Presentations aside, the… dinner? Late lunch? 'Whatever-it-is'… goes on awkwardly, especially seeing everyone else eating to their heart’s content, while here I am still thinking about the [Cleaners] that took care of Jeff, what horrible punishment he was put under, and how that was my fault.

If you had properly paid attention to what the [High Priestess] said about Jeoff you would know that he was no paragon of virtue and that punishment was already coming his way, you were just unfortunate to have attracted his attention.

"You knew his name was Jeoff the entire time, and you didn’t tell me!?" I mentally shout, bewildered.

Is that really the point you ended up concentrating on?

"I mean, yeah? I already knew that I was unlucky, even some bumped up [Stats] from some [God] won’t change much, I think. Especially if said [Goddess] enjoys watching me 'squirm'."

You really should learn how to see the glass half full more often.

"That doesn’t matter when the glass is half full of piss! I haven’t even touched on how I inconvenienced Undine, and how uncomfortable I must have made her feel!"

Ask her then, and stop isolating yourself, even from those that make an effort to get close to you.

[Buddy]’s words sting, because they ring true, I do estrange people, and it’s only because of my distrustful nature, forged in years of self-deprecation, and honed in my pessimism.

A very 'unhealthy cocktail', if you will.

Once again, I’m brought out of my self-commiseration.

"I see that you all seem to have finished stuffing yourselves" say a poultry [Priest] from the fringes of the room, "So I would ask you all to go in the next room, and take one last blessing from the [Gods], that we are responsible for passing over: your [Class]."

"Heck yeah! [Classes]!" I’m feeling excited, just like every other [Human], if the loud conversations, that exploded after that last declaration, are anything to go by.

"Exciting, isn’t it?" says Undine, whom I embarrassingly forgot has been standing next to me the entire time.

"Yeah, can’t wait to see what I’ll get" I say, now a bit nervous.

She reads my expression for a moment, and then speaks: "don’t worry, you will have multiple options, just choose the one that you think suits you the most, or that maybe looks like the one with the highest potential" she drops on my lap, once again, a bunch of information that I previously wasn’t privy of, "and if you don’t like what you have chosen you could always change it later at any [Temple], but be warned that you will lose anything that you gained through the previous [Class]"

I get the feeling that she enjoys watching my face go through different phases whenever she says things like this, and maybe that’s true for every [Priest], likely a 'perk' of the job.

Before I’m able to ask for more, the people in the room seem to have mulled over the notion of [Classes] enough, because they get up and proceed to the next room, in a disorganized crowd, flanked by the [Priests], like shepherds.

An apt analogy, both for the religious connotations, and because it isn’t obvious who seems to be guiding who.

Ah, I forgot to talk about how the [Temple] was structured, but be warned that I haven’t seen any map, so I can only say that it seems to be a compound made of different buildings, lined up along a single hallway, that runs adjacent to all of them, making it seem like it stretches over the horizon, with the ever-present golden lines running along every major structure.

"We better run along, or we’ll be left behind", are the last words from Undine, before she hurries to the front of the procession, and they are enough to get me moving, and at the same time, I remain in awe at the sight of her [Stats]-given speed.

"Any insight before I make what is arguably the most important decision of my new life?" I asked the ever-reliable [Tutorial].

Yes, do not rush it, and you will be on your own: I cannot risk attracting the attention of the System during the “choosing”.

"How lovely, exactly what I needed."

* * *

Like before, traveling from one room to another took deceptively little time, and before we knew it, we had arrived.

At least I think we had arrived, given the 'barrier' of [Priests] that we found waiting for us, channeling us in a resemblance of orderly manner.

Undine was, as expected, at the front of the procession, and I don’t know how to interpret the fact that I noticed her before the massive golden crystal in front of us.

A golden crystal, with blue tribal markings, that seemed to be beating at a lively tempo, where the various golden lines seemingly originated from.

This must be the [Heart of the Temple].

"Right in one."

Once directly in front of the crystal, and under its shadow, the [High Priestess] twirled around, swooshing her robe with a flourish.

"Welcome to the [Heart of the Temple]" she says, confirming what I already knew, "This here is a device given by the [Gods] to the [Demi-Goddess] to which this [Temple] is dedicated to, permitting to bestow or change the [Classes] of people that touch it; and that’s all you have to do: once you touch it you will be given the list of [Classes] available to you, based on your [Affinities], [Traits], and personality, and a brief explanation for each one. But, this time, you will not be isolated from external stimuli, making it possible to ask us questions about what you might see" once again, this seemed to be a rehearsed speech, but this time it seemed interesting, so I listened to it all.

"Now, who wants to go first?" She looks around and sees that we were just eyeing each other, likely to tell the other 'you do it', she gives a slight pout and then spots me.

I subtly shake my head, and she gently nods hers.

I shake my head again, and she nods hers again.

I shake my head more forcibly, and she nods with renewed vigor.

"Why is she doing this to me? I already attracted enough attention!"

She apparently does not think so.

Various ways of escaping this situation start bouncing around in my noggin, including simply breaking line of sight and hiding behind someone taller than me, which wouldn’t be difficult; but before I act upon one of my stupid plans, the athletic dude from before, the one that seemed to like asking questions (and was apparently trying to act as a de facto leader), took a step forward, in front of the crowd, and promptly declared that he would go first.

Undine sends one last reproachful squint my way before paying attention to the [Human] that just spoke.

"Come on then, be the first [Human] to gain a [Class]" and so saying she extended one arm towards him while steeping to the side and giving the 'dude' (damn, I really suck with names) a clear path to the [Heart].

I dare not say what might be going on inside his head, since there are too many factors to consider here, but the fact that the sight of the unobstructed crystal gave him pause is telling (more so if you take into consideration that he should still be under the [Pacify Enchantment]). But his steps are steady, and his back straight: he is not afraid of what is to come.

After what felt like an eternity, where [Buddy] wastes no time in telling me that it was just a few seconds, he reaches the [Heart] and readily pushes his palm outward, making first contact.

Aaaand… nothing.

Or at least it seemed like nothing was happening.

Which was proven wrong when he turned his head sideways, to look at the closest [Priest], and said: "I have three options, and they seem all good; how am I supposed to decide?"

"Three is the number of choices that an individual normally has at their first 'choosing', which usually happens when they come of age, and that is different for every [Race]; the choices are normally very different from each other, what is making you indecisive?" responds a wizened [Priest] nearby.

"Well… I got something called a [Berserker], which looks like it works totally like the RPG thing, then there’s [Sanguine Sage], which is as edgy as it sounds, and then [Blood Brawler], which I also feel is self-explanatory" he blurts out.

Did not expect such an emphasis on melee, after all the attention they tried to bring on magic.

Obviously, melee-oriented [Classes] are more common than you would think, everything deserves a good bashing, from time to time.

"True, your [Classes] are unusually uniform, but by what you’ve told us, I can see it being a result derived from a strong synergy of your [Affinities]. Tell me, you have an [Aberrant Life] that gives you [Blood], right?"

He seems unperturbed by being exposed like so: "Yes, but I didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding 'evil', you know? It would have been worse only if I had something like [Death], or [Undead]."

The [Priest] unexpectedly guffaws "Boy, I am a [Necromancer] myself, with an [Affinity] in both, and I’m definitely not 'evil'. It only matters 'how' you use it, not 'what' you use" he winks, at an embarrassed [Transferred].

"I can further tell that you have a predisposition towards close-ranged [Classes], either for your [Statistics], your [Affinities], or both; so, I would advise taking it into consideration, when making the choice."

He quickly seems surer of himself, he nods, and then I see the bordeaux 'swirls' around him increase in 'thickness', and then flow inside him.

After the, what I think were the [Life: Blood], energies abate he removes his hand from the [Heart], thanks the [Priest], and starts walking back towards the crowd.

Nobody seems prone to ask him about what [Class] he chose, the other [Humans] seem just generally happy for him: but I’m feeling particularly inquisitive right now.

Just use your [Inspect] Ability.

"And how do I do that?"

Just look at him and imagine having a sheet with his [Informations] pop-up in front of you.

I try that and am pleased to find that I was successful on my first try.

Name:

Timothy Eggins

Class:

Blood Brawler (lvl: 1)

Status:

Calm

"That’s, at the same time, more information than I thought I would get, but also less than I hoped for.

Also, LEVELS! Soooo cooool!"

From what knowledge I have available I can see that you could evolve [Inspect] through repeated use, and the Evolution would be drawn towards a version that works in the way the previous iteration was pushed towards to.

So, like, repeatedly looking for medical conditions on people [Evolves] the [Ability] to further do that?

Pretty much.

Neat, better start scanning everything that seems either important, valuable, or breathes, then.

And that’s exactly what I started doing, while more and more people got brave enough to go and get their [Classes].

The first subject to my [Inspect] was the [Heart], obviously:

Name:

Heart of the Temple

Owner:

Undine, Demi-Goddess of Water

Type:

Divine Artefact

Rank:

Inconceivable

Interesting: Naturally, inanimate objects have different categories that are important enough to deem them worthy of [Inspect]

Do not be a pompous ass about it, I am sure that they are simply the Information that would avoid the normal peasant from doing something stupid.

I’m pretty sure that you’re right, but you could have left me to the grandiosity of my moment.

And so, I went on an [Inspection] spree, avoiding only using it on Undine and the [Cleaners], because something told me that if there was a way to detect it being used on oneself, they were the most likely candidate to know how to do so.

I was honestly surprised by the wealth of knowledge I got from analyzing the various parts of the building: Turns out that the golden “latex-like” liquid, that seems to morph to fit every need, is [Mana], but a very concentrated kind, as akin to [Aether] you can have it, before it becomes blasphemous (or starts acting like anti-matter, one of the two).

Also, everything is either owned by the [Demi-Goddess] Undine or co-owned with her daughter, the [High Priestess] Undine; because that’s not confusing at all.

Then there’s [lvls], which seemed to get as high as [53], with the lowest being the “classed” [Humans] at 1. On that note, the various [Priests] seem to have every [Class] under the sun, from the previously disclosed, and conceptually already known, [Necromancer], to rather weird ones, like [Blessed Dancer], or [Moonlight Accolate], that gave no hints on what they were supposed to be, other than looking like a mismatch of a [Job] and an [Affinity], or at least that’s what it felt like to me.

You are not too far from the truth: [Classes] can be akin to a specialized version of a [Job], that allows the creation, and learning, of [Spells] and [Abilities].

But they can also be a wholly unique thing, specifically tailored to the individual.

But the [Introduction] hinted at [Classes] being a standardized thing, where the “customization” made the difference.

Are you not the one always saying that you cannot trust the [Introduction]?

Like Timothy, that got [Blood Brute], [Brute] is the “normal” class that he should have gotten, [Blood] is simply a prefix that hints at his highest Affinity, which is combined in a distinct Class (that is valid also for Classes with weirder names, it is simply more abstract, and indirect than in the previous explanation).

I do not know what kind of lucky star I have to thank for having you with me, and I know that we bicker more than it’s healthy, but I would be in a far worse place if it weren’t for you.

Glad to be appreciated.

Also, you better get a move on before Undine glares a hole through your skull.

My gaze snapped back into focus, on her face, to see her staring daggers at me.

I wonder why would that be? I glance around and see that there were still people debating over going now or after a friend of theirs, so I wasn’t the last [Human] that needed a [Class].

She spent a great deal of time interacting with you AND protecting you, she probably feels that you owe her showing off just how “special” you are.

I’m not sure that I like being referred to as “special”… not sure if I ever liked it, honestly…

Are you stalling again? Do I really need to get mean again?

Going!

Pushing my way forward was relatively easy, since I had to do none of the pushings.

The [Pacify enchantment] was still active, even if a bit less so on the [Humans] with a [Class], and seemed still to identify me as “something to avoid”, which now was the first time that I was finding it useful.

I quickly got in line, because of course there was a line, and awaited my turn, while the person in front of me tried very hard to not simply get out of the way, and let me pass. By then, Undine’s gaze had softened, and with a nod sent my way she finally got back to acting all prim and proper.

It was not long before it was my turn, and I had to walk to the [Heart].

Well, here’s nothing!

I had just slapped my hand on the thing, and I swear that it started pulsating faster.

But I didn’t have time to ponder the change, since a life-altering decision was now laying in front of me:

Welcome, please choose a class:

Middling Martyr

Self-destruction is your specialty, and snooping is your preferred hobby.

Adds an explosive quality to actions, including a “big finale” when near death.

Compact Champion

Size isn’t everything, and you’re the living proof.

Adds bonuses when fighting bigger foes, which scale with the size difference.

Thaumaturgic Technician

You don’t think that meat and metal are all that different, so you specialized in both.

Adds mechanization abilities, on top of healing ones.

Theomancer

Reality is your canvas, your Will is your paintbrush, and Aether is your acrylic.

Get drawing.

Whu… what the fuck!? Is this a joke? None of this means anything to me!

> I ask.

> she responds immediately.

>

>

> I mutter

> she tries to raise my morale.

My imagination is telling me that I got these [Classes] because I’m the one that’s useless.

But I do have to make a decision, so I try to see what’s the good, and bad, that I would get from each one:

[Middling Martyr] and [Compact Champion] are out, too circumstantial, and I can’t take them seriously; it’s like they are made to poke fun at me. [Thaumaturgic Technician] sounds promising, but in reality, the prospect of mechanizing people when healing them is horrifying, so it’s out. [Theomancer] is a complete unknown: What’s with the painting allegory? Is Theo from that Greek word that meant religion (like pyro, hydro, etc.)? And if so, what did that mean? The fact that it had -mancer was promising, because it sounded like a magic-focused [Class], but [Magic] about what?

Seems like we have a winner by process of elimination: not that it’s the best, it’s just the only one not plainly Bad.

Have you chosen [Theomancer] as your [Class]?

Yes, damn you! The fact that I could change it later better be true.

Congratulation, you are now a [Theomancer].

Congratulaton, you reached [lvl 1], as level up bonus you have been awarded with the following stats:

+1 [Acuity]; +1 [Serendipity]; +2 [Energy]; +5 [Will];

That looks like a lot… and what’s [Energy]?

You have unlocked a new [Spirit] Statistic:

[Energy]: It refers to inners power, and governs the size, and efficiency, of the [Core]

Uh, neat.