“You would be correct,” Came a pretty lively response from a pile of walking bones.

I sank into my chair with a sigh and cleaned up the skeletal battleground.

You have gained a new item template:

Human Bone Dust Lesser Quality

I’m going to go off on a limb and assume that I use these specific items for treasure chests and loot drops; eventually, I will have to set it up. But first things first. I need to work on getting my class in order and start working on the domain redesign. I stood up and motioned for my bosses to follow me. “Kharon, can they teleport as well?” I asked as I adjusted my shirt since it was bundling up. Really, I have to create new ones at some point.

“No. However, you can teleport them to an area if you need them there.” I glanced at my map and looked it over. Ah, yes, there it was. I should probably read before I ask another stupid question. I selected the two bosses and told them to wait for us and then teleported them out. With that out of the way, I placed my hand on Alessia’s shoulder and teleported. Perhaps I was just a little biased towards her, just a smidge.

Once we arrived, I had everyone gather around the ruined fountain. I pulled myself onto the ruined wall so I could see everyone. “Alright, so, Rikard. Your job at the moment is to make sure the zombies stay in line. I will need you to lead them once construction starts. In the meantime, I will teleport you to the mines. Make sure the mobs there wrap up their work while we pull in the last of the materials.” He let out a grunt of acknowledgment, and I teleported him away. I’m sure that Kharon appreciated that. I sure would; if I had to deal with those zombies and skeletons, I probably would want to off myself. At least the Ghosts are easier to work with.

“Aaron, your job will be to help the skeletons and zombies finish gathering the last bits of logs. Once that is done, I want you to gather them all and pull every single thing of use out of the outpost. We will remodel the entire area soon, and I want to make sure that we are using everything that we can. I want everything stacked as neat as possible by this fountain.” I emphasized the word neat and then summoned a team of ten more skeletons for him to assist with completing the project. It was okay to be a little more liberal with this since I got some essence as a reward earlier. Aaron chittered out a response and quickly led the group of freshly gathered skeletons over to the working camp.

I cast a glance at Alessia as I tried to figure out her role in things. I didn’t want her to leave, but I had to get everything ready. “Alessia, gather all the ghosts in the domain and try to evolve them to the best of your ability. “She nodded and vanished without a trace. Leaving just Kharon and myself.

“I enjoy the fact that you issue orders with no hesitation.” He said as we watched the skeletons help the zombies carry the last bit of logs into the pile.

“It comes with the territory, I suppose. I used to work in a kitchen, so if I wanted stuff done, it had to be fast and clear. Besides, if everything goes as planned, I might get to go back home one day.” I shrugged and crossed my arms as I watched them. I wasn’t sure how building the outpost out would work, but I would do my best.

“It’s a wonderful trait to have. Anyway, would you like to start your training?” I nodded my head. I would be lying if I were to say I wasn’t eager. He made a quick motion with his head as we walked through the courtyard, He gestured to an empty spot on the ground, and I sat down. He followed shortly after and crossed his boney legs.

“Now, this class you chose will not be an easy one. I hope you are aware of that.” I slung my sports bag from across my back and laid it across my lap, and rummaged through it for my notebook and pen. Maybe I should consume my spare and a pen, so that way I would forever have them.

“I’m ready,” I told him as I cleared my throat and adjusted my hair. I wish I had my hair tie, but I had no idea where it went.

“Good. The first thing about this class is that you need an item that holds great personal value. Do you have something like that?” I thought about it for a moment, and I quickly went through my bag and pulled out my cell phone. Its screen was still pitch black and cool to the touch. I tested out the power button once more to see if it would work. I knew it wouldn’t, but I still wanted to try.

“What is that?” Kharon asked as he eyed my cell phone.

“It’s a device that can do almost anything. I can talk to people across the world or play music on command. Take pictures, or have a light source.” I explained as I clenched the phone in my hand. I sometimes forget that he doesn’t know what Earth is or know of the technology there.

“I have never heard of such of a device.” He mused quietly to himself as he stroked his pointed chin with his finger. “May I see it?” He asked and stretched out his hand.

I hesitated for a moment since I didn’t want to part ways with my phone. But I caved and handed it over to him. I placed the phone into his hand, and the metal tinked in response to hitting the bone. He pulled it back and looked it over for a few moments. He reached down with his other hand and tapped the screen a few times with the tip of his finger, and shrugged as he handed it back to me. “It looks useless to me.”

I took my phone back and felt my eyebrows twitch at that comment, “I’ll have you know that this is the latest model and cost me a fortune! It’s not my fault that coming here ruined it.” I huffed out as I pulled the phone out of view.

He stared at me for a moment before shrugging and clearly choosing to ignore my tantrum. “Anyway, what we are going to do is activate your class. While most classes would be active the moment you select it, the Soul Catalyzation class requires you to make a medium.” As I listened to him talk, I deiced to drop my indignation at his comment. This war far more critical than getting mad over a phone that doesn’t even work, anyway.

“So what do I need to do with it then?” I asked as I set the phone on top of my notebook and leaned forward.

“You have to combine a part of your being to your medium and mold it as you desire. However, be warned that once the medium is formed, it is forever bound to your body.” As he said that, I realized what I had to do, I grabbed my phone and looked at it for a moment, and a wave of apprehension coursed through me. I really didn’t want to destroy something that I put so much money into. Well, part of it was about the money; the rest was the sentimental value it held to me. It had all my pictures, and it’s been through a lot with me, hell in a way, it was one of the last ties I had to Earth.

“Do I have to destroy it?” I asked and placed it back down on my notebook and brought my knees up to my chest.

“Who said anything about destroying it? Indeed, it won’t be the same item that it once was, but it won’t be destroyed. It will just be changed to better suit your needs and will forever be a part of you.” Damn, he had a point, even if it was a little rough around the edges. Besides, I shouldn’t be too materialistic. If I ever get back to Earth, I have uploaded it all to the cloud, so it will still exist in some capacity. I shoved away my feelings and nodded my head in agreement, though my heart was still in turmoil.

“Good, I am glad you understand. Now, here is the hard part. You have to fracture your soul and impart it onto your medium.” I snorted and choked for a moment at that revelation.

“I what now?” My words sputtered out as I tried to comprehend his words.

“You have to fracture your soul.” He replied with that same monotonous voice. Either he knew I was being sarcastic and messed with me, or he couldn’t tell that I was.

“No, no, I got that; it was just too crazy to believe in, was all.” He stared at me unflinchingly with those red eyes and slowly bobbed his head.

“Various forms of undead surround you, and you find fracturing your soul too crazy to believe in? Oh, he had me there.

“I can’t really argue that. I just never really believed in the concept of a soul. So hearing you say something like that raises questions that I’m not sure I want answers to.”

He nodded his head and shifted his legs around a bit. “The things that govern us change between worlds, so what you may know to be true may not be so true anymore. However, I won’t push you into knowing things you are not ready for.” He reached forward and placed his boney hands on top of my shoulder. The feeling of bone was strange. Mostly cause they were cold, even colder than ice. Even though it was an odd gesture, I appreciated the kindness.

“Thank you, Kharon. Anyway, what do I need to do?” I pulled away from him, not cause it creeped me out, but cause his hand chilled me to the bone, even through my clothes.

He pulled away unperturbed at my dismissal. “Well, the first thing is, I need to teach you a skill. However, it will be considered an auxiliary skill and count towards your limit.”

“Uh, I have no clue what any of that means,” I replied and grabbed my notebook, ready to take more notes on the matter.

“So, the system has three categories. You have primary skills, which are directly related to your class. You have auxiliary skills, which are specific skills that are not immediately essential to your class. Then you have a third tab where your resistances and class modifiers go.” I jotted that down and shot back with a question of my own.

“You said it would count towards a limit; what limit would that be?”

“Well, for primary skills, there is no true limit. Once you get access to the tree, you will see that. You can branch into any path that you would like. However, for Auxiliary skills, the maximum is seven total. For the resistances, the only limit is what your body can take. The rest varies; you are free to take on however much you want in the way of proficiencies like swords and hand to hand combat; however, active passives cap out pretty quickly.” Oh boy, more stuff to figure out. I jotted it and set my notebook down.

“Well, Kharon, I am ready; teach me what you know,” I told him as I cracked my knuckles and steeled my resolve for what was to come.