Chapter 11

Class Selection

The fateful day had come. Five long years of training and pushing himself daily had gone into training for this very day. He had quite a few accomplishments to his belt. First of all was that while he could not create elemental attacks the way the High Wood Elves could, he could manipulate energy bursts well enough that the Chimera on tier three were no longer a challenge for him. He soon found that he could run through the entire gambit of training scenarios with his spear easily. Training with a wooden practice sword was a little tougher, as he still had to get used to the weight and feel of the blade within his hands.

He had managed to read through most of the ancient texts and translated a good portion of them into modern High Wood Elf. He could forage for food in the wilderness, set up camp, and spot trails of wild game easily from his many days spent on patrol in the forest.

Most importantly, Octavia’s connection to the Great Forest Spirit had been fully restored and was, according to her, at least, “A stronger connection than ever.”

Looking at her source of energy, Lykan had to agree that while she had been punished for five years. The reward after being denied for so long was quite substantial. In terms of raw power available, she was now easily on par with the High Priestess and the Head Healer. While she would still require a lot of training to gain control over her connection, she was well on her way to becoming a pillar for the High Wood Elves.

That left only one thing, Lykan’s Class. Today was the day. Miata, the High Wood Elf Seer, woke up early to let everyone know that today was the day. She could see the chains of fate that had bound Lykan tightly to these lands, breaking away link by link. She had first warned of such an event to High Priestess and Head Healer. Then when Octavia had been freed of her spiritual bonds to Lykan, it was clear that the boy would likely need to leave. Even though he had so much left to translate and so much more he could learn, it was clear, at least to the leaders of the community, that he was only on loan. It was clear that his time of being borrowed was quickly coming to an end.

Everyone gathered as they always did for a Class selection day. High Wood Elves were long-lived, so they had very few members who were even close to gaining their Class. While there were a few younglings about, they were nowhere near ready to be able to face the world on their own.

“Congratulations, Lykan Vita,” the High Priestess began her speech. As a High Priestess, she was the one who helped unlock the Classes for the High Wood Elves. While no assistance was truly needed, having a Class unlocked in such a way was often a sign of good luck and fortune. With the High Priestess around or clergy in the human settlements, a person who just received their Class can ask questions that would help them go down the correct paths in the future. Now that the High Priestess had everyone’s attention, she continued.

“Today is your Class Selection day. This is the day when the world says you are capable of not only surviving on your own but able to thrive on your own as well. The Class you are given will be the way the world has judged your efforts thus far and how they see you best benefiting the world in the future. No one truly knows the reasons why a Class is paired with a particular person. That said, when a Class is paired, it soon becomes apparent that if you dedicate yourself fully to the ideals of your Class, you will perform great things in this life. To fulfill your Class goals is the way to truly bring merit to the world.”

There was a slight pause before she finished her speech. “Know that each Class has both a way to improve and a way to devolve. How you choose to walk the path of your Class is up to you. But know that while you might stumble along your path toward improvement, you never truly fall until you fail to strive onward in the path provided for you.”

Another pause. Then the High Priestess smiled nervously. There were so many thoughts going through her head right now. She knew that the boy had never formed a pact with the Great Forest Spirit, so she wondered if the Gods would take umbrage with his ceremony being performed by her. An outsider to the Gods that oversee the human lands. She felt a bubble of fear ball up in her but quickly squashed that notion. One look at Lykan showed that he, too, was nervous, and while he could have easily opened his Class notification all day, he chose to wait to share his future with everyone.

You truly are a good boy, the High Priestess thought as she breathed in to steady herself. Then she reached out to Lykan’s forehead and touched the center of his forehead. This area had been marked with a golden seal all morning, and the High Priestess was sure he had not opened it early to take a peak as the golden seal of the human Gods was still in place.

As she touched the center of his forehead, a golden glow began to form where her fingers touched. With that, the High Priestess began to infuse a gentle flow of mana into the seal. Within seconds the seal was opened, and a block in human tongue appeared before Lykan and everyone.

“What?”

Only a few who were gathered could read the foreign tongue, but to Lykan, this was the language he thought in. While he could read and speak any, this was still his base language and thus the one that his prompts would be shown.

Name Lykan Vita Class Wanderer Age 16 Attribute Base Plus Modifier Total Strength (6+5) 11 Awareness (7+5) 12 Mobility (9+5) 14 Intelligence (7+11) 18 Power (5+11) 16 Skill Rating Universal Linguist (Maximum) Spear Mastery (Maximum) Sword Mastery Novice Quick Step Novice Universal Literacy (Maximum) Regeneration (Maximum) Meditation Novice Focus Novice Magical Ability Rating Energy Absorption (Maximum) Energy Sensing (Maximum) Energy Control Master Energy Alter Adept

The years of training and constantly pushing himself had paid off. All of his Attributes, even mobility and Intelligence, had increased by at least one. The most surprising was Power which had risen from a base 1 to 5. While Awareness and Strength both increased by two. While he still had a lot to do to grow and improve, he felt quite pleased with the Attributes as they were. A base stat of 5 in Power was exceptional, especially since he had just gotten his Class. He was surprised to see that his Energy Control had risen a step, going from Adept to Master. While he had four new Skills that all needed to be worked on, he felt confident that he could do so easily with a bit of practice.

The only real problem he saw was his Class, Wanderer.

Almost as if reading his mind, the High Priestess spoke. Since the High Priestess was a community leader, her Class let her see what each Class was designed for and what the purpose of such a Class was. The Class descriptions often changed from person to person. This the High Priestess felt was a way of the Gods helping to explain their rationale for the Class to the person to who the Class was being assigned. Thus while the words that appeared before the High Priestess were odd if taken out of context, they seemed to apply perfectly to Lykan. A small smile crept on her lips as she read the personalized message.

“You have been granted the Class Wanderer. For you, the world is a book with many pages and chapters to read. Each page is a day in life. Each chapter, a point of interest to reflect upon during the many nights. Your path will lead you far and wide, see the world and be the change for good. Class Evolution: Wayfarer. Class Devolution: Vagabond Drifter.”

A chill ran down Lykan’s spine as he realized that this Class meant his time here was over. He suddenly felt weak in the knees. Deep down, he knew this day was coming, that life here was too perfect that he wasn’t able to grow nearly as much as he had when he first arrived. His abysmal growth in Magical Abilities was proof that he had stagnated. Only one of his Magical Abilities had grown in five years. To be fair, the rest of that time had been him getting used to the sudden and rapid growth of his powers awarded by the Gods for his heroic feats. As far as Lykan was concerned, he had been and still was extremely blessed.

He began to notice there was a balance to life. There were bad parts that often preceded the good parts if you tried hard enough and pushed through the bad parts.

Soon after, the people who had gathered all came by to say their goodbyes. As a Wanderer, it was expected that for him to grow, he would need to travel. It was clear that other than a few minor translations, his purpose for being here with the High Wood Elves was nearing its end. After hearing the warning of what his Class could devolve into, he realized he would be a Vagabond if he stayed.

He had gained and grown so much from his time here, but now he must leave.

He started packing his worldly possessions, which resulted in a current set of clothes that had been adjusted to his size over the years. His spear and, of course, a new backpack that had been a gift from Octavia to help on his journey. Yet, holding the spear made him feel both secure and as if he was holding himself back.

Oddly enough, it was Ghane who was among the last to come by to offer him a solution to his stagnation problem. In his hands, he held a wooden sword. The only thing that separated this sword from a regular sword was that it was made from the same material that the rest of the structures around were made of. This was but a twig of the great tree that rested over the area where the Great Forest Spirit resided. Yet looking at it, Lykan could see the core of the branch. It was empty but clearly used to hold some type of magical energy.

“I heard you needed to replace your weapon,” Ghane began, walking forward with the dead branch. In his mind, this was an evil trick he would play. The twig in question came from the great armory, where all the previous weapons used by the High Wood Elven heroes of the past still resided. This was an unmatched sword, meaning that it had never been paired with a user. The sword had likely been set aside for a young and promising warrior, but after the exile and subsequent return, the sword was found in its dormant state. As it was, the sword was little more than a strong branch that held the shape of a sword easily. Knowing of the branch’s history and knowing that Lykan would be too foolish to not accept such a priceless treasure, Ghane made his move.

“This is a branch sword from the great tree.”

Seeing the sword, Lykan’s eyes went wide. He had spent many nights reading and transcribing stories of these old swords. He even remembered passages about how to directly bond a sword to one’s own mana pool. Seeing the sword, Lykan felt his heart begin to thrum.

“For me?” Lykan asked. He knew of Ghane's feelings for him. While they had seemingly never come to blows, Lykan still felt hesitant at such an open display of generosity from such a person.

“Well, there is one problem…” Ghane began.

Hearing this, Lykan felt a little relieved that he hadn’t misjudged this person.

“I will need an exchange.”

“An exchange?” Lykan asked.

“Your spear,” Ghane said, pointing to the blue-tipped Mythril spear.

“My spear?” Lykan asked for clarification. To Lykan, such an exchange was more than adequate. While the spear was now and would always be important to him, it didn’t have to be this spear. Any spear would do if it came down to a matter of life or death. While the Mythril spear had grown on him over the years, the thought of having a legendary blade from the sacred tree meant more. The lore and stories he could tell his father alone about the blade made such an exchange more than acceptable. This was why he wondered if there was some ulterior motive if the man wanted more? If he did, Lykan would gladly give it and more for such a sword. Such was the case of these great swords of legend.

“Yes, I realize the spear is important to you. But given that you need to train diligently with the sword to unlock more Skills. It would be best if you moved on. Thus I propose a trade,” Ghane said, his well-crafted argument flowing freely from his lips as he had practiced so many times before.

“A trade straight up, my spear for your blade?” Lykan asked, his features a hard mask as he was still trying to comprehend the landfall that was waiting before him.

Hesitant that he might have bitten off more than he could chew, Ghane nodded. “Yes, I can throw in a few water skins and rations as well.”

Hearing that Lykan realized he had forgotten such basic necessities, he quickly jumped at the chance before Ghane could change his mind again. “The spear for the sword, two water skins, and ration bars. That’s a deal,” Lykan said, thrusting his hand and the spear out in front of him before Ghane could take back his words.

Shocked, Ghane just stared at the legendary spear that had taken up so much of his thoughts over the last five years.

“Uh. Yeah,” Ghane said, putting forth his own hand with the sword as he gripped the spear tightly.

The exchange was made, and Ghane felt truly alive with power as he could almost feel the power that lay dormant in such a weapon.

Panting. Ghane stopped to say more but soon found that Lykan had left. Shaking himself, a smile broke out on his lips as he held the legendary spear with both hands. Ghane himself only had a General Weapons: Adept Skill, but even with such a Skill, the spear being one of the main primary weapons, felt easily able to be wielded in his hands. While he knew he wouldn’t be able to wield the weapon as freely as Lykan could, he knew he could always get better with practice.

Lykan, for his part, went down to the armory where all gear was turned in after missions and informed Rhathid, the quartermaster, about the exchange. Rathid looked nonplussed at the deal, almost getting irate that Ghane would do such a dirty deal as trade the outsider what was little more than a bobble for their most prized possession, but seeing the smile on Lykan’s face, he could only shake his head. Kids never know what they have till it is gone.

Then he remembered that he too had once been such a person. He got the gear requested from Ghane's supplies and handed them over.

“I threw in a bed roll. That is from me. Thank you for what you have done for us. The lost histories that you transcribed alone have been more than enough for that and more. Though I do have one request,” Rhathid said, his face getting close as his voice dropped to a serious pitch.

Hearing the seriousness in Rhathid’s tone, Lykan moved forward and asked, “Yes?”

“That there is a dormant Spirit Sword. I understand your want to move on, to take away security blankets, so you have to focus on improving your new Skill as much as possible. If and when you get that sword awoken, don’t trade it away for anything. Right now, it is worthless, but if you bond yourself to that blade. Know that losing it would cause your spirit to be lost. Trading it, well, that would be like selling your right arm to pay for a meal. What I mean to say is, don’t. You will always need protection, just as you will always need your arm.”

Lykan was well aware of such problems. The sword that was in his hand had to be awoken by him bonding his energy or spirit to part of the great tree. This would make the sword stronger and more durable, but it would eventually become like an extension of his own body. He already felt the same with the spear, and while losing the slight spiritual connection he felt to the spear would be rough, he knew that this was a great trade in the long run. Knowing that he had no intentions of ever trading away this sword, even if he never got it to bond to him.

“I won’t. Not now, or ever.”

Hearing that, Rhathid nodded. He thought Ghane was stupid for trading away such a valuable sword, to begin with. He thought Lykan was doubly stupid for trading away a weapon that worked for one that likely would never bond to him. Still, he had said his peace and figured failure would be the greatest of instructors possible for such a boy. Especially one with the Wanderer Class.

With that, before he knew it, Lykan was out and on his way. He half expected to see Octavia to at least say goodbye. While he had been thrust upon her, he felt that they had slightly more than a typical bond of friendship. While she had been saddened to see him go last night, they said their goodbyes early with the exchanging of gifts. Lykan had given her a personally translated text on the first High Priest who had broken her vows only to be reforged after doing years of penance to lead the High Wood Elves to a time of great prosperity. That was when she had gifted him the backpack.

Seeing the book and the way it seemed to glow at her touch Octavia realized that it was a personalized book. One that the Great Tree Spirit had offered to Lykan so he could write it so only one other person could read. “This is your story. Should you choose to share it with others, do so on your own. But know that because it is your own story, no one can ever force it from you.” Lykan remembered his words.

Then before he knew it, Octavia held him in a hug as wetness rolled down his neck. Feeling the trickle of tears, Lykan was happy that he had spent so much time on a personalized gift. He had gifted similar books to the High Priestess and the Head Healer. Each was dedicated to the intended recipient. They likewise gave him different gifts. The High Healer gave him shoes that were fashioned from the great tree. These shoes could be bonded and would regrow and mend themselves so long as energy was applied to the core. Such a gift would be invaluable for a Wanderer who would be expected to go through many pairs of shoes in a lifetime.

The gift from the High Priestess was a spirit marking that would forever note him as a friend to the High Wood Elves. Such a mark was observable to all Elves and marked him as a person of trusted confidence. Lykan practically salivated at the way such a marking could allow him to easily join and share tales of the High Wood Elves for additional stories of promise would be amazing.

His thoughts were filled with hope and promise as he made his way forward through the well-worn paths of the forest. Ever South toward the lands where the vicious Azani warriors and the other Kingdoms of the land stood. Even without his trusty spear, he felt more than confident in his Ability to take down Azani warriors should the need arise.

To get better with his sword, he realized he only needed two things: experience and to bond with the legendary Spirit Sword that had remained inactive for generations upon generations of High Wood Elves. The first one was easy, the second one should be easy as he thought he knew all the steps required to perform such a task.

The steps he knew were to first infuse energy into the weapon, something that he had been doing ever since he first got hold of the device. Only once the gem inside the pommel of the sword was fully saturated with mana could he begin the next steps required.

While it might have looked like he was merely walking all day, he was actually putting two of his new Skills to great work. He had to use both Meditation and Focus to keep going. Meditation was being used to constantly draw in the ambient energy of the woods around him to replenish the energy he was constantly using to infuse his newly gifted Spirit Sword. Focus was being used to make sure he did four tasks continually. He didn’t know if Focus could be used in such a way, but it seemed to be helping at least in a minor fashion. He needed to walk, pay attention to his surroundings, draw in energy, and infuse energy simultaneously into his sword. While he would admit he didn’t do any one particularly well, he did manage to make progress on all four.

The first two steps he chose, that of moving forward and paying attention to his surroundings, were, of course, the two that were the most important and, therefore, given the most mental energy to complete. The last two were ones that he knew he could work on continually for a lifetime.

While Lykan was effectively without a weapon at the moment, as he did not wish to risk breaking his unbound blade at such a crucial juncture, he felt more than confident in his Ability to avoid battle altogether.

With his Energy Sense, he noted where the highest levels of energy were located and made sure to steer clear of those areas. In all, it was a fairly uneventful first day, which suited Lykan just fine.

The next day was much the same. It was somewhere through the second day that he felt the level of readily available mana drop off considerably. It was at this point that Lykan realized he left the heart of the Great Forest and therefore was no longer under the ultimate protection of the Great Forest Spirit.

A strange feeling of loss filled Lykan as he continued going forward. He knew that such a day would eventually come, that with his personal goals and now how Class he had to leave. But to do so, so suddenly felt saddening.

He continued going forward. As he did, both his Meditation and Focus Skills improved from their near-constant use, both going from the Novice rank to the Beginner rank. With that, the amount of energy Lykan could draw from the surrounding area roughly stayed the same, despite being in a less mana-enriched environment. The increase in focus let Lykan increase the flow of energy he pushed into his unbound sword.

Soon he was at the one-week mark of his journey. While he missed the whole civilization that had been his home for five years, even if he originally had to stay in less than ideal circumstances. He still felt like it had been a second home. He knew that had he not learned the things he did there, he would not have been prepared for the life that the Gods apparently had in store for him. He had heard about traveling merchants and traveling Sages. In a way, he wondered if he could eventually evolve his Class to be one of those legendary figures. As a Wayfaring Sage, he could easily be let back into any city in the world, even his childhood home of Tython.

Realizing that being a Wanderer was likely the best thing for him, especially if he wanted to say goodbye to his father. He vowed to do as many good works as he could to have a Titled Class. These were Classes that had beneficial monikers on them. While everyone with a scanning Skill could read his Class easily. When one was blessed with a Title for their Class, it showed to everyone. In fact, only if the holder of such a title wished would it be withheld from the sight of everyone.

Lykan half wished that he had received a Title for his feat of slaying the dragon. But he realized such a thing would have been impossible. First, he received the maximum blessing allowed by the Gods, plus five points to all his Attributes that stood as a final bonus on top of his normal base Attributes. The second was that likely everything else he had earned from that encounter went toward changing and permanently evolving all of his Magical Abilities and Skills. Given how much that act alone changed his destiny, there would have been nothing left to use to add a title modifier to his Class.

The third and probably most important reason why his Class didn’t have a title now was that he didn’t have a Class at the time of his accomplishments. That was the great thing about Classes. They were often seen as giving people a fresh start in life. While children might get into mischief, they could always change their futures once they got a Class. For regardless of past actions, a Class always started off directly center of where they could end up. Classes were seen as the final wake-up call from the Gods. Regardless of how horrid an individual was as a child, they could always redeem themselves as an adult. Or so the legend of Classes went.

Thus Lykan moved forward more motivated than ever to improve his Class and change his fate.