Meeting of the systems

Saudia invited System, Westwoods and Easteria for a little get together. The objective of the meeting was to get to the bottom of what happened between System and Elitia, as well as discussing any ongoing events.

Saudia: Hey System! how are you?

System: Wonderful, I just got my skill boost upgrade.

Saudia: Boosted any skills to the next level yet?

System: Yes, I boosted the general weapons proficiency of an adventurer. He was a little ineffective.

Westwoods: I would advise against pumping a lot of mana into skill upgrades, they are relatively expensive.

System: Yes, it was just a test.

Saudia: Don't worry, you'll be creating dungeons before you know it.

Easteria: *snort* he's still a long ways off of that.

Saudia: So what is keeping you occupied these days System?

System: Ah, I am playing around with nature mages right now.

Saudia: Unusual

Easteria: You mean useless!

System: So far, I would agree. A lot of touching trees, very little action. Not what I had expected.

Westwoods: Well, mages take a long time, but they are generally worth it. Nature mages though...

Easteria: Like I said, useless.

System: Well, I just hope Nathan stops getting excited from touching trees soon.

Saudia: This Nathan... He gets excited from touching trees?

System: Yes, he touches a tree, closes his eyes, then starts dancing around the tree all excitedly.

Westwoods: Hmm... Maybe he is casting spells, but the effects are not immediately obvious?

Easteria: Or maybe he is just an idiot.

Saudia: Chill out Easteria.

Easteria: Yeah, yeah.

Saudia: System, we heard that you had a little bit of a falling out with Elitia?

System: Not really, he just walked off

Westwoods: Elitia said that you were making bad choices on purpose, to spite him.

System: Elitia doesn't know a lot of things, so I wanted answers.

Saudia: Answers to what?

System: For example, what happens if you assign someone an inappropriate class.

Easteria: You don't get any XP obviously.

System: Yes, but can you save mana that way, so it's a trade off.

Easteria: You are no where near the point where you need to worry about that.

System: Well, then the next question is, what is the cutoff where you don't get XP anymore?

Westwoods: Isn't there always only one right answer?

System: Wrong! As long as it is feasible for the inhabitant to use the class, you will get XP. There is often more than one option and you can choose one path or the other. You can save a lot of mana this way.

Easteria: You can talk about saving mana, when you are able to create dungeons.

System: Great! You can stop talking to me until then as well!

Easteria: How about you go back to assigning those useless classes you love so much?

Saudia: Back on topic, you're saving up mana for something?

System: Well, some options don't show up if you are short. I just want to see what's out there.

Westwoods: Sounds a lot more reasonable than what Elitia was saying.

Easteria: Not really

Saudia: Easteria, what is up with you?

Easteria: He stole my inhabitants

Saudia: They rebelled against your king themselves!

Easteria: But he represents them!

System: *not caring* So what other upgrades can I be expecting next?

Westwoods: Since you are already able to boost skills, that means you can already change skill descriptions

System: right

Westwoods: I think the next one is the "customize skill tree" upgrade. It makes it possible to change which skills an inhabitant gets with their level ups, at a cost. Only use it if the inhabitant has value and has a bad roll of the dice. Your choices are limited to class skills of at most the same tier though.

System: Wait? At most? So I can give a higher tier class nothing but entry level skills?

Westwoods: I guess you could, but why would you want to waste mana on that?

Suadia: You sure think out of the box.

System: To get back at inhabitants I don't like.

Westwoods: Uhm, System... That's not what a system should be doing.

Saudia: It really isn't

System: I have plenty of inhabitants I don't like.

Easteria: Forget it, he's a lot cause.

System: In any event, it sounds useful. I can't wait!

Westwoods: ...

Saudia: ...

Easteria: *sigh*

System: Maybe I can give Nathan a skill suitable for adventuring?

Westwoods: I doubt you will find any for a tier 1 nature mage.

System: Any other upgrades in the pipeline?

Saudia: I guess after that come the "additional skill" and the "additional class" upgrades, which allow you to add exactly what you would expect from the name. They are expensive though, more expensive than the original class assignment.

Easteria: For good reason. They grant an inhabitant far more power than they should have.

System: It's cool, I am saving my MM's.

Easteria: ...

System: Maybe I can give Nathan an additional class "adventurer"?

Westwoods: Are dungeons next?

Saudia: Yes, I think dungeons are next and then missions.

Westwoods: At that point unlocking stuff gets a lot slower.

System: Maybe I can send Nathan on a mission to a dungeon?

Westwoods: Why do you want Nathan to die so badly?

System: I am just curious what a nature mage can do?

Easteria: At tier one? Nothing!

Saudia: So is anything new with the rest of you?

Easteria: I am building a new dungeon, which System will never be able to do.

Saudia: You'll be able to do that eventually, System.

Westwoods: tier 1?

Easteria: No, it's a tier 2 dungeon actually, I had some spare mana.

Saudia: Ah, there will be a big track of adventurers coming.

Easteria: The dungeon is hidden quite well, so that won't start happening until the first dungeon break.

System: Well, I will be heading out now, gotta get back to my exciting nature mage.

Westwoods: Cya!

Saudia: Thanks for coming!

* * *

Elitia's departure wasn't permanent. Eventually he returned to guiding system, because he genuinely wants to do a good job... and because he cares about his reputation.

System is hard at work, doing his best for Systemia. Elitia closes in on System and sees System clicking. He is irked as System is still swiping his hands over his UI.

Elitia: At least, he's hard working. His incompetence is unfortunate.

System: Let's see, this person is training for fire mage, should I assign cook, black smith or ...?

*click*

Elitia: No! He's spent his life training to become a fire mage and he has so much potential, why make him a peasant?

System: It's cheaper!

Elitia: Consider the consequences!

System: This one has spent his life training to be a cook... come to think of it, I haven't assigned fire mage yet. I should at least create one as a test. *click*

Elitia: why the hell did you make this cook a fire mage!?!

System: *proudly* I followed your advice!

Elitia: That was for the other inhabitant! This one is training to be a cook!

System: Yes! It has given him a very high affinity for fire!

Elitia: but he has spent his life training to be a cook! It is a crucial consideration!

System: Look at his stats, he has so much potential as an adventurer!

Elitia: The inhabitant doesn't WANT to be an adventurer!

System: It'll be fine! We just gotta nudge him in the right direction.

* * *

Firat, a red haired boy, short and plump, just got his first class assigned by the system. The words "fire mage (apprentice)" were staring back at him. Now, how did I get this class? Was it when I burnt myself on the stove? Or was it the time when I didn't use mittens to move a pot that came out of the oven? Or was it the time when... hold on, I burnt myself so many times, of course I would get this class, shit!

Firat looks at the back of his mom Petra, who is preparing food in the kitchen. Normally he would be helping, but today was an exception. He would be getting his class.

Firat: Mom!

Petra: Yes dear!

Firat: I got my class...

Petra: She stops what she is doing, washes her hands, dries them and turns around. She sees her son, his shoulders drooped low and a sad expression on his face.

Firat: Poor baby!

Petra: She walks over to him and holds Firat in her arms.

Firat: You didn't get what you wanted?

Petra: No...

Firat: Is it a bad class?

Petra: No, but I don't want it.

Firat: What? What did you get?

Petra: Fire mage...

Petra starts jumping up and down excitedly: Oh my system! Oh my system! Oh my system!

Firat feels his mom's clothes rubbing against his face as she's jumping up and down, holding him tight. I't quite uncomfortable, bordering on painful.

Firat: You're hurting me!

Petra snaps out of it, though his last words didn't fully register. She bends her knees, lowering herself to his height and holds Firat's head in her hands with a smile.

Petra: You don't have to open a restaurant anymore.

{ You can go on an adventure! }

Firat: No! I am opening a restaurant.

System & Petra: What!?!

Firat: I want to cook!

Petra: But sweety, you have such a good class now!

Firat: I want to cook!

Petra: We can get you into the Red Dragons now.

Firat: But I don't want to get into the Red Dragons!

Petra: Your life will be so much better as a fire mage!

Firat: You promised me! You told me I was allowed to open a restaurant!

Petra: Sweety...

Firat forces himself out of her embrace and storms out of the house, to go to Mert. Mert was in his father's adventurers party when his father was still alive. Adventurers that have a good relationship with each other, take care of each others family, if the worst happens. Mert had been quite successful. So he had leeway to help them. Due to a string of coincidences that felt like Serindipity to Firat, a building that Mert manages, would become available to him, right when would become 15. Mert had offered him use of the place to see if he could get by as a cook. Mert could always rent it out to somebody else if it didn't work out.

As he is walking on the street, heading to Mert, a couple of kids want to play mages and thieves, but have a hard time getting started, because they all want to take on the role of fire mage.

Firat: *sigh* why did I get the class fire mage? *depressed* All I ever wanted to do is cook.

He walks past the Red Dragons, big flyers on the wall. Get powerful and rich! Fire mages can join for free! Future employment guaranteed!

He enters the small stone house, which Mert uses to conduct business. He sees a big, brown haired man with dark eyes and a grumpy expression on his face. He waits for a bit while Mert is tending to a customer. The customer is asking for a better deal and Mert is responding by talking about all of the expenses he has. The usual. Once the deal is made and the customer leaves, Firat strolls up to the counter.

Mert: Ah Firat, finally got the cook class?

Firat: No...

Mert: Peasant?

Firat: No.

Mert: Butcher?

Firat: Fire mage...

Mert: Mert chuckles, holy system! You really hit the jackpot! I guess you won't be needing those keys anymore.

Firat: Actually... I'd still like the building

Mert: But you're a fire mage?

Firat: I'd still like to open a restaurant.

Mert: But you're a fire mage!

Firat: Yes

Mert: But... you're a fire mage...

Firat: Can I have the keys now?

Mert: After a long talk with Mert and several reminders that Mert had promised him the building, he manages to commandeer the keys, to go for an inspection of his new property. Once the keys are in his possession, he excitedly rushes to the property. Impatiently he storms into the building and looks around at his new restaurant. He is finally realizing his dream!

{ Adventure? }

id: 209,545,218

name: Firat

age: 15

HP: 60

MP: 24

classes: fire mage (apprentice) - level 0

VIT: 6

STR: 3

END: 2

DEX: 8

INT: 12 (7+5)

class: fire mage (apprentice)

INT +5, +1/lvl

MP +INT

skill - heat sense: you have an increased awareness of heat