Divine Irritants

Peak of Autumn, Week 4, Day 3

[System Notice: Now beginning Class Selection! Analyzing current experience and affinities! NOTE: A maximum of eight First Tier Classes will be processed for your selection based on these attributes.]

[Congratulations! You have spent 8 years as a citizen of Maeve! New Classes unlocked!]

[Congratulations! You were born a Noble in Maeve! New Classes unlocked!]

[Congratulations! You have an elemental affinity! New Classes unlocked!]

[Congratulations! You have two souls! New Classes unlocked!]

[Congratulations! You have learned many things! New Classes unlocked!]

[Congratulations! You have been blessed by the Gods! New Classes unlocked!]

[Please acknowledge completion of Analysis!]

“Okay,” I said with a slight nod of my head and I was flooded with a wall of text. Eight options arose.

[Citizen of Maeve (common)]

[You are a beloved citizen of Maeve! As such, the Queen of Maeve has placed you under her protection. As a citizen of Maeve, you are free to explore all paths to the future. May your life be blessed and your fortune found. Unlocked by being born in Maeve. Unlocked by living in Maeve. Unlocked by having parents who are citizens of Maeve. This provides you with +1 to Strength, +1 to Dexterity, +1 to Endurance, +1 to Vitality, +1 to Perception, and +1 to Magic.]

[Acolyte of Chaos (uncommon)]

[You have been touched by a God. By accepting the truth of the God Grel, Lord of Chaos, you will be granted the title of Acolyte. Through your worship and devotion, Grel will speak to you and allow you to enact his will on to the world. Unlocked by being god touched. Unlocked by receiving a skill from Grel, Lord of Chaos. Unlocked by practicing religion. This provides you with +2 to Vitality, +2 to Dexterity, +4 to Magic, and +4 to Divinity, per level.]

[Acolyte of Order (uncommon)]

[You have been touched by a God. By accepting the truth of the God Brel, Overseer of Order, you will be granted the title of Acolyte. Through your worship and devotion, Brel will speak to you and allow you to enact his will on to the world. Unlocked by being god touched. Unlocked by receiving a skill from Brel, Overseer of Order. Unlocked by practicing religion. This provides you with +2 to Vitality, +2 to Perception, +4 to Magic, and +4 to Divinity, per level.]

[Student of the World (rare)]

[You are a child who loves to learn and you have been exceedingly great at it. For a child, you have more than a lifetime’s worth of knowledge. You seek to learn and consume all that you can, without regard for if it should be known at all. Unlocked by knowing arithmetic. Unlocked by knowing biology. Unlocked by knowing physics. Unlocked by being literate. Unlocked by possessing restricted knowledge. This provides you with +1 to Strength, +1 to Dexterity, +2 to Endurance, +4 to Vitality, +4 to Magic, and +12 to Perception, per level.]

[Young Lady of Darkness (rare)]

[You are a being of shadow and darkness. Your very soul agrees with that. Through your struggle, you found solace in true Darkness. A Young Lady of Darkness is both graceful and lethal. A weapon with her magic as well as her mind. A Young Lady of Darkness has the potential to rule high society from the Shadows, or become the Shadow of high society. Unlocked by being a citizen of Maeve. Unlocked by being a Noble. Unlocked by having an inherent affinity to Darkness. Unlocked by having the Mental Fortitude Skill. This provides you with +2 to Strength, +2 to Endurance, +4 to Vitality, +4 to Dexterity, +4 to Magic, and +8 to Perception, per level. ]

[Young Lady of Dichotomy (rare)]

[You are a being of multitudes. Going beyond the common expression ‘two-faced’, you possess two conflicting personalities. A Lady of Dichotomy is able to put her best face forward at all times, and is able to pull the appropriate personality forward without any trouble. Such a Lady is able to maintain her two persona’s independently of each other. Unlocked by remembering your past life. Unlocked by having an alter ego. Unlocked by having a fragmented mind. Unlocked by possessing the skill Mental Fortitude. Unlocked by being a noble. This provides you with +2 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Endurance, +2 to Luck, +4 to Vitality, +6 to Perception, and +6 to Magic, per level.]

[Devourer of the Forbidden Fruit (epic)]

[Within this world, the will of the Gods is law. Despite this, you have obtained knowledge forbidden in this world. Researching such things draws the eyes of many -both divine and otherwise. Those who obtain forbidden knowledge have two paths available to them, either continue to collect knowledge that cannot be shared or to defy the will of the Gods. A Devourer of the Forbidden Fruit must prepare themselves to fight the Gods above and below. Unlocked by possessing forbidden knowledge. Unlocked by being not of this world. Unlocked by possessing the Tight Lips skill. Unlocked by being noticed by the Gods. This provides you with -6 Divinity, +4 Magic, +6 Perception, +6 Luck, +6 Endurance, +8 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +8 Vitality, and +8 Unallocated Stats, per level.]

[Acolyte of Chaotic Law (legendary)]

[The Gods Brel and Grel have shown their interest in you. Grel desires you to sew Chaos throughout the realm, to shake the very land you stand on. However, Brel desires you to protect the Order of the world, to maintain the stability this world has found. As with all things, Chaos and Order must maintain a delicate balance. You, who possesses two wills, represents that balance. You are to be the arbiter between the Gods Brel and Grel, allowing them to have a direct impact on the world around you. Unlocked by being God touched. Unlocked by receiving a skill from Grel. Unlocked by receiving a skill from Brel. Unlocked by having an alter ego. Unlocked by being not of this world. This provides +6 Unallocated Stats, +6 Luck, +18 Perception, +18 Magic, +24 Vitality, and +24 Divinity, per level.]

“Absolutely not,” I hissed as I read through the four Divine related Classes.

Even I knew they were chains –Classes define a person's soul, to tie that to a God is to irrevocably change oneself.

[Acolytes] serve their Gods, that’s how they gain experience and level. Meanwhile [Devourer of the Forbidden Fruit] screams of a death sentence. No matter the stats that they grant, I knew I could never take them.

I also couldn’t take [Young Lady of Dichotomy]. I would sooner rot than allow another to rule me. ‘Two souls’ is horrendous to think about, let alone give one rule over my body. It also is unsettling to think about being a body snatcher, the very thought causing me to shudder.

Not to mention striking the Common Class. In fact, I immediately rejected the scholar Class as well –I did well in classes in the Dome but I had no desire to make that my life. Instinct was telling me there was a better option.

[Young Lady of Darkness]

I took a deep breath and let the world fade away. In my old world, shadow had been my natural affinity –it allowed me to see in the dark, and shade my face. Shadow let me do party tricks, and also protect myself. A blade of darkness is just as sharp as a metal blade. It was my soul, my comfort, my passion.

For the first time in months, a genuine smile crept up my face, and I whispered, “[Young Lady of Darkness].”

[System Notice: Please confirm your Class selection of ‘Young Lady of Darkness’, a Tier 1 - Rare Class.]

“Yes.” I gave a sharp nod.

And then my vision went white as a slew of notifications slammed into my head, one after the other. It took me a minute before my eyes would focus on the verdant green words of the System.

[System Notice: Class Confirmed!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the class ‘Young Lady of Darkness’, a Tier 1 - Rare Class!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Class Skill: Manipulation - Shadows]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Class Skill: Conjuration - Shadows]

[Accumulated experience is being applied!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

…

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Class Skill: Shadow Animation!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up Young Lady of Darkness!]

I had to take a moment and count the notices. Fifteen notices. Twelve levels and three Skills. I had received the initial class Skills and then the Level 10 Skill.

“This is too much…” My voice broke as a thought occurred to me.

Twelve levels meant twelve levels of stats.

“[Status].” I whispered, my throat thick with dread.

[Status Summary]

[Name: Eunora Dawn]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 8]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality: 55 Endurance: 28]

[Strength: 30 Dexterity: 56]

[Perception: 105 Magic: 55]

[Luck: 45 Divinity: 82]

[0th Tier Class: Child of the Gods, Level Max]

[Boon: Morloch’s Blessing]

[1st Tier Class: Young Lady of Darkness, Level 12/20]

[ Skills:

0th Tier: Inspect Lv. 2, Weaving Lv. 4

1st Tier: Quick Calculation Lv. 2, Silent as a Shadow Lv.1, Weave of Darkness Lv. 4

2nd Tier: Otherworldly Lv. 1, Mental Fortitude Lv. 3, Shadow Conjuration Lv. 1, Shadow Manipulation Lv. 1

3rd Tier: Shadow Animation Lv. 1

Untiered: Tight Lips Lv. 1, Steal Nerves Lv. 1, Sophism Lv. 1 ]

“Oh this is bad. This is very, very not good.” I muttered as I ran my hands over my face —and promptly pushed myself over the edge of the sofa towards the ground. Which then allowed me to use my higher Dexterity to catch myself —too well, and I flung my body back towards the sofa. Which then led to my gripping the fabric with all my Strength and piercing the cushion with my nails. But I had stopped falling.

[System Notice: Warning! A large amount of experience was applied! The System advises taking a meditative state as soon as possible. It is estimated that your body will acclimate to the new attributes in: 11 Hours 59 Minutes 49 Seconds]

As I took in the clarity of the letters, their meaning struck me. And the barrage of feeling hit me as well.

Not only could I feel my muscles tighten but it was as if my hair grew out in an instant -causing me to have to gasp and take in a bracing breath. Quickly, I released my grip on the knit bunny to prevent any damage and leaned into the sofa to steady myself. That was so not supposed to happen. Looking around, suddenly everything got more distinct. The ridges in the stone wall, the shades of pinks, oranges, and yellows that were painted on the wall, the tiny spider hiding in the very tallest corner of the room. Even the design on the rug looked more defined. It was too much. I had to squeeze my eyes shut to stop the incoming headache caused by the information overload.

I took deep breaths as I continued to press my face into the soft fabric of the sofa. In. Hold. Out. Hold. In. Hold. Out… It was all I could do to measure my breathing as I forcibly extended my fingers —to stop myself from clenching the fabric of the sofa again and causing further damage. The seconds inched by. The only way I had of telling time was the angle the light that flowed in through my bedroom window. An eternity later, but really no more than an hour, there was a knock at my door.

That would be breakfast.

It took me several tries to control the muscles in my face before I was able to croak out, “Come in!”

In fact, I wasn’t sure I was able to say it at all —until I heard a high pitched yelp from behind me and the sound of metal wheels speedily rolling in my direction.

“My Lady,” Maria exclaimed as she gently placed her hand on my shoulder and began attempting to guide me to turn around, “Keep breathing. I’m going to position you better. You will be alright, my Lady. I am here.”

I attempted to help, and flexed my arm —only to fling myself too far and land on Maria’s chest. I groaned while Maria tutted at me.

“No, my Lady, simply relax your body —it will take you time to adjust. I am going to lift you up and set you down upright so you can try and eat. Your body will need the energy.”

In fact, I was already beginning to feel hunger pains strike me —a new sensation since Awakening. As Maria carefully began to prop me up with her arms, I couldn’t help but wonder how she knew it was System adjustments that were making me like this. Then again, Raphael had come in demanding my Class this morning. Perhaps the whole estate thought my birthday was only days ago. No one who knew the actual day would even fathom that I had waited weeks —let alone months, to select a Class. It simply was not done.

As Maria slid back, she pulled over the cart she had brought with her. With great care she began separating out soft foods —eggs and oatmeal— from foods I would have to chew —fruits and a biscuit. Turning back to me she began feeding me the soft foods.

“It should only take about half a day, my Lady —please do not chew you could bite through your cheek if your Vitality isn’t high enough compared to your Strength.”

I found dark amusement in the fact that the only compassion Eunora was shown was from this maid. Who else would take care of me if not someone who was paid to do so?

As she fed me, I stared out towards the window —taking in the sight of the red sun hovering toward the top of the window’s view. Unlike the sun that shone through the Dome, this one was far smaller —half the size of Sol at least. Meanwhile the orange sun hidden behind the wall was easily a quarter larger.

Anything to not think about how I was being fed like a toddler.