The next morning, as Dan decided to stubbornly refer to the period when he woke up, despite Alpha Centauri not being visible in the sky, he awoke refreshed for the first time in a while. After a breakfast of meat porridge where the origin of the meat remained a blissful mystery, Dan dodged out of the inn before Jeffrey could invite his cousin over. The stainless steel of his chainmail was probably more robust than anything he was likely to find on Twilight, but after using the runescripted gauntlets, he wanted more magical tools if possible.
Even if most of the monsters he encountered were stronger and faster than him naturally, he could always make up the difference with a little bit of magical performance enhancement. Ishlar was an idiot, but Dan couldn’t help but remember how much more difficult it was to fight against him once he had proper gear. The oaf was an absolute pushover in the first fight, but the minute he activated his spell shield and started swinging Spinebreaker around, he graduated to a fairly serious threat.
At the very minimum, Dan wanted a general upgrade to his gear. Compared to Spinebreaker, his sword was little more than a sharp piece of metal. His year of training didn’t mean that much in the face of increased gravity that upset the delicate balance of all of his movements. Come to think of it, he did have a gravity affinity that he was barely using. Maybe he should study the runes on the club to see if he could replicate the Gravity Blanket ability that Ishlar used. It didn’t seem terribly complex, which would make it a decent starter spell for the affinity. Unfortunately, it took a tremendous amount of energy to produce gravitational forces at the moment. It would still be a long time before he could do anything truly useful with gravity other than impede or annoy people, but Dan was beginning to suspect that long-term investments and gradual improvement were just how magic worked.
Still, after the fight they had money and equipment. The sisters were holding onto the club, testing it out to see if Andrea wanted it as their combined share of the loot, and Nora had most of the team’s earnings, almost twenty sovereigns. More than enough for a simple enchantment or two to help round out his arsenal.
Of course, he’d have to ask Nora what would help the most. Maybe a pauldron with a spellshield inscribed on it or some sort of armor that would help him replicate a skill or effect. Preferably healing. The nanites would bring him back from any non-fatal wound, but it wasn’t quick or painless.
On the other hand, it might be best to save his money until he could afford truly high-end gear. After all, it would be a huge waste of money to buy a bunch of low-end gear, only to struggle with reselling it once he outgrew its usefulness.
Dan opened the door to the Adventurer’s Guild and stepped inside. Instantly, he was inundated with the chattering of voices and the stale scent of cheap beer. At least the constant speaking would help the System learn the vocabulary. He glanced around the bar portion of the guild. Apparently, things were fairly sedate the last time he was here. Everywhere, huge, muscle-bound men and women ate, drank, and joked raucously. At least two tables had arm wrestling contests, and one of the back walls was involved in an impromptu hatchet throwing contest. In short, compared to the rest of the vikings in the bar, Dan couldn’t help but feel absolutely tiny.
Spotting Andrea and Emily in the corner, he stepped over to their table. Andrea was sipping water out of a ceramic mug, but Emily was face down on the table, her tunic covered in beer. It was clear from the occasional groans of pain that the woman was still alive, but suffering from a severe headache. Dan recognized a monster hangover from his ill-spent college years, so with a brief nod directed at Emily, he sat down next to Andrea.
“I thought she wasn’t going to be drinking.” He gestured at Emily’s moaning form as the woman put both of her hands over her head.
“She drinks after every mission.” Andrea took a sip from her water. “It’s a tradition. You are speaking much better. Do you have mind magic?
“Something like that.” Dan shrugged. “The more I listen to other people speak the language without a translation helmet on, the more I understand. If we keep chatting, I should be able to speak normally before too long.”
“A useful ability,” Andrea stated agreeably. “Nora says you are from afar? A skill to quickly learn how to speak would be worth much to a diplomat or an explorer. If you can share the ability, you would be a rich man.”
“Unfortunately, it was more something done to me than something I can do,” Dan replied ruefully, glancing around for someone to sell him an ale. He really didn’t want to wade through the crowd of boisterous adventurers to get a beer, but he did want a drink.
“A class skill, then?” Andrea asked, absently darting a hand out to steady Emily before she could slip off of the table and onto the floor.
“I guess,” Dan said noncommittally. “We don’t really have classes where I come from. I have something else that helps me adapt and learn instead. How do classes work on Twilight, anyway? Nora mentioned them, but we had to get going before she got a chance to explain them further.”
“No class?” Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’re a strange sort in general, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Really, the only beings I know that don’t use classes are elves, but that’s only because they live for thousands of years. A class is a magically-enhanced tattoo, usually attuned to a certain type of mana, that helps you use the mana you earn from killing monsters. Depending upon the skill of the person who gives you the class, it will have a number of skills in it at each rank. In Morganville, you aren’t going to find anyone capable of giving you a class with skills past rank 3, and most of the adventurers around here only have classes that go to rank 1.”
She took another sip from her water mug before continuing, ignoring the groaning Emily. “You can usually continue to rank up once or twice after you reach the limit of your class, but everyone has heard rumors of people ignoring their class’ rank limit and spontaneously combusting. It might be an urban legend, but I’m not inclined to give it a try. Unfortunately, the only real option is to get an advanced class, and that usually means signing on with an army or a noble house. Advanced classes are a kind of addition to the class tattoo that allows you to specialize your skills further. I don’t know if they’re worth the five to ten years of indentured service that comes with getting them, but it’s better than getting burned inside out by mana.”
“Wait,” Dan frowned, “so if you want to continue earning mana past rank 3, you have to enlist in the army?”
“Basically.” Andrea shrugged. “That’s only if you have an original class that can go up to rank 3. Emily and I only have rank 2 classes. After that escapade in the mine, we’re probably going to have to start looking for advanced classes sooner or later as well. Of course, there are still a decent number of options. The Alliance of Free Cities has all right class options, and it pays its soldiers fairly well. The Imperial Marines are risky, but from what I’ve heard, you can get a class going all the way up to rank 10. The surrounding kingdoms have better class options, but they put more restrictions on their soldiers. If you’re feeling really adventurous, there are always mercenary or criminal groups. They don’t have that great of class options available, but the pay is much better, so long as you don’t mind engaging in fairly questionable work.”
“It sounds like most of the class system is designed to control the more powerful citizens?” Dan asked. “What do skills look like, anyway? Do they make a big difference? Wouldn’t it be possible to just keep going without getting a class and becoming indebted to some sort of power?”
“I really don’t know how you’d compete without a class and skills.” Andrea glanced at him with slightly narrowed eyes. “Without skills, you’re just a regular human. Emily and I both have skills to make us stronger and faster. I have a skill that lets me strike someone harder than normal with a blow. Most mages have skills that let them cast specific spells. From what I hear, it’s still hard work to regulate the amount of mana and the effects of the spell, but their class makes it so they only have to deal with four or five variables in their head, rather than hundreds.”
“To be perfectly clear,” Andrea set down her glass of water, eyes focused on Dan. “The elves and our scholars all agree that humans can’t learn magic without a class. They say that it’s too hard for us to be able to handle the complexity of even the most basic magic spell in our heads. The fact that you don’t have a class, and yet you are clearly inventing and casting spells is both perplexing and troubling. You have the potential to upset the natural order of things, which is probably good in the long run, but I just hope you don’t do it near my sister and I. We just want to become good, run-of-the-mill adventurers without getting drawn into some sort of web of intrigue and magic.”
Dan scratched his chin awkwardly. Stubble was already starting to grow in. Unless he wanted to embarrass himself further with a patchwork, scraggly beard, he would need to get a razor at some point to shave. He exhaled thankfully as Nora sat down and rescued him from the awkward silence and Andrea’s gaze.
“What’d I miss?” She asked cheerfully, chuckling slightly as she took in Emily’s groaning form.
“Daniel revealed that he doesn’t have a class, and that he doesn’t even know what classes are,” Andrea replied, taking another sip from her mug. “A revelation that I plan on promptly forgetting, as it seems likely to cause trouble.”
“Dan!” Nora turned her brilliant smile on him. “You really are capable of so much. I knew you were special when I ran into you in the swamp, but I really didn’t have any idea that you would be this extraordinary. What else can you do? It can be a secret between you, me, Andrea, and Emily’s hungover corpse.”
Warmth coursed through Dan as he squirmed in her gaze. There was something about Nora that spoke to him. She reminded him of his ex-girlfriend on their good days, combined with his Mother before she became disappointed in the lack of grandchildren and steady work. She was a warm cup of cocoa on a cold day. That perfect pair of sweatpants and a beer after a double shift at work. She was comfortable in a way that he hadn’t expected in a strange and dangerous new…
Subconscious interference detected. Analyzing.
Mind magic detected. <USER> is suffering from a compulsion. Purging now.
The warmth disappeared. Dan blinked. Nora was still smiling at him, but the smile seemed predatory. Dan shivered. Her interest was something much more than casual, and definitely not in a fun or sexy way. Despite himself, Dan almost chuckled. Maybe she did have something in common with his ex-girlfriend, after all.
