Chapter 14: Two Toned Echoes, Tumbling Through Time

[Choice the third, the path entwined. This Class does not exist. You would be the first and the last, to carve this mark upon the firmament.

Soldier of Fortune: In war, there is opportunity, and this world has been at war for a very long time. Turn strength to wealth, and wealth to strength, until you stand unequalled in either. A path of the highest risk and reward.

Three paths before you, now make your choice.]

Now, reading this, you might assume that I’d been a big risk taker in my previous life. But that wasn’t really the case, despite how it all ended. In fact, I daresay I was risk averse, when I took my degree in Economics to a private pension fund, rather than trying to make it in a big city bank, trading house, or hedge fund.. I’d climbed the ladder the old fashioned way, working hard and keeping my head down, albeit with one eye always on the next rung of the ladder. I did what was needed, to ensure that when my manager resigned, retired, or was fired, I’d always be the first name in mind for their replacement.

It was only when I reached executive status, well over two decades into my career, that I got the kind of access needed to run the kind of fraud I envisioned. Too many questions, at the lower levels, to risk such a thing. Too many nosy colleagues, annoying interns, and overbearing managers to even consider it. No, it was only when I’d become an old veteran of the firm, whose integrity was unquestioned, that I started to pocket some of the money for myself. Why did I do it? Well, mostly to prove that I could. Don’t get me wrong, I spent most of the money that I took home, after a thorough laundering of course.

Some of it went to visible luxuries: tailored suits, handcrafted watches and casks of fine whisky, but never too much beyond my supposed salary, lest I attract the attention of the taxman. Most of it went into more hidden assets: private homes on every continent bar Antarctica, discreet accounts and wealth funds in Switzerland and Hong Kong, and far more besides. But at the end of the day, I had no overbearing need for that extra money, I wouldn’t have starved or even been deprived without it. No, like most fraudsters at my level, I ultimately did it to indulge my own pride, to take what I viewed as mine, and to do it without ever being caught until the day I died. That last bit didn’t quite work out, it goes without saying, though I came close: perhaps another two decades at most, and I’d have died peacefully in bed, leaving my deception to be discovered only in death.

So, no, I was never particularly reckless, and yet, the third and final Class for me was undeniably reckless, and only after a good minute’s thought, did I realise why. It was a challenge. I could probably keep myself alive until retirement as a Soldier, keeping my head down and following orders. I could probably make a good living as a Merchant, finding my own niche to profit from, without taking too much and offending the vested interests that undoubtedly existed, guarding their wealth with just as much jealousy as the oligarchs back home. But did I want that? No.

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My previous life was spent going slow and steady, and it took decades of work to reach the status I eventually did. Even then, it wasn’t enough to save me in the end. I wasn’t wealthy enough to pay off my pursuers, wasn’t powerful enough to quash the charges against me, and in the end, I’d had to leave it all behind, before they dragged me to the jailhouse. The thought of returning to that rat race anew? It triggered some deep-seated revulsion, right down to my soul, and in that moment, my choice was clear.

[Soldier of Fortune selected.

Class upgrade: Child >>> Level 1 Soldier of Fortune

Trait removed:

Foundation Building: One Level received for every full year lived. Child class evolves at Level 18.

Traits gained:

Money is Power: All attributes scale with accumulated wealth.

Money in the Pocket: A private storage space for your personal belongings.

Masquerade: Your Class is invisible, and you appear Classless by default. Alternatively, you may choose to display a false identity. Available identities: Soldier, Merchant.

Covenants gained:

Self-Made Man: Class will be lost if you ever resort to taking a loan.

Thief in Law: Class will be lost if you ever accept legitimate employment.

Class upgrade complete. Good luck and have fun!]

The first thing that I did was to set my public Class as Merchant, reckoning that it was less threatening than Soldier, and thus the best for making people underestimate me. Once that was done, I made sure to pat myself down thoroughly, checking for any of the aforementioned bodily changes. I didn’t find any, nor did I really feel any different after the Class upgrade, physically at least. Mentally, there was a toggle now, sliding smoothly into place as though it had always been there. I could feel my nine remaining coins, and the hilt of my knife, both just waiting to be summoned from my personal inventory.

“That’s pretty good, huh?” I muttered.

The Matron had to use a storage ring to achieve a similar effect, and I knew from talking to the Blacksmith that magical items were uncommon, as they required a crafter with uncommon skills, so I could only assume they commanded a price worthy of such rarity. Will’s memories couldn’t remember seeing any other such storage effects, except in the hands of the occasional travellers from distant lands, which only supported my hypothesis. To get such a benefit as a starting trait for my Class? That was very valuable, truly worthy of a class labelled as the highest reward. Though of course, there was also the other side of the coin to consider.