Chapter 6

Getting Chris up proved to be a challenge, and by the time we were all gathered at a table discussing how to build our party, he was clearly nursing a hangover.

“I think I’d like to be a healer,” Alura mused, her delicate hands resting on the table. “Swinging a sword around doesn’t feel quite right for me, so I like the idea of magic. White mage seems fine.”

“Good,” I said, flipping through the pages of the guide book. “Now we’ll need at least one party member who is strictly damage, as I will take the tank role. The best alignment for pure damage is black, and the best damage classes are lancer, assassin, mage or archer.”

Rin raised her hand above her shoulder. Eyes dark, voice quiet but firm. “I’ll go with black assassin. I want to be able to use stealth.”

“Good choice,” Leon chimed in as he approached our table. His approval likely stemmed from the fact that his own second class happened to be black assassin. “So, Tsarina, you’re going with red knight?”

“I am.”

“Then you’ve got good synergy. You’ll be able to imbue weapons with elements, so learn a monster’s weakness, imbue Rin’s weapon, let her sneak up and critical strike it, and you’ll get some easy kills. Now, if you get a black mage or an archer who can strike from a distance, you can potentially take monsters out without ever taking damage yourself.”

“I don't know,” Chris said. “I saw myself with a melee weapon. Standing back doesn't feel like it’ll be my style.”

“Warriors are somewhat tanky while also offering damage,” I said, scanning the book for more information. “Quick kills are a nice idea, but I imagine it won’t always work, so we’ll be at risk versus bigger enemies by neglecting defense.”

“You’re right about that,” Leon agreed. “Everything has its advantages and drawbacks.”

“I believe it would be wise to keep our team capable of longer engagements,” I suggested. “Therefore, if Chris were to go with a blue warrior, he’ll offer our party resilience in combat while also being able to help deal damage.”

“What about a blue monk?” Chris asked, his interest piqued. “Monk seemed cool.”

Leon opened his mouth to answer, but I beat him to it, my morning of studying paying off. “For monks, pure seems to be the best alignment, as they can effectively deal damage, and heal and buff themselves. From what I can tell, pure monks get the best of all worlds. They are only weak in supporting other party members, but we have Alura for that.”

“You really have done your research,” Leon said, with a nod of approval. “It all depends on the party. Monks with other alignments can do well depending on what team they are with.”

I sat back and thought about it. Pure monk seemed like a fine addition, with the added benefit of being able to heal himself. Rin should not take much damage as her class has stealth and mobility on its side, so Alura could focus her healing on me while backing up Chris and healing Rin as needed. Besides, Chris seemed set on the monk class already.

“Alright, I think we are ready,” I said.

“Alright!” Leon said, “Come on, I’ll show you the statues where you can class up.”

―

I did not expect such a serene place to be connected to the guild hall. The rest of the compound embraced a rugged atmosphere, but the courtyard was like a hidden oasis where tranquility reigned.

There was an upper and lower tier, separated by a stone wall with steps at the middle, leading up to the statues. Fountains adorned the wall's crest, their gentle streams feeding into pools of water that glimmered under the sun. The lower tier of the yard had lush green grass and a stone path leading to the stairs. At the top, the nine statues sat upon diases, each featuring an avatar of one of the nine classes. Knight, Warrior, Mage, Assassin, Lancer, Warrior, Engineer, Archer, and Monk - standing sentry over this peaceful garden.

“So it works pretty simply,” Leon said. “Go up to the statue of the class you want, kneel before it, then use your crystal to communicate your intentions. This is also where you can choose your alignment and allot your attribute points, as well as learn new skills. Attribute points are permanent, so make sure you put them into something that will benefit your class.”

The four of us walked up the stairs. My allies went to the left and right to find their chosen classes, while I approached the knight statue at the center of the display. It stood tall and dignified, carved from polished stone. It donned detailed armor, a plumed helmet, and a flowing cape. Its face displayed a stoic gaze, while its hands grasped a sword and shield.

I kneeled, looked at my phage crystal, then tapped it, thinking, ‘Choose class.’

A voice then spoke into my mind, which was unexpected as the crystal usually only put text in front of my eyes. Or, was it the statue that was speaking? Looking up at its stoic face, I thought it must be the statue.

Behold wielder, the essence of the knight.

This is an ancient class, sworn to uphold a righteous path.

Swear yourself now to defend the weak, uphold your duty, and honor your creed.

Will you pledge your spirit to the code of the knight?

“I will?” I said, uncertainly, not expecting this.

Then I will grant you the power of the shield.

Wielder, noble knight, choose your alignment.

“Red.”

Your level will be returned to 1, and the skills from your current class will be forgotten. Are you sure?

Considering I had not learned any skills as an adventurer, and all my stats would be maintained, I saw no problem with it.

“Yes.”

There was a flash of light over my eyes, and my new stats were displayed.

Name: Tsarina

Red Knight - level 1

Hp: 685/685

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MP: 50/50

Condition: healthy

--Skills--

Empower

--Attributes--

Strength: +10 = 15

Vitality: +10 = 15

Dexterity: 05

Agility: 05

Magic: +7 = 07

Unused skill points: 18

I would not get the ability to imbue weapons with elements until level 7, which was my main reason for choosing this alignment. I wondered how long it would take to get there again. Since we got about as far in a single day once already, I saw no reason we could not do so again. As I thought about this, I was prompted with another question.

You have unused attribute points; would you like to allot them now?

“Yes,” I said.

Choose now.

Vitality would give me more defense, strength would increase my attack power, and magic will improve my buffs. These seemed the most important, but perhaps agility could also be useful? Knights likely were not the fastest class, so that could be of some benefit. Or perhaps it would be better to focus on what my class already does well? Dexterity is for more precise weapons, like the knives an assassin would use, so I did not need points there.

I decided to focus on strength and vitality, while giving some to magic and agility.

--Attributes--

Strength: +6 = 21

Vitality: + 7 = 22

Dexterity: 05

Agility: + 2 = 07

Magic: + 3 = 10

Unused skill points: 0

I stepped away from the statue, and my party members met me at the stairs.

“I can’t say I feel any different,” Alura said, looking at her hands.

Chris pumped his fist forward. “My body feels lighter, like maybe I can move faster.” He tested it a few times while Rin pivoted her shoulder and stretched her neck.

“Why don’t we all go grab some weapons and armor,” I said. “I’m sure we’ll have a better idea of the changes once we start fighting monsters.”

―

Leon agreed to meet us at the fountain near the city gate after we finished our shopping. As we approached the sales district, Rin abruptly stopped and spoke up.

“It will be more effective if we split the treasure and go shopping individually.” She had a serious look in her eyes. “We can meet up at the fountain when we’re done.”

I took out the small coin purse and dumped the contents into my hand. One thick and heavy gold piece and 20 silver pieces. This is what remained after paying for our rooms, food, and gifting some to Zelik’s party.

“30 silver each would be even,” I said, “But we should think of the party as one unit and spend our treasure efficiently for that purpose. We have not gauged the costs yet, and it is to my understanding that heavier armor and weapons cost more.”

“I don’t care,” Rin said, “Fair is fair, and I helped with the looting. I don’t care what the rest of you do, but I want my 30 silvers.”

I turned my head. “Do you feel I’ve not handled our finances well?” I found her dissent to be quite annoying. If she wanted to complain, she should have done so sooner. “I have not overspent on myself, and I bargained for the best prices. The well-being of our party as a whole is my focus.”

“You were planning to spend more on gear for yourself and Alura, right?” Rin said.

“Assassin’s daggers are cheaper than swords and mage staffs. Monks fist weapons are cheaper as well, and furthermore, I am the only one who will require heavy armor which is far pricier than leather and cloth.”

“I still did my share of the looting,” Rin insisted. “In fact, I did more than Chris and Alura, so I want to be able to manage my own money. Not to mention Chris spent way more on drinks last night than us. On top of that, you gave some of our treasure away to Zelik’s party.”

I opened my mouth to counter her argument when I heard Chris groan. He was clearly still hungover. “Look, she’s got a point,” Chris said. “We’re all adults here. The simple principle of the thing is if you are holding the money, then whenever we want something, we’ll have to ask you. It’s a little demoralizing. If I’m going to drink and eat, I want to do it freely without anyone accusing me of spending more than my fair share.”

“He’s got a good point,” Rin agreed.

“Alura, what do you think?” I asked, figuring at least one of them would be on my side with this.

“I don’t mind you holding the money,” she said with her soft voice. “I’m not very good with these kinds of things anyway.”

I sighed, looking at our treasure piled up in my hand. I was the one who got up early to study, I was the one who bargained the prices on the loot and got us thirty percent more than they would have likely achieved on their own. Though, I understood their feelings about wanting the freedom to spend their own money. Perhaps I could compromise?

“How about if I divvy out an allowance?” I offered. “That way, you can all have your own spending money while I retain enough control to facilitate what is best for the party.”

“An allowance!?” Rin said with a dry voice. “You’ve got to be kidding me...” She held out her hand. “Give me my 30 silver pieces, or I’m done.”

“I don’t understand why you’re being so difficult about this,” I shot back.

“I’m the one being difficult!?” Rin said, returning my aggression. “You’re acting like a control freak! I don’t recall voting for a party leader in the first place, anyway. Maybe I should control our finances?”

I tightened my fist around the treasure. I didn’t like it, but I could not lead someone who refused to follow. We would have to replace her if she did not change her tune, which is a shame to have realized this after already selecting our classes. I planned out this party with effective synergy, based on my research. Losing a member would break the structure.

I returned the gold piece to our coin purse, then held out the fist full of silver. “Here,” I said.

Rin glared at me as she cupped her hands under mine, and I poured the 20 silvers into her grasp. Then she said, “Good. I’ll get my other 10 later.”

“No, you won't,” I said with a harsh tone. “I negotiated the higher price, so you get the median price for the horns. Your portion of the wolf tails went to food and lodging last night. 20 is fair.”

She glared at me, closed her fist around the coins, and stuffed them into her pocket, then turned around and stormed off.

“Be at the fountain in one hour,” I called after her. “If you are not, then I will assume we are parting ways.

“Whatever,” she yelled back. “I’ll think about it.”

I sighed, feeling rather pissed off now, and turned my attention to Chris. “Well, are you wanting your share as well?”

“You know, the allowance idea works for me,” he said. “I just want to be able to eat and drink without worrying about it. You seem to have a good handle on shopping and trading, so I can leave that part to you.” He yawned and stretched an arm behind his head. “Let’s call it something other than allowance, though. Kind of makes me feel like a kid.”

“Per diem, then,” I agreed. At least he could see reason, even if it was motivated by laziness.