Pear watched with bated breath as the notification changed from the typical plain one into a bolder one with a different script before returning to a more typical font.
Congratulations on becoming the first True Player to attain a class change-
C99
Class Selection available.
Current Class:
Mage- Begin learning to manipulate and control the world around you with spells and rituals. Grants access to First through Third Circle Spells and Magic Perks.
New Class Options:
Acolyte- You have demonstrated a capability with Mana Manipulation and Mana Shaping. The Gods of Magic have taken notice of this and offer their protection. Choosing this class will alter Spells, affinities, Perks, and Skills based on which God of Magic you choose to follow. Must choose a God of Magic to worship. Maintains all benefits of the Mage class.
Dungeon Cleaner- You have accomplished a feat worthy of the attention of the World Tree. By clearing a Dungeon and returning it to a balanced state, you have demonstrated excellent capability. Continuing with this will be difficult without this class. Choosing this class will alter some Perks and Skills. Choosing this class will grant some Perks and Skills.
Journeyman Mage- Continue refining your control and ability to manipulate the world around you with spells and rituals. Grants access to Fourth through Fifth Circle Spells and Greater Magic Perks. Maintains all benefits of the Mage class.
Apprentice Wizard- You have gained apprenticeship with a Master Wizard. Continue learning your master’s lessons as he teaches you to master the Arcane and Mysterious. Grants some Perks and Skills.
Explorer- You have pushed the boundaries of the world wider by exploring the new and unknown. Continue doing so. Grants some Perks and Skills.
Novice Elementalist- You have demonstrated a capability with Elemental Magics and their manipulations. Continue following this path to its end. Grants some Perks and Skills. Grants access to Greater Magic Perks. Maintains all benefits of Mage Class.
“Oh that’s a lot to go through,” Pear said.
“You too, huh?” Savantha asked distractedly as she browsed through her own notifications.
“Which one do I pick?” Pear asked himself.
“If I might offer some advice as your teacher,” Ripspell said, pulling Pear’s gaze from the screen. “Whenever you are making an important decision, it is often easier if you were to remove the choices or options that you do not agree with. Perhaps examining each choice and removing the ones that you most dislike will make your choice for you.”
“Huh, I never thought of doing things like that,” Savantha said. “That makes this a lot easier for me.”
“I guess it does,” Pear agreed as he reread his options and removed the Acolyte, Dungeon Cleaner, and Explorer choices. “That still leaves me with three choices instead of six.”
“That means you’re a quarter of the way to making a choice,” Ripspell said breezily. “Are you able to tell me your other choices?”
“I can choose to become a Journeyman Mage which would mean that I’m going further down the path I’m on,” Pear said.
“Those who call themselves simply mages are the least accomplished of practitioners of the magical arts,” Ripspell said. “In some cases, they have simply not chosen a specialty for research or study; in others, they are incapable of anything more permanent.”
“Another choice is to become an Apprentice Wizard,” Pear continued. “It mentions how I’m your apprentice and it seems okay.”
“As a Wizard myself, I am partial to this choice,” Ripspell said with a nod. “However, it is important to remember that Wizards are a class of practitioners that are called as such for our mastery of at least two forms of magics. You will remember that I am a Grandmaster of Elemental Magics and a Master of Runic Writing. These are what allow me to call myself a Wizard. If you choose this one, then I will begin teaching you more about Runic Magic and its uses, so that you can eventually call yourself a Wizard as well.”
“That one doesn’t sound too bad,” Pear said after a moment of thought, “but I kind of want to focus on one type of magic for now. I guess that leaves me with the Novice Elementalist choice.”
“And an excellent choice it is,” Ripspell said, smiling. “Elementalists are some of the most capable sorts of magical practitioners. Be careful not to fall into the trap of total specialization, Pyromancers and Hydromancers have their uses, but they also have glaring weaknesses that can be offset by simple practice with the other elements.”
“I kind of like the idea of learning all that stuff you mentioned that one time,” Pear said as he made his choice and the notification changed. “Diverting oceans, splitting the earth, weaving light and dark together.”
“Yes, well,” Ripspell said with an embarrassed cough, “I had to be able to make it all sound interesting and powerful, not to mention mysterious. What I didn’t mention then was that to be able to become so accomplished, more study than what most are willing to dedicate is required. We’ll discuss all that later though.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Pear didn’t answer his master’s words for a moment as he looked through his new notification.
Class change successful! You have become a Novice Elementalist!
You have a Class Perk Selection available.
Perk Choices:
Elemental Cannon: Doubles the effectiveness of Elemental Magics; halves the effectiveness of all other magics.
Elemental Sight: See the weave of the Elements within the world around you.
Chantless Casting: Cast Spells without speaking their activation.
Elemental Armor: Casting Elemental spells will grant a layer of armor that will block spells. Armor capability is based on the cast spell’s tier.
“This is an easier choice than before,” Pear muttered as he mentally crossed out the Elemental Sight and Chantless Casting choices. “The two left are both good, but which one?”
“What are the choices?” Savantha asked curiously.
“I can pick a Perk from my class change,” Pear said. “So far, I’ve got it down to two, Elemental Cannon, which will make my spells more effective, and Elemental Armor, which will give me some protection whenever I cast spells.”
“You're a squishy magicy-type,” Savantha said, poking Pear’s shoulder with one of her sharp nails. “The armor Perk could save your life.”
“I know that,” Pear said as Ripspell nodded his agreement. “The Elemental Cannon Perk says that it doubles the effectiveness of Elemental Magics, wouldn’t that mean that it would double the effectiveness of my shield spells? The Elemental Armor says that the armor’s capability is based on the tier of the spells I cast.”
“It is a choice between power to all spells and a persistent protection upon casting a spell,” Ripspell said. “Are there any other words about either Perk that offer further insight into them?”
“Elemental Cannon will cut the effectiveness of all other magic I cast in half,” Pear explained. “Elemental Armor says that it blocks spells.”
“You have some plans in the future to learn other types of magic, yes?” Ripspell asked.
“Kind of,” Pear said noncommittally. “I’m open to learning them in the future, but I’m also not going to say that I will or won’t.”
“Bear in mind that the Elemental Cannon Perk will lower the effectiveness of those magics,” Ripspell said. “If it says all magic, then it means all magic. Additionally, the wording about blocking spells likely means that whatever armor the Elemental Armor Perk offers will be wholly ineffective against physical means of attack.”
“But that still means that you can cast a physical protection type of spell and get a bonus magical protection type on top of it, right?” Savantha asked.
“That is my understanding as well,” Ripspell said with a nod.
“Pick the armor Perk,” Savantha said. “If we’re partying up for good, then I need to know that you’ll be fine when we go against pricks that like to ambush. I’ll be in their faces and you’ll shoot sparkly stuff at them.”
“I do not shoot sparkly stuff,” Pear grumbled under his breath as he took a final look at all the options and made his choice for the Elemental Armor Perk.
For your Aid to the World Tree, a Gift is bestowed.
Unlike previous notifications that were silent, this one was accompanied by a voice as two items descended from the branches of the large tree in front of them all. One item was a straight stick that reached to Pear’s height of 5 '6 and the other was a bulbous fruit that seemed to glisten with an inner glow.
“Ah, you’re both extremely lucky,” Ripspell said happily. “The fruit is a World Tree Fruit, consuming it will make your body sturdier and healthier. The stick is a Twig of the World Tree. Excellent material for a caster’s staff.”
“Can you show me how to make a staff?” Pear asked as he reached for the stick while Savantha took the fruit and eyed it warily.
“Do you have any sort of focus? Perhaps an item with large amounts of mana within it?” Ripspell asked.
“We got those weird things on the special floors,” Savantha said. “The spine, the teeth, that rock you said was an eye.”
“Show me,” Ripspell said, curiosity in his voice.
Shrugging Pear reached into his bag and pulled out the Dragon King’s Right Eye, showing the spherical, gemstone-like rock to Ripspell who took it carefully in his hands and examined it carefully.
“Beautiful,” Ripspell said as he turned the purple gem one way and then another, sending light dancing off the gem’s faceted surface. “This item is extremely powerful with Arcane Mana and will also serve excellently for all other types of Elemental Mana that pass through it. You mentioned some other items as well?”
“There’s this claw that came from a Greater Demon, according to the Devil it came from, a broken shackle that an Angel was held by, teeth from an Elder Vampire, and a spine from a Lich,” Pear said.
“I must see all of these items,” Ripspell said, offering the Dragon King’s Right Eye back to Pear. “One at a time please.”
One by one, Pear reached into his bag and showed each of the other four items to Ripspell as Savantha finally finished her inspection of the World Tree Fruit and began to eat it.
After returning the last item to Pear, Ripspell looked carefully at him before sighing and speaking.
“I won’t be able to teach you how to make a staff,” Ripspell said. “The items you have here are all very powerful and each of them would make an excellent staff alone. If you will trust me with them all, I can make you a staff that incorporates each item to the utmost, without risking the items from attempting to destroy each other. Will that be alright with you?”
“Yeah, I think it’ll be okay,” Pear said after a moment of thought. “Thank you, Master Ripspell.”
“You are my student,” Ripspell said with a wave of his hand. “I would be a poor teacher if I did not attempt to give to you the greatest items and chances for your success.”
“Better teacher than the ones I had,” Savantha grumbled. “Are we done now?”
“Yes, we are,” Ripspell said with a nod before bowing to the Avatar of the World Tree. “Let us go.”
Following his teacher and the Lion Beastkin woman, Pear watched as the Avatar faded into nothing and they approached the door that had been behind it.
“Pear, come on!” Savantha said, excitedly as she urged him on. “Let’s go! Real sunlight is through this door and you’ve got the keys!”
“I’m coming, hold your horses,” Pear said with a laugh as her excitement seemed to infect him and he looked forward to seeing sunlight and his friends once again now that he was done with the Dungeon.
Stepping up to the door, Pear pulled the three orbs that acted as keys from his bag and slotted each of them into the empty spaces that they matched to.
With a heavy, echoing groan, the door shifted slightly before cracking and falling to pieces, revealing a swirling portal on the other side of it.
“Let’s go!” Savantha said excitedly, grabbing Pear’s arm and dragging him through the portal and out into the world again.