An Opportunity Awaits

Reaching out his hand Kyle selected the Chain Fighter Class.

Class Selected!

Assigning Class Chain Fighter.

Updating Skill Sheet…

Light Armour and Medium Armour have become Class Skills.

Skill Slots increased.

Assigned Skill Slots- 4/10(+1)

New Class Skills Unlocked

Chain Fighting-Mastery

Proficiency Level 1-0% to next Proficiency Level

Mastery Skill that provides bonuses to fighting with chain weapons. Related Sub-Skills can also be unlocked.

Current Bonuses

Increases damage dealt with Chain Weapons by 5%

Sub-Skills

· Lash- Increases damage dealt by 10%. Costs 10 SP

Acrobatics-Mastery

Proficiency Level 1-0% to next Proficiency Level

Mastery Skill that provides bonuses to evasive techniques. Unlocks related Sub-Skills

Current Bonuses

Increases dodge chance by 5%

Sub-Skills

· Dodge Roll-An evasive roll that cancels any action. Costs 5 SP. Cooldown 10 seconds.

Kyle nodded his head at the description of Acrobatics, it was a popular Skill for evasive Classes like Rogues and often became a Class Skill when they obtained a new Class. It seemed his Chain Fighter Class was a multi-ranged Damage Dealing Class. The increased amount of Endurance he would receive per level suggested that it was a Class that specialised in long fights unlike a Rogue type Class which specialised in doing as much damage in as short an amount of time as possible.

“So, in the end you picked the Unusual Class huh?” asked Jerald, as he recognised the look on his sons face.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a gamble but it has some interesting Class Skills and I felt that it suited me more than Bludgeoner or Brawler,” Kyle replied glancing sideways at this dad.

“Yeah, I’ve heard those sorts of Classes have limited options at when you upgrade to the next Class, so you have to be a bit careful what Skills you get.”

“Yeah, I suppose that a Class that uses chains as a weapon wouldn’t have a lot of different things that it could become, unlike something like the Swordsman Class,” Kyle mused.

That was the thing about the Class system, more generalised Classes had a lot more options moving forward, even someone who started with a Common Ranked Class could become a powerhouse if they chose the right Skills. Higher ranked Classes had the advantage of higher Stat growth and more Skills, but they were much more rigid in terms of the choices you would receive when you upgraded to your next Class.

“Well we’d better go and see Bernard about getting you a weapon,” Emma sighed, knowing that it would take a while for Bernard, the village blacksmith to make something that met the requirements for a chain weapon, due to it being something that was by no means a common weapon.

As they got up to leave Al put his hand on Jerald’s shoulder, “Well when you’re done with that come to the inn, you guys have a visitor.”

“Alright we’ll come over after we finish up at Bernard’s,” Jerald replied.

The family walked out of the church and headed towards the blacksmith’s shop that lay down the street. Walking into the store portion of the building they were greeted by Bernard’s wife Madeleine.

“Oh? Well look who decided to show their faces,” the round woman said, a large grin appearing on her face at the sight of the happy family. Kyle’s family had been customers since moving to the farm outside Farholt and the Blacksmith’s shop was one of the few places in town they were welcome.

“How’s it goin’ Mads, we’ve got an interesting request for your husband,” Jerald said with a grin.

Madeleine raised an eyebrow in question before seeing the slightly sheepish look on Kyle’s face.

“I take it this has something to do with your Class young man,” she asked putting her hands on her hips.

Kyle rubbed the back of his head, he was used to being scolded by Madeleine, the result of many years being left in her care while Jerald sold the farm’s produce to the few villagers who would buy from them.

“Yeah, I got a Class that uses a bit of an odd weapon.”

“Oh? What sort of weapon would that be?”

“A chain.”

“I see, Bernard doesn’t make a lot of those. Wait here I’ll go and get him,” she said retreating briefly to the work area.

After shouting at him briefly over the sound of the forge she walked back in with the bear-like man in tow.

“So, I here that you got yerself a Class that uses some sort of chain kid? Care to elaborate on what that means exactly?” Bernard rumbled.

“I think I’m supposed to use them like a cross between a whip and a flail,” Kyle replied after thinking about it for a bit. “The description of the Class left a little to be desired details-wise.”

Bernard laughed, “Yeah the first one you get usually does, leaves things open to interpretation. Anyway, I’ll make you a chain, how does two and a half meters sound?”

“I’m sure that’ll be fine.”

“Alright, you want some sort of handle or something?”

Kyle thought about it for a while, “Actually, if you could make something that attaches to my wrists that’d be better, that would allow me to wrap the chain around my hand and use it like a knuckleduster.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that too much unless you get something to protect your hands,” Bernard said cringing slightly at the thought.

“I have the Thick Skin Sub-Skill.”

“That’ll help but I’d still get something to protect your hands if that’s what you want to do.”

“It’s alright, Bernard we’ll get Kyle some leather gloves,” Emma sighed knowing that something like this wouldn’t change her son’s mind.

The large man nodded and left to start on the order, leaving Madeleine shaking her head at her husband, “Sorry about that dearie,” she said. “He watched you grow up after all, he’s just an awkward fellow when it comes to showing how he cares.”

Kyle grinned, “That may be so but he’s no pushover either, I remember what it was like learning how to use a hammer from him, how do you think I got Thick Skin in the first place?”

“That be the truth,” Madeleine laughed. “There ain’t no better way to prepare someone for the trials to come than by giving them a taste early on. I just wish that some of the other villagers realised how hard you’ve been working all these years.”

Kyle frowned at her cryptic words before shrugging. “Well we’ve got a visitor waiting for us at the inn, so we’d better get going, see you later.”

Outside the store the family was greeted by more glares than had been usual for the past few years as they headed towards Al’s inn.

“I wonder what’s got everyone in a bad mood?” Fi wondered. “I haven’t seen this many angry faces in the village in years.”

Emma sighed, “Well if my guess is right, we’ll find out when we get to the inn.”

Frowning Kyle wondered what his mother meant by that as he continued towards the inn, pausing briefly at the entrance before being pushed in by his father.

“Come on, Al wouldn’t have wanted us here if it wasn’t important, get in there.”

Stumbling forwards, he glared back at Jerome who looked back at him with an innocent look on his face before sighing at his father’s antics and walking inside.

“It’s about time you guys got here, how long were you expecting me to wait?”

As Kyle blinked in surprise at the owner of the voice, a woman he had never seen before, Emma ran past him and hugged her.

“Yuliah! What are you doing here?”

“The old man sent me, apparently Thomas has been keeping in contact with him and he decided to see if your son was interested in becoming a student.”

Jerald groaned, “Well that explains why everyone was glaring at us, the old man’s school is well known in these parts.”

Yuliah frowned, “Yes, I had a rather rude visitor earlier, he wasn’t impressed with me not extending the invitation to ‘more suitable people,’ like he had the right to decide such things.”

“Oh, so you’ve met Denzel then?”

“Was that his name? I stopped listening when he insulted my heritage,” Yuliah replied pushing her hair back to reveal her slightly pointed ears.

“He was even less impressed with me when he found out I was half-elf,” she explained, rolling her eyes.

“And yet he still wanted to send someone to the old man’s school? Surely he knows that the school isn’t human only?” Jerald asked.

“I don’t think he really cares about the school he just wants to put up his own candidate to challenge Kyle, I have no reason to stop him, in fact I think I’ll give anyone who wants to the right to challenge Kyle and see if there are any people I want to bring back with me. If that’s alright with Kyle anyway.”

Kyle sighed, he knew he should’ve seen this coming, there was only one person in the village who could cause so many problems for his family in such a short space of time.

“Yeah, that’s fine, it’ll make things easier on my parents if I just go along with it.”

“Sorry about this, but it is part of my job to look for new students at this time of year,” Yuliah said.

“Kyle dear, are you going to pick your second Magic School before you start accepting these challenges?” Emma asked suddenly.

Kyle shook his head, “I’m planning on taking Enchanting as my second School, but I don’t have a weapon yet, so I don’t think there’d be a lot of point for these fights.”

Emma raised an eyebrow; the Enchanting School had no direct attacks and was built on the premise of adding certain effects to weapons and armour with the more powerful spells even being able to be used alongside Crafting Skills to create permanent effects.

“I was actually going to suggest that myself, it’s a fairly common practice for ranged fighters to pick Enchanting, someone with a bow doesn’t benefit all that much from being able to throw fireballs as well.”

Kyle nodded, “And for the most part the spells have a lower Mana cost which means that Classes that don’t get any points in Intelligence don’t have to worry so much.”

Yuliah smiled, “Well if you two are done with that I think that they’re ready outside.”

Listening carefully Kyle found that he could hear a large group of people arguing outside the inn and he got up.

“Well, I guess it’s time to meet my adoring public.”