After the two got home.
David looked down at the skillet he was using to cook up some pasta but was not too focused on it. Instead, he was focusing on several things with his visor. First were the system patch notes and announcements. The metaphorical fight between his own divinity and the Universal System had been very painful and costly. In fact, David would say he lost if not for the fact that he kept all his skills.
David scrolled down the restrictions the US placed on the Warden. The first is that the higher rank a Warden becomes, the fewer new skills they can learn. Which was actually fine with David. Other than the [one-handed sidearm] skill, which is one of the new requirements for becoming a warden, everyone was free to develop their own fighting style and pick their own weapons of choice.
David looked over his shoulder at Azanii washing in the shower before semi-focusing back on the pasta and tasting it before putting a pinch of salt in it.
The Second restriction placed on the Wardens involves their stats. Which is fine with David as well. The Warden's armor is the main physical characteristic anyways. Not the species or gender or age of the one in the suit.
The Third restriction got David a little worried, limitations of overall potential. David could not help but call bullshit upon, as the system forcefully raised the bar. Raised it so high in fact David actually considered raising it even higher. After all, his idea of the knight order is that they are the best of the best. When all others fail, they will not. Why have twenty guys that can conquer a country when one person who can conquer that entire world just as easily be preferred?
The Forth restriction actually made David agree with it. Though it is standard for his types of organizations as well. And that is age restrictions. This is why David planned on there being three levels of education related to the Wardens. The first level he will call the ‘Academy’ level. Which has no age restriction or rejection requirement. Anyone from a newborn to the age of their majority can go and learn. From lowly peasant to his own children.
The second level he is planning is the ‘Initiate Institute’ which anyone from the age of twelve, or comparable based on race, can attend for up to ten years. Each year there will be a prerequisite bar for graduation before being allowed to take the Initiate Test. Which is the first step to entering the Wardens.
The final level is the ‘Warden College’. The idea behind it is to grant the missing knowledge the previous two levels did not grant to new Warden recruits or the support staff that will join. After all, you can not expect a Juggernaut to wax his own armor or any Engineer to do it either. This is where the bulk of the Warden’s numbers will come from. Those that work under the actual knights in the background.
In addition to those restrictions, David found one more of note and it was a bit odd. And that is of the rankings of the organization. Before it was something similar to a noble cast system, but now it is a merit system. Recruits are just that, barely members of the organization. Initiates are the ones with promise, those that can still grow. Wardens and by extension Masters are those that pursue and perfect a single aspect of being a Warden to some degree. Learning these changes, David could figure out easily how he has five ‘Masteries’ now.
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The Dreadnaught is automatically Mastered by being his main Warden class. Juggernaut was mastered by his willingness to die for those at his side. Engineer and Researcher because he helped make the very first armor. Manager because of his leadership position and business decorum. Artisan left him a little stumped but probably related to designing the original armor as well.
After giving the pasta a final stir he split the skillet’s contents in two and put them on individual plates before putting some simmering lobsters on top then got some bowls of sauce he made earlier and took them to the table.
“ Smells good.”
David looked up to Azanii with nothing but a towel around her waist. David had no doubt if she was human he would probably be looking at her the same way.
“ I am not even going to try to name the dish. So let's just dig in.”
Azanii smirks at that and sat down. After demonstrating how to break the shell and clean the crustation, the two dug in. After a while, Azanii dipped a cracked claw in the sauce and looked at David seriously.
“ What are your thoughts on the tournament?”
David could only blink as Azanii casually nibbled on the claw meat and David looked at her confused.
“ Tournament?”
David could tell he fell for some sort of trap as she slowly put the nibbled claw down.
“ You have not read the whole patch notes yet have you?”
“ Or mine and yours are different.”
This caused her to consider her response before raising her shoulders and relaxing.
“ Boo, you’re no fun. But the clan got invited to a Universal Tournament next month to show off the quality of fighters to those still in the white space.”
David blinked as his visor appeared over his eyes again and he found the notice she was talking about.
“ Oh, that, yea, I am not really interested in more fighting. If one of the others wants to join...”
David then pauses realizing the trap he just walked into.
“ Perfect, then I hope you do not mind if I join. Since I am technically part of your clan now as well as my mother's.”
David smiled thinking of something himself.
“ Sure, but since you will be representing us as Wardens, you should have our armor.”
Azanii takes the claw she nibbled on before and bit threw the shell in one swift bite.
“ Really? You are going to make me learn how to wear your armor in less than a month?”
“ It is either that, or we enter the duo section together... Because there is no way in hell I will let you fight in your condition unless I am there to make sure you are all right.”
Azanii could only blink in surprise at that.