I can see all the trademark items. Bow and Quiver, light weapons, a buckler. What do you think fell into their domain and what did you gain Experience for?”

The more Luna had heard the more thoughtful she had become. This explanation made a lot of sense to her. She had always been wondering why the class experience had been so inconstant and erratic. “I guess shooting the bow, hunting animals, tracking animals, butchering them all falls into the Hunter domain. Scout domain is weird, I guess the bow also falls into that, maybe using stealth? I am not sure.”

“I figured as much.” Michelle replied. “The Scout class might seem like a good second choice next to Hunter, but it is basically a military class. You might get some experience for using the bow and sneaking around employing the Stealth Skill. If you are not scouting actual sentient enemies, it won’t actually count. The same for the melee weapons. I bet you have not been running around jumping deer with your buckler and a dagger. So you never actually used the melee weapons that were part of the Scout’s domain. It would have been a lot better for you to pick something that gained Experience while doing things belonging to the Hunter domain. THis might sound a bit unfair, but any class that required you to walk around a lot would have gained tons of experience. Imagine if you had picked the Courier class, you might even get Experience for simply fetching a loaf of bread. Not that you should have done that, it would have been monumentally stupid, just making a point.”

Luna was not too happy with that revelation. “Now that is a disappointment. I am sure my friend who advised me on the class choice meant well, but it is still disappointing to hear that this kind of knowledge is completely unknown to us in the village.”

Michelle started grinning, shaking a finger in her face. “Oh no young lady. This is Pathfinder knowledge. I have no idea how much other people out there know, but these are things this organisation has spent decades if not centuries investigating. I am certain that you could go out there and find as many ignorant people as in your village.”

“I do not understand. That knowledge would have been super helpful to me!” Luna told him.

“Of course you don’t understand. You do not see the big picture. Crafter Classes gain experience fast, because they nearly always do work inside their domain. They gain skills for it and they use them constantly. You do not pick a Baker Class and then go off to fish all day. Why do you think many Crafter pick classes that supplement each other? It is well known that some class combinations work well together, only they do not know the exact science behind it. The Combat Classes on the other hand are very different. Take a City Guard for example. They have a specific job and if they do it well they gain good experience from it. That is a Combat class, but it gains experience even when NOT fighting. They guard a gate, they patrol the streets and they get experience for doing that. Can you follow me so far?”

Luna did not look very happy, but at least she was still paying attention.

“Other Combat Classes are the exact opposite. They gain experience for fighting other people, they get experience for killing them, they get experience for destruction and mayhem. Back in the old days those were what you might call “adventurers”, only at that time they had another easy way to vent their aggression. Just point them at the next monster lair or dungeon and off they go. Happily leveling up.”

Seeing that Luna was now hanging on his every word, he continued. “Today there are no monsters around to keep them busy. All they have are organized fights in one of the arenas and the once in a lifetime opportunity to beat up a newly spawned dungeon. We do not want those people to have access to easy experience, they do not need to know about a special training garden that grants experience. People who pick classes solely for fighting are supposed to be picked and guided, and there are institutions to do just that. Like the Pathfinder Guild. If children just pick it without having prospects for actual training, they will stagnate and never be a danger. If they are stuck at low level even a mid level crafter can beat them up.”

By the end of his explanation Luna was nodding along. “What you are saying is that it is a type of control the kingdom has. If they control the classes children are picking, they can make sure that most everyone takes suitable and efficient classes and they control access to the ‘dangerous’ ones.”

Michelle nodded, seeming happy with her having picked up on the political aspect. “Yes, that also ties into it. It is not a simple topic and we had this very discussion inside the Pathfinder Guild a few times. Would it be better to spread all information? What would be the downsides? But in the end nobody was willing to disturb the balance. I wonder what the same people would say in our current situation, the human lands split in three and trouble brewing.”

Luna kept thinking about her own classes and what her domains might be. “That means I need to follow the idea behind my classes to gain experience and this Garden is going to help me with it? The Pathfinder is easy enough, movement in all variations, exploration, discovery. But what about the Stalker? The class description said something about taking out enemies. Is this one of those combat classes that only gains from fighting monsters or other sentients? The bow might have still counted for either, but it does explain why I seemed to have gotten less experience. Is there a Class Tablet close by?”

When Luna asked the last question Michelle started grinning. “Why, in the very middle of the garden of course. You only need to find your way there first. Follow me.”

He led her up some wooden stairs, up on a raised platform a table with two chairs and lunch were waiting for them. Michelle poured them both some water and sat down. “Take a seat and dig in. I will explain to you where you need to go. Look over there,” he said, “do you see that white pavilion in the garden? That marks the middle. There are many different routes to get there, some easy and some hard. To train properly you will have to be honest with yourself. Unless the training is a challenge you will not gain any experience from it.”

“Got it, no cheating myself.” Luna replied seriously. Every child in Creek Springs learned at a very young age that you always had to put in the effort. It was a harsh lesson, but your efforts in spring were what helped you reap the rewards during harvest and if you did not put in the work, you might not have enough food.

“Right. The challenges focus on the four most important factors for our members. I just mentioned them not too long ago. Do you remember?” He asked Luna.

“I think I do.” She replied. “I think they were, speed, dexterity, accuracy and … I forgot the fourth.”

“Flexibility.” Michelle added. “What you can do on normal ground is worth a damn if you lack the control to use your Skills while running or jumping. This place was created to train our people, to prepare them for surviving outside in the wild and on any mission they might be undertaking. Now if you get up and go straight from here, you will have the easiest possible way in. Just a little obstacle course.”

Luna got up, eager to test herself against the challenge. She also really wanted to get to the Class Tablet and check her status. It had been what, 24 days since she did the last time in Creek Springs? Most of those days had been on the road, many of those foraging and hunting. Some of those things must have counted towards her two classes and maybe she had gained enough for a level up.

She quickly hopped down the flight of stairs and turned towards the white pavilion beckoning in the distance, from the ground only the roof was still partly visible. Compared to her perspective from the patio, it seemed a little more daunting. The garden was split in different sized slices, by rows of hedges, which must have been at least 4 meter high.

“Just do not touch the water. If you do, you have to go back to the start.” Michelle yelled down to her from where he was sitting.

Luna nodded and approached the course. Right after the start the ground fell off and was replaced by a big pond of water. The obstacles rose from the water on wooden stilts. The early part looked rather easy, just some simple wooden platforms varying in size. She only had to leap from one to the next until she was across. Michelle was right, this looked easy. She stepped forward and leapt to the first platform, sticking the landing she stepped up to the next jump, picking the biggest of the three platforms she could choose from. An easy leap, but when she landed she immediately noticed that something was not right. The ground tilted under her and she was unceremoniously dumped into the waiting water below.

Sputtering and yelling obscenities she reappeared from the water, quickly making her way over to the stairs near the start. “What the actual fuck? A little warning would have been nice.”

Michelle was roaring with laughter. “This never gets old. It has been a while since we had a new recruit doing their first attempt. Haha, you should see your face. Oh and I like what you did with those reeds in your hair. Nice green accent, nice contrast to your usual black.”

Luna was still fuming, but more because she had actually thought this might be easy. She should have known better. Now it was time to plan her crossing, actually think about what she was going to do and be ready to use her Double Jump. Michelle was right, what good were Skills if you did not use them?

Four hours and a number of attempts in the high double digits later, Luna collapsed at her destination. Of course Michelle was already there and waiting, having sat there in full view for her while she struggled over the last obstacles. An absolutely cursed wooden wall with way too few hand holds.

Getting back up she stumbled towards the Class Tablet and put her hands on it.

Greetings Emiluna

Your gains since your last visit at a Class Tablet.

General Experience [Experience gained by performing Class actions]

Pathfinder: 516 XP

Stalker: 294 XP

Additional Experience [Noteworthy Achievements]

Completed Pathfinder Challenge: 500 XP

Name: Emilia Lunare Sylvanlake

Level: 6

Race: Sylvan

Age: 16

Class 1: Sylvan Pathfinder - Level 3 (Level Up)

Experience: 639/1800

Class 2: Sylvan Stalker - Level 3 (Level Up)

Experience: 304/1800

Class 3: N/A (Requires a total level of 45)

Health: 187/187 [(Vitality x 10 + Strength x 2.5 + Dexterity x 2.5) x 1.1]

Stamina: 192/192 [((Vitality + Strength + Dexterity) x 5) x 1.1]

Mana: 129/129 [(Wisdom x10 + Intelligence x 2.5 + Charisma x 2.5) x 1.1]

Regeneration - Per Minute

1.67% Stamina [1% base x Body/Mind x 1.1)]

0.72% Mana [1% base x Mind/Body x 1.1)]

1.1% Life [1% base x 1.1]

Stats - Body

Strength: 11

Vitality: 11

Dexterity: 13

Stats - Mind

Wisdom: 8

Intelligence: 8

Charisma: 7

Available Points

Stats: 0

Skills: 0

Skills - Personal

[Athleticism] - Level 8 (Level Up)

[Languages] - Level 5

Skills - Race

[Dryad's Body]

[Natural Insight]

[Ancestral Memories]

Skills - Crafting

[Cooking] - Level 4

[Sewing] - Level 2

[Field Dressing] - Level 6 (Level Up)

Skills - Combat

[Bows] - Level 6

[Small Weapons] - Level 3

[Small Shields] - Level 3

Skills - Utility

[Tracking] - Level 5 (Level Up)

[Stealth] - Level 4

[Survival] - Level 4

[Field Craft] - Level 4

[First Aid] - Level 2 (Level Up)

Skill - Magic

[Purify Water] - Level N/A

[Spark] - Level N/A

[Conceal Presence] - Level 2 (Level Up)

[Seal Wound] - Level 1

Skills - Class

[First]

[At home in the wilds]

[Silent Observer]

[Stalker's Precision]

[Silent Shot]

[Double Jump]

Letting go of the Class Tablet she sank back to the ground. “You don’t mind if I curse, do you? The elderly people in the village were just so offended by it.” She asked Michelle.

He looked at her funny. “I don’t care, but thank you very much for calling me elderly.”

“Alright then. Why the fuck do I get special Experience for completing part of this silly course? I only had that happen once and I had to suicidally walk into the Everwood and meet a gods damned DRYAD.”

Michelle scratched his neck. “Oh that. Back when the Pathfinder Guild was founded they put a lot of effort into finding training regimes that are the most efficient. They found out that if you create a permanent challenge, it will start counting towards noteworthy achievements and generate extra Experience. The thing is, it has to be in place for at least a few years before it starts to count.” He shrugged his shoulders and went on. “Who knows? It could all kinds of requirements before it works. I am not a scholar investigating such things, I got better things to do. Well, most days anyway.”

He got up and dragged Luna back to her feet. He gestured for her to follow him and lead the way out of the obstacles course. It took Luna a few moments to process that they had just followed a simple path between two hedges.

“Of course there is an easy way in and out. Why am I not surprised.” She grumbled, flicking her magic ring in his direction. “Before I forget, take the ring. I really want to see more of the city, the quicker I get it back the better.”

Michelle caught the ring and pocketed it. “Let’s get back inside. You spent quite some time with that obstacle course. I honestly did not expect you to get through that today, even if it was the easy one.”

They entered the building through the same door they came from, he had picked up Luna’s backpack for her and led the way back. Apparently it was time for another round of excellent food, as they stopped in a small and comfortable room with a dinner table. Food was already waiting for them and Luna was beginning to wonder who was responsible for the food appearing just before they got somewhere. She had not seen a single soul except Peter and Michelle.

“I can also offer you some options for doing minor jobs. You can train here, but the best experience is gained when actively doing something, especially with classes such as yours. There are still some things the kingdom needs the Pathfinders for. Our skill-set comes in very handy when there are jobs out in the countryside. Out at Creek Springs it is very peaceful, if you ignore the local wildlife. But near the capital and especially closer to the border to Zollan and Demholt the incidents with bandits waylaying travelers or straight up attacking villages have been constantly increasing, ever since someone decided to poison our late king.”

Luna shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I would prefer to not fight humans. It just does not feel right to me.” She told him.

“Yes, I can understand that. You are young still, so you will have to learn some hard lessons in the future, but I will warn you right now. Humans have nothing on monsters. They can be just as cruel and barbaric. Remember that some people tried killing you while you were just four years old.”

Luna nodded. “I wish sometimes I could forget what I know now. But it is always there, waiting for me to go to sleep.”

Michelle looked at her. “I keep forgetting that you are just 16 years old. So if you need something to help you sleep, I am sure I can find something. We have a stock of different remedies, mostly for staying awake while on a mission, but you also need to come down and get rest when there is time. But back to the missions. You do not have to think about that right now. Mostly the missions are for finding people, tracking them to a camp, base or hideout. Sometimes we even get missions to find people inside the city. The guard only has so many skilled investigators and we are happy to help out when they request it. Now, let us talk about more interesting topics over dinner.”

Luna had already been filling up her plate with an assortment of vegetables and meat. Freezing in the midst of dumping another helping of beef on her plate, she sheepishly looked at Michelle. “I am sorry, just starting with the food has been incredibly rude of me.”

“Don’t sweat it. It is only us right now and I do not care much about etiquette. A necessary evil here in the city, but absolutely useless when doing an actual job.”

Despite the promise to talk about something more interesting, they spent the next minutes in silence. Luna was absolutely blown away by the flavors of the food. Never in her life had she tasted so many different things.The beef was a bit overdone in her opinion, preferring it to be a bit rare in the middle, but after the previous blunder she was not going to commit the even larger etiquette crime of criticizing the food.

When their plates were empty Peter appeared next to her elbow out of nowhere. “I hope everything was in order. How did you like my newest creation?”

After recovering from the slight fright, Luna could not help but ask. “What do you mean by ‘newest creation’? It tasted very very good.”

“Peter likes to play with ingredients and devise new menus. Since you are going to join us and stay here, there is no harm in telling you. Do not let them fool you, he is still a full member of the Pathfinder Guild, his skills are simply useful in a different field. Peter, mind sharing your Classes with her?”

“Of course, Sir.” Peter replied. “I have the Classes ‘Masterful Cook’ and ‘Shadow Steward’. My third Class I am not at liberty to share with you.”

“You are a cook?” Luna asked incredulously. “I do not mean to offend, but you do not look like any cook I have ever seen.”

Michelle started laughing out loud as Peter started beaming with pride. “Thank you very much! I am not just any kind of cook. I am in pursuit of the perfect taste, always trying new recipes, exotic combinations. If we ever find the time you must tell me about your local ingredients and traditional menus!”

Michelle interjected at this point. “I am sure she will, but now you must excuse us. I will show Luna her new room and the library. Hopefully something will catch her eye, as I have some work to finish.”

They rose from the table, Luna thanking Peter for the excellent meal. Michelle carried her backpack again and led the way. Evening was near and without much daylight the corridor was now illuminated by candles, which were mounted in wall holders. Just a short way down the corridor he opened a door for her, ushering her inside. Luna stopped in the doorway looking inside. “This is my room? This is nearly as big as our house in Creek Springs!” She exclaimed.

“Yes this is your room, since there is nobody else staying here at the moment I can just give you one of the nicer rooms. The few apprentices we still have here are in the field with their mentors at the moment. Most members do not feel at home in the city and prefer the road and a bed under the stars, although some apprentices had a hard time getting used to that at first.”

Now that was something Luna was quite sure she would ace on the first try. “I do not think you will have to worry about that. I prefer nature, although your garden is a decent replacement, given the fact that we are in the middle of the biggest city of the kingdom.” Luna stepped inside, slowly walking around the room. A huge bed stood under a window at the back wall, a large desk with two arm chairs, a commode and a wardrobe next to it. At the far end another door led out of the room.

“Where does the other door lead?” She asked curiously.

“To a bathroom of course.” Michelle replied, then slapped his head. “Of course, you never had a modern bathroom all to yourself have you? It has a simple water toilet that flushes with water that comes from a big tank near the roof. And a copper bathtub, there is a boiler in there too, so you can heat up water for a warm bath. Very relaxing after a day working out in the garden. Before you rush in there for the bath, follow me to the library first.”

Reluctantly leaving the room behind Luna followed him down the hallway again, where he opened a double door to another room. Luna had heard of libraries before, but she had never seen so many books in one place before. Michelle’s office had already exceeded what their whole village owned in total, but this room was on another level.

Michelle walked into the dimly lit room and touched a metal plate on a desk. Suddenly light illuminated the area around the desk. “This is a mana lamp. I am sure you did not have one of those in your village either. It uses mana and there is a crystal set into a socket on the lamp. As long as it has mana left, it will radiate this warm light. Never bring a candle in here, or you will be banned from the library.”

Luna stepped closer, curiously eyeing the magical light. It was wondrous, light without a flame. It felt a little warm, just like the sun hidden behind a cloud. The room was organized in neatly arranged rows upon rows of bookshelves. They went down the whole room, even the walls covered by them. Only the windows were left uncovered to allow for natural light during daytime.

“See this metal plate here?” Michelle asked Luna, pointing at the one on the desk. “If you touch them and inject your mana, they will turn on a light where you are standing. There is one such plate at both ends of the rows. Since you know the way to your room I will just leave you here. Read whatever book you like, except if they are locked behind glass. Those are the rarest books and scrolls we have here, so you will understand if we do not let just anyone handle them.”

Michelle turned around and left Luna to herself. She was still overwhelmed with the many books, but excited by the amounts of knowledge in the room. First, she decided, she had to take a bath. And then she needed to find out where to get some more clothes. If she were to train every day without walking around in filthy clothes, she needed more sets to change into.

But those were problems for future Luna. Now it was time for a bath.