Zoe wrote off Alchemy again, at least for the time being. If she was being honest, the process was just really boring. If she was going to slave over a glorified wood stove for a while she’d rather get a really tasty stew than some potions of questionable use.
Maybe if she found some cool recipes for some really awesome potions she’d change her mind. But she walked down the road holding the two comically large vials of red sludge and sighed. She appreciated having another skill, but red sludge was not her idea of a great use of an hour.
She stopped by Joe’s inn and gave him the vials while she explained what happened. Joe laughed.
Her excitement began to grow as she thought about spring being just a few days away. Soon she’d have everything she set out to get and could take her first class. It was still a year away, but that just felt so short at this point.
She decided to take some time off and relax for the next year like Joe suggested. She had plenty of skills to work on still and levelling up what she already had might even be more useful than amassing a larger variety of skills. Or at least that’s what she told herself whenever she thought about looking for new skills to learn.
Throughout spring she joined Emma’s hunting group when they went out, she didn’t get paid in gold but they let her keep some of the meat to cook. They usually snagged a few animals every day so Zoe never ran out of food to train her cooking with and the whole process let her train a plethora of skills all at once.
When Emma wasn’t out hunting, Zoe usually found herself in Kaira park enchanting whatever she found around her. She took Bruce’s words into account and tried to find things that took enchantments better — metals in particular seemed to be much better for it. But it was still fun making adorable twigs and leaves that seemed super happy, even if they only lasted for a brief moment.
Spring drew to an end, and Flester was preparing for the Barlahai festival once more. Zoe went with Emma this time and the two walked around playing the games and tasting all the food that people had to offer. Zoe took Emma to Joe’s stall and introduced them to each other finally.
When Rolf was giving his speech, there was a nervousness that seemed to wash over the crowd as everybody remembered what happened the previous year.
“Hello Flester. Last time I spoke to you here, we had a terrible interruption. I am immensely proud of us all for how well we’ve recovered from the disaster. But that’s not what barlahai is about. Let us take part in the festivities and enjoy our bright, warm summer days.” Rolf said to the crowd who cheered in response.
The rest of barlahai was the same, but progressively more drunken as the day drew on. Emma went home after Rolf’s short speech to make sure Oliver was doing alright and Zoe wandered around in eager anticipation for her final seasonal master feat. She was just one step away from being able to finally pick her first class, to no longer be bound by the restrictions that she had set for herself.
Night passed and the crowd thinned as people returned to their homes. Zoe made her way to Kaira park to sit at her favourite bench as she shook with excitement.
*Ding* For Surviving a natural spring without shelter, you have been awarded with the [Spring’s Master] feat.
*Ding* The feats; Winter’s Master, Spring’s Master, Summer’s Master and Autumn’s Master, have been combined into the Master of Seasons feat.
Zoe’s eyes widened in shock. She tried to bring up the information on Spring’s Master but got nothing in return. She tried again for the other seasonal master feats and none of them gave her anything either. She felt a twinge of disappointment that was quickly replaced by excitement.
She pulled up the information on her new Master of Seasons feat.
[Master of Seasons]
You have stood against the seasons like a sturdy stone, weathered and worn but unfettered nonetheless. The scorching heat and frigid cold revitalize you, while the torrential downpours and screaming gales leave you feeling refreshed. Stand strong and deny the elements the power they once held over you. All classes gain a bonus to elemental affinity.
Zoe shivered with excitement. She wasn’t sure what the difference between elemental affinity and a specific cold or heat affinity actually meant. Was it better to have elemental? What counted as elemental anyway? Was gravity an element? She had no idea.
But it didn’t matter. Whether this feat was better or the same as the sum of its parts was secondary to the fact that she now had everything that she needed. She could pick her class whenever she wanted, now.
She spent the first month and a half of summer charging mana orbs for Ren again. It was a fantastic way to pass the time and made her a lot of money while she was it. She even thought about making more and just figuring out how taxes worked but decided against it. She didn’t really want to get bogged down figuring that out if she didn’t have to. And with the just over eight gold she had clanging around in her bag now, she didn’t think that she did.
With the pressure of the seasonal master feats off of her, she even spent a few nights inside. She spent a lot more time at Emma’s place playing with her cat and chatting about Emma’s progress. She had gotten a class she was happy with and had started levelling again.
The thing she was most excited about was a skill that let her conjure a magical bow and arrow. It cost a fair bit of mana but her class apparently gave her bonuses to her mana regeneration so it was manageable at least.
“I don’t need to retrieve my arrows anymore!" She would shout at random times for a few days after she took the class.
Summer ended, and Zoe took to Joe’s kitchen on occasion to help him cook. About halfway through autumn, she was given another surprise.
*Ding* For accumulating a total of 500 general skill levels, you have been awarded with the [Skilled] feat.
“Oo, I just got the Skilled feat. For having a total of five hundred skill levels.” Zoe told Joe next to her.
“I’ve heard of that one. What’s it do?” Joe asked.
Zoe brought up its information to check.
[Skilled]
You have accumulated a wealth of skills and find pleasure from the refining your own capabilities.
“Nothing? I guess I already have whatever it’s supposed to give maybe.” Zoe said.
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just for a class? Doesn’t seem that hard to get once you’ve raised your level cap a bunch anyway.” Joe shrugged.
Zoe shook her head and got back to helping Joe with the stew he had bubbling away on the stove.
The rest of autumn passed by in a flash, and the dusting of snow in the town turned to a thick blanket. Groups of people started wandering around town clearing it out again, and Zoe could barely stand still as she waited for her birthday.
She had already made plans. Joe was going to take the day off and come with her to Emma’s place and they’d have a big birthday bash while Zoe shared her class choices. Zoe thought about inviting Eliza, but decided against it. She’d probably be sharing a few too many secrets.
It was just a month away. The last month of her feeling so restricted, so weak and feeble. Her last month before the biggest decision of her life.
It was just as nerve-wracking as it was exciting, she found. And as the month passed and the final day drew near, her anxiety grew. What if she picked the wrong class? What if after all this work she didn’t even get something she liked? Would she have to spend even more years trying to get something better? Should she have used the last year to keep getting new skills even if she wouldn’t enjoy them?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
She tried not to focus on the negative thoughts too much. They weren’t helpful.
Her birthday finally came, and Zoe sat in Emma’s lobby with her two friends. Oliver sat at the top of the stairs, his tail wrapped around him and stared at Joe. Light shone in from the upstairs window and highlighted the faint dark stripes that covered his fur.
She had gotten her extra stat points earlier in the day and dumped them both into vitality, but she wanted to wait until Emma and Joe were both available to actually go through her class list.
“Okay. Ready?” Zoe asked.
Emma and Joe both nodded. “It’s your class.” They both said.
“Okay. I’m gonna do it. I haven’t looked in forever. What if they’re all bad?” She asked.
Her friends sighed.
“Fine. Fine. I’m going to look. I’m really gonna do it now, okay?” Zoe walked outside into the snow so she would qualify for the sub-zero requirement for classes.
*Ding* The following classes are available;
Zoe brushed past all of the ones she recognized or that seemed uninteresting to her. There were a whole bunch of apprentice classes available for all the jobs she took that she just didn’t care much about.
[Archer] A master of the bow, decimate your opponents with deadly aim from afar. Increased accuracy with bows.
Requirements: Has the [Archery] skill
Notes: The [Archery] skill will be removed and merged with the class.
[Hunter] A hunter, stalking their prey through the wilds through tenacity and wisdom. Increased intuition when tracking prey.
Requirements: Has the; [Tracking], [Stealth], [Gathering] skills. Has successfully hunted prey they set out to find.
Notes: The; [Tracking], [Stealth], [Gathering] skills will be removed and merged with the class.
[Apprentice Cold Mage] An acolyte of frost, yearning for the cold and spreading its beauty. Gain increased experience when researching the frost.
Requirements: 25 intelligence, Current season is Winter
[Master of Frost] You have mastered the cold and find solace in its frigid silence. Draw power from the cold energies that surround you.
Requirements: 50 intelligence, 20 endurance, 20 dexterity, at least ten resistances, has the [Cold] resistance, has the [Ice] resistance, has the [Meditation] skill, has the [Winter’s Master] feat
[Enchanter] A pursuer of mana, imbuing objects with powerful effects.
Requirements: Has the [Enchanting] skill.
Notes: The [Enchanting] skill will be removed and merged with this class.
[Temporal Anomaly] Time passes while you remain still. Increased power over time.
Requirements: Has the [Patient Decider] feat, has the [Time] resistance. Does not have a second class.
[Slayer of Frost] The frost fears you. Increased damage to cold aligned creatures.
Requirements: Has the [Slayer of Frost] feat
[Alchemist] Create powerful potions and salves and explore the possibilities of alchemy.
Requirements: Has the [Alchemy] skill
Notes: The [Alchemy] skill will be removed and merged with this class.
[Resistant] Stand strong against any foe you may find. Increased bonuses to resistances.
Requirements: Has at least fifteen resistances
[Seasoned Frost] Unaffected by the passage of time, drag the frost with you on your endless pursuit of knowledge and power. Increased experience from the passage of time.
Requirements: Has the [Patient Decider] feat, has the [Master of Seasons] feat, has at least fifteen resistances, has the [Time] resistance, has at least fifteen skills
[Elemental Master] Control the elements at your will, incinerating at one step and flooding with the next. Increased bonuses to elemental magics.
Requirements: 50 intelligence, 50 wisdom, Has the [Master of Seasons] feat, has at least fifteen resistances, has at least fifteen skills, has an elemental manipulation general skill
[Runic Acolyte] Pursue the raw magics of runes and craft magical effects with wit and research. Increased knowledge retention of runes.
Requirements: Has learned from a [Runemaster]
[Skilled] A master of all, pursuing skills in their purest form. Increased experience to general skills.
Requirements: Has at least fifteen general skills. Has the [Skilled] feat.
Zoe walked back inside and shared her class selection with her friends.
“What do you think? I’m leaning towards Skilled, honestly. I like that I get a bonus to general skills.” Zoe said.
“No, that’s off the table. If you really wanted to just get all the skills you could you would have spent the last year learning new skills instead of saying you don’t wanna be a miner. Don’t be stupid.” Emma said.
“I agree. Skilled seems like a bad fit for you. Maybe Elemental Master?” Joe suggested.
“Master of Frost seemed really good too.” Emma said.
Oliver had come down at this point and was pacing back and forth by Joe, sniffing at him. Joe tried to reach out to pet him a few times but he would back away, so Joe just let him be.
“I wish it told me more about what they do. Runic Acolyte seems really good too if I can just make magic do whatever I want instead of being restricted.” Zoe said.
“Yeah but then you have to learn the runic language,” Emma whined.
“It says it gives increased knowledge retention of runes, but that means you’re probably going to have to figure everything out from scratch yourself.” Joe added.
“I know somebody who already knows a bunch I could maybe learn from her, but that’s a good point.” Zoe said.
“What about temporal anomaly?” Zoe asked.
“The part about remaining still is concerning, to me at least.” Emma said.
Joe nodded his head. “If you wanted a time class, Seasoned Frost seems a lot better to me even though it’s not explicitly time. It doesn’t imply restrictions.”
“Okay but what about dragging the frost with her? Wouldn’t that be bad if people don’t wanna be cold?” Emma asked.
“Maybe. That’s probably a nod to it having cold magic than an actual physical effect.” Joe said.
“Then remaining still could also just be fluff. I think it’s dangerous. Master of Frost still seems best to me.” Emma said.
Joe shrugged. “Time passing while you remain still seems too similar to Seasoned Frost’s unaffected by the passage of time. If the wording wasn’t important then it wouldn’t be different.”
“Okay, what are your votes then?” Zoe asked.
“Master of Frost,” Emma said.
“Seasoned Frost for me, I think. I like it more after thinking about it.” Joe said.
Zoe thought about it for a moment longer and then made her decision.
“How do I actually take a class again?” She asked.