Jordan called in sick.
While the terminology initially confused his new caretakers, he managed to get the point across. Not only did he still have a lingering injury from the poison the assassin had used, but he was convinced that today would end in complete, and total, annihilation for the universe.
It had to!
Day one had seen him waking up in a Brat’s body, stuck in bed recovering from heart surgery after a failed summoning ritual. And following Jordan to this new world had been a damn Aberration that tried to devour him.
Day two had seen him eat his first Essence-filled foods and culminated in an acid-trip level hallucinatory ‘experience’ where he smelled the universe and went comatose. He may have drooled as well; he wasn’t sure on that part.
Day three had been a literal Trial where he was held accountable for the forbidden magic his new personage was guilty of performing. He only escaped execution because he’d admitted he wasn’t the Brat, and agreed to take responsibility for their actions regardless. He still wasn’t sure how that had worked out.
Following that fun, he’d learned that the price for the transplanted heart in his chest was a betrothal. He was doomed to be married in six and a half months and would become a political pawn from then on out. Thankfully, he’d been given the option to go to an academy to avoid the trappings of the Nobility.
Of course that had the problem of clueing him in that he was in a damn game world of all things! The most popular game on Earth that he’d stubbornly refused to play—His Majesty’s Immortal Academy. But something like an ‘immersive’ VR technology didn’t exist, so he still had no clue how it was possible to be inside of a game.
Day four then started an ‘adventure’ with his new grandfather where he was whisked away to an alternate dimension called the Solarius Realm. In it, they visited the Celestial City where death, destruction, and bureaucratic queues awaited them. Jordan got to cultivate, and catch up to where the Brat would’ve been if she hadn’t had so many medical issues, but he spent the entire event on the verge of death.
Day five was still up in the Celestial City and culminated with him… sort of breaking his own Fate. But it was all a setup in the first place! While he was free from the machinations of the Gods, it had all been a part of his grandfather’s convoluted schemes that nearly started a world-wide apocalypse in the process.
And to top it all off, when he finally got home on day five he got the birds and the bees talk, followed shortly after by an assassination attempt. He only survived because of the undocumented artifact storage ring with which he’d accidentally smuggled high-level potions out of the Celestial City.
And now, Jordan was done with everything.
It was day six, and following the trend, today the Moons would collide with one another, the planet would rupture, the sun would implode, and a flying interdimensional spaghetti monster would show up and eat what was left. Jordan could not be convinced otherwise.
So he stayed in bed, took all his meals in his room, and refused to leave. While his new mother had been on the verge of protest, Mercia blessedly took one look at Jordan’s expression and left him be. He spent the rest of the day relaxing, looking at a few books, and even learning some of the games this world had to offer as he played with his new sister Catella.
He quickly learned that she wasn’t really good at remembering how rules worked, however. She wasn’t exactly the brightest seven year old out there after all, and everything devolved into a giant game of make-believe with miniatures. Still, it had been surprisingly fun. It helped that each moment he spent with the tiny brat made him feel like he was fighting off any possibilities of a bad end for her.
And he truly believed that it was a fight worth committing to now. Learning that the High King of the United Kingdoms of Koterra was a Tyrant that slaughtered people for disagreeing with him had shaken Jordan to his core. It might have been his American sentimentality, but he just couldn’t accept it. So even if he didn’t think he’d succeed, he wanted to resist. And he wanted to save his new family if he could in the process.
But first, the day passed. Lunch came, followed by dinner. No cataclysms occurred, no wars were fought, and life moved on. Alive and well in his new flesh-prison’s room, the only thing that bothered him as he went to sleep was that his bed seemed different somehow.
Had he gotten a new one while he was off cavorting with the Gods?
----------------------------------------
When Jordan awoke on day seven, he knew his day was going to be special.
Not only had whatever doom streak he’d been on during the first week been broken, but he’d been told something quite exciting. His new father had gotten him a ‘Character System Status Menu’ device, or Chasm, and today he would finally get to see his menu.
He just had to get through the necessities of being a Brat first.
As was customary, the day started off by being woken up by an overly-giddy Succubus Maid. Following the Harlot Horde’s morning alarm were his unavoidable, and unmentionable, activities followed by a quick flurry of clothing. His personal tailor Demon, Usiu, was quite vocal that morning (even for her), and it centered around Jordan’s newest scar. The discoloration just above his naval had come from one of the relics his Sofu had literally stabbed him with during the cultivation process. Jordan was just thankful he’d been in such a deep state of meditation he hadn’t felt it.
After that, came breakfast with the family served by his Tigerborn Chef, Duan, who was quickly growing to be one of Jordan’s favorite people. That may just have been his love of his new world’s food, however.
Still, Jordan wasn’t sure how long his new parents would be joining him in the House of Brats (as he liked to think of the mansion he and Catella lived in) for meals, but he wasn’t going to complain. He was eating up to half Essence-concentrated food now, and he was enjoying spending time with them all. Even if the Brat’s mother kept tsking and glowering at Jordan’s etiquette at the table.
The only surprising part of breakfast for Jordan was that Kioko joined them. He hadn’t expected to see her without her Master, and old man Rahm had been understandably scarce after he’d been chided for his inadvertent kidnapping of Jordan. And as Kioko had also spent the day prior recovering, having risked her life just to buy Jordan time to survive the assassin’s poison, he hadn’t seen her since. It wasn’t until Jordan was standing next to his family in the foyer that he found out why.
“Aureliana,” Mercia said, “before you leave there is something I wished to discuss with you.”
The Brat’s mother pulled Jordan aside while the rest of the group mingled near the entrance. “Um, yes? What’s up?” He said.
Mercia looked confused by Jordan’s words—meaning his phrase must not have translated correctly. Again. Stupid translation skill thing, he moaned internally. “S-sorry, ah, what did you need… mother?”
It was still difficult for him to… call her that, if just because it felt wrong to openly accept the people of this world so directly. They were his new family, yes. But they were an adopted family, and some of them he connected better with than others. But he wanted to try, and he knew Mercia appreciated it. Even if she and everyone else just thought he was a split-personality inside their daughter.
“Ah, right.” She said. “Well, your father and I have been discussing options for hiring a new governess for you.”
Jordan nodded. He remembered, briefly at least, that Mercia had mentioned the Brat’s previous governess had quit her position after she'd failed to notice the forbidden summoning ritual happening right under her nose.
“What would you think then,” she continued, “about… Kioko?”
“Kioko? Really?” Jordan cocked his head in confusion at the suggestion. “But she’s Rahm’s apprentice. How would that work?”
“Darling, your grandfather forgot about her for five years in the Celestial City. I’m confident he’d have no qualms for us borrowing her for a decade or more. Especially so, given how addled his attention span can be.”
Jordan snorted, but then quickly blushed and cleared his throat under the glare from Mercia. The alarm bells in his own brain reminding him such behavior was breaching etiquette weren’t helping either.
“Regardless, do you have any concerns with this arrangement?” Mercia asked.
Jordan shook his head. “No, I like her. I… understand her, I guess.”
His heart still ached for the Tigerborn that had been alchemically stymied into perpetual ‘kittendom,’ but it also meant they shared an oddly empathetic relationship. He was a forty year old man stuck in a ten year old’s body, and she was a fifty year old woman stuck at age 13 until she died. He wasn’t sure if Kioko believed his situation, as Rahm had explained his conditions as Jordan had trouble talking about it, but she’d been nothing but understanding. Annoying, sometimes, but understanding.
Plus they’d survived two days together spending time with Rahm as the damn Immortal wreaked havoc. In Jordan’s mind, Kioko was as good as family. Better, in some ways, as she was his first friend in this new world.
“Very good then.” Mercia said. “Now, it is my understanding that Kioko lacks a great deal of formal training, so we will be supplementing her care of you with additional tutors. But we can discuss the logistics of that later—you should get going before your father bursts from impatience.”
Mercia gave Jordan a wondrous [Perfect Smile], and leaning to the side he could see Constantine fidgeting next to the entryway while Catella cartwheeled around him. The tiny brat’s behavior was expected, but it was odd seeing the stoic noble features of his new father looking so excited. You’d think he was the one getting to see his menu for the first damn time! Jordan couldn’t help reflecting a [Perfect Smile] of his own at the sight.
As the two of them rejoined the family, Mercia gave Kioko a nod, and Jordan noticed that the cat-girl’s features relaxed. She looked a bit silly, in his mind, wearing a formal dress with as many layers as his own, but he figured he understood why she’d bothered now. Dress for the job you want, and all that, he thought.
Parting ways from Mercia and Catella, the three of them who remained left the mansion. Waiting outside was a recognizable, overly-mechanical-looking carriage piloted by a familiar smarmy-looking golden-haired Monkey-man. The driver Torzan greeted them warmly, if snobbishly, as they all entered.
This time, Jordan wasn’t surprised by how the magical ride was bigger on the inside. It seemed down right quaint after everything he’d seen in the Celestial City. Sitting down next to him, Constantine wasted no time ushering forth a few items from a storage ring.
“Alright, I’ve got some things to give both of you. Kioko, you first.”
The cat-girl looked taken aback from her seat on the opposite side of the carriage, especially as what Jordan’s new father gave her appeared to be a large stack of papers. Ruffling through them, Jordan realized they must’ve had great value for her as she began crying after only a few pages in.
“Are… are you sure?” She asked, wet eyes looking up at Constantine. “Er, Y-your Grace.” She hastily amended.
But the Duke just raised a hand and waved her off. “It is no bother for us, and I know you need more than what Rahm is able to offer.”
Jordan fidgeted, bursting with curiosity, and finally just blurted out, “What is all that?”
“Its…” Kioko looked back and forth between her papers and Jordan, as though still disbelieving it all. “Ah… it’s deeds. Deeds to, by the Devas, a dozen Alchemy shops? Warehouses, distribution chains, suppliers. Hells, I think this technically makes me a landed minor noble now.” She trembled as she continued to sort through the pages.
“Oh, ah… that’s good. I guess?” Jordan said.
“Ehm,” Constantine said. Jordan looked up at him, but saw that he was trying to get Kioko’s attention, not his own. The two adults shared a look for a moment, Kioko staring off for a pause, before she gave a small nod back to Constantine.
“Aureliana,” his new father said, “Kioko is what is referred to as a Kittenkin—”
“Whoa! Isn’t that derogatory?” Jordan interrupted.
“It can be,” Constantine nodded, not caught off guard in the least by the interjection. Mercia tended to do it quite a lot and he was married to her after all. “I assume you’ve had her situation explained to you then?”
Jordan nodded. “I heard that… well.” He paused to chew his lip. “Listen Kioko, if you ever need anything let me know, okay?”
The cat-girl looked at him, a smile half cocked on her face as a little canine snaggle-toothed its way out. Then she shook her head with a laugh.
“Kid, what your father just handed me here is more than I could’ve ever asked for. But thanks. I mean it, brat.”
Jordan tried to smile politely, though it was strained. He liked Kioko, but 'brat' was his damn word to use! “Erg, so what’re you going to do with all that anyway? Try to get back at the people who hurt you?”
Surprisingly, she shook her head. “No, the Empire of Hovalon is too far away and too powerful for me to do anything about. Besides, more wealthy individuals than I, even after this, are already working on it. There are plenty who resent those Hovalonian bastards.” She looked like she wanted to spit, but instead just folded her ears back as her tail flicked back and forth in irritation.
“No,” she continued, “I’m hoping to find a cure for the Tigersbane. That's the, ah, concoction they used on me and many others. There are plenty of Liberated like myself out there, and I want to help them. Alchemy is how those bastards did it, so alchemy is what I’ll use to cure it.”
“Oh, is that why you’re apprenticed to Rahm?” It had only been due to the old man’s potions that Jordan had even survived his earliest days in Ænerith.
She nodded, “Yes, but to be honest he's also the one who rescued me. He’s actually one of those wealthy fuc—er,” she hastily corrected herself in front of her new employer, “individuals who fund the underground resistances.”
Jordan sighed dramatically. “It's another one of his schemes, isn’t it.” He didn’t even bother framing it like a question.
Kioko didn’t say anything, but just sighed dramatically in response.
“Ehem,” Constantine interrupted their shared-suffering moment. “I do have something for you as well, Aury.”
Jordan perked up immediately, his whole body practically on fire. Well, it always felt like it was on fire because of how hot his Demonkin lineage’s temperature was, but in this case it was just nervous energy. Please just don’t let this suck, he thought. He’d been waiting all week for this!
Constantine offered Jordan a box over two feet long, and twice as thick as his arm. It was larger than what he’d expect for a device that would let him peer into his soul, and as he opened it his confusion only compounded. The object inside was at once entirely foreign, and distressingly familiar.
Sitting in a plush molded form was a metallic device that looked designed to sit across his forearm. It was more intricate than a bracer, with a section that anchored onto the elbow, as well as pulling over his hand like a fingerless gauntlet. As he took it out, it was surprisingly light despite its heavy-looking features, especially the large solid plate on the outer-forearm section. As he expected, it was too large for him, but he slid his arm inside, set it against his elbow, and poured Ki into it.
“Okay, to activate it you’ll, er.” Constantine paused, only to laugh as he saw Jordan had beaten him to the punch.
The magical item glowed with steamy, golden Essence as it shrank, fitting snugly over the embroidered lace of his dress. He twisted his arm over, and examined the patterned gems on the outer plate, leading in a double helix all the way to the glove which prominently displayed a gemstone of massive size. It practically covered the entire back of his hand! While the gems were all a dull, opaque color, they quickly shifted into a mix of red and purples as his Ki bonded him to the device.
A flash of light from his underarm drew his attention back, and where the golden metal had wrapped around his arm like cords he could see a translucent display.
It wasn’t a menu, however.
The image on the underside stretched from his wrist to the crook of his elbow, but it showed on the far right a picture of the Brat with a few figures beneath it. Depending on the angle of his arm, it even shifted like a phone’s accelerometer, displaying either right to left or top to bottom.
“Is that… a status screen?” He asked.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“It is—well spotted!” Constantine said. “Unless you… remember something about this, Aury?”
Jordan wasn’t surprised he would ask. Mercia was the one who had pioneered and fixated on the split-personality theory, and Jordan hadn’t had a lot of time to talk with his new father.
Still, Jordan shrugged. “Er, not really, though I did see something like this in my… ah, cultivation visions? I’m not sure what kind of terminology that would use.”
“That’s fine. Do you recall which vision you saw it in?”
“Yeah,” Jordan nodded, “it was in the potency vision. I think it was showing me my potentials? Some of them looked like they were going to school, and they wore these devices.”
Constantine smiled. “Good! That’s excellent to hear.”
“Was that a premonition or anything?” Jordan asked.
“Hmm, sadly no,” he answered, “but it does reflect your own belief that you can succeed. In many ways that’s more important, as soothsaying is never absolute.”
“Gotcha. So, ah, this is cool and all, but…”
“Not to worry.” He said. “What you have here is standard military fare, and you are correct that you would see it in His Majesty's Academy. This CSSM device is a hybrid magical tool that not only can allow you to see your menu, but will display in real time the status of those linked to you in a squad. In addition, it can project an energy barrier.”
“Wait, like a shield?”
“Exactly!” Constantine beamed. Jordan was startled to see such mirth on his old man’s face, but Catella had to have gotten it from somewhere, right? He mused. Plus Constantine tends to get excited about technical stuff. He really did remind Jordan of his real-world father like that.
“Now, you’ve already bound it to yourself,” he continued, “so next feel through your Pattern to where it’s joined and you’ll be able to find the controls.”
Jordan nodded, and focused inwardly. The instructions would have confused him to no ends when he’d first arrived, but he’d had plenty of time to get experienced with reflecting on his Pattern. It was just a blueprint of everything he was, after all. No big deal!
Diving through the river of stars that were the underlying connecting pathways between the nodes of his being, Jordan breathed slowly and deeply as he followed the flow of his body's energies. His Ki ran through his newly forged Meridians, that tied his mind, body, and soul together through his Core, but attached onto him now he could feel the device. He also felt Nothring, his existential horror-inducing storage ring artifact, but it seemed to be peacefully resting, and it was best to leave sleeping ring-girls lie.
Reaching into the device’s pattern with his mind, he felt a few different options. One seemed to be tied to the display on his inner arm, so he ignored that for now. Another pushed along the gems on the plate, and experimentally he activated it, popping out the shield. The energy field was perfectly clear, though it rippled slightly, and was in the form of a large round shield. Placing it along his chest, he experimentally banged on it to find it solid as a rock, and from the outside completely opaque. He willed it to collapse, and went for the last option.
Springing from his wrist were a selection of items.
[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/null.png]
They circled his wrist, and with a thought or a slight movement, he could rotate them around to select what he wanted. As far as radial menus went it was fine, but Jordan had found an immediate issue.
This was not the menu he’d seen in the screenshots and videos for HMIA.
For one, there wasn’t even an options selection! Such an inconsistency could be explained by his own ignorance of the game, but Jordan didn’t think it likely. It had already been confusing and frankly unbelievable to him that he was in a game.
No, to him this was proof the world he was in was like HMIA, but not the game itself. And wracking his brain for any other inconsistencies to bolster that theory brought up something he’d overlooked from earlier.
There were no humans in this world. When he’d first noticed that, it had been in the Review and he hadn’t yet realized the world was based off of HMIA. He just thought it was a quirk of the fantasy world he’d found himself in. But now? He distinctly recalled humans on the damn cover art!
What other inconsistencies am I going to find? Jordan’s dread was interrupted as Constantine leaned down, pointing at one of the selections, saying, “Let’s start with the Overview, alright Aury?”
Oh, so everyone can see it then. Good to know, Jordan grit his teeth at the potential invasion of privacy, but nodded as he willed the Overview Menus to open. A series of blue panels popped up, projected by his new armament by the same gems that had made the shield.
However, the first thing to greet him was an unwelcome sight.
[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/null-1.png]
His new body’s face was staring at him, plastered on an ID card. All his relevant information was on there, though little of it meant much to him so he swiped it away. He was… growing to accept his status as a Brat but he still didn’t care to look at his reflection. It had a tendency to glare at him.
The next section of the menu was titled ‘Monitor.’
v2 Monitor [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-monitor.png]
“That’s a bit busy, isn’t it?” Jordan complained. “Wait, I’m down four Ki points? Why is my ki pool so small!?”
“Sweetheart, the shield takes energy to charge and activate.” Constantine replied. “It can last upwards to an hour or until Parry Break, but it still needs the initial investment. Beyond that, it would have taken at least a single Ki point to bond.”
“Am I going to have to charge it each time then?” Jordan looked askance. His resources looked tiny and this thing ate a fourth of them!
Constantine shook his head, “Not if you remember to charge it beforehand. It can last an hour of constant use, but while it’s stored it won’t take away from that time limit.”
Okay, that’s a bit better. “Is… parry break just what happens when I run out of this parry stuff?”
“It is, but let’s handle your derived statistics when we get you introduced to your combat instructor, okay?”
Jordan wanted to protest, but he had seen half a dozen other entries on the Menu’s list. So it was probably a good idea not to get bogged down. Besides—he wasn’t even done with his Overview. He swiped the Monitor screen away, and brought up his attributes.
v2 Abilities [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-abilities.png]
I can’t believe there really are twenty freaking attributes. He couldn’t help the distraught sigh that snuck out of him at the sight.
“What’s the matter sweetheart?” Constantine said.
Jordan looked back to him and the screen a few times over. “Well, look at this! There are too many of them! Shouldn’t a game only have like six?”
Constantine lifted an eyebrow, and Jordan internally cursed. He was the only one that knew this was a game world here, after all, and he didn’t want people thinking he was crazy. “Er, I just mean it’s a lot to try and remember, you know?”
“Well, let me help with that then.” Constantine chuckled as he began to point at the different columns. “The order they’re in isn’t by chance. If you look above them you’ll notice each column is marked with its grouping. Core, Soul, Mind, and Body.”
“Yeah, I see that, but that’s still five things I have to remember four times. That doesn’t change much.” Jordan deadpanned.
“Do you notice the similarities between the items on each row, Aury? Potency, Charisma, Intellect, and Strength are all considered Power Attributes. Below them are the Finesse Attributes, then the Reaction Attributes, then Resistance Attributes, and finally Special Attributes. In truth, you only need to know four columns and five rows. The rest will come to you with time.” He rubbed at Jordan’s back encouragingly.
Jordan wasn’t sure if he bought it, but at very least having a Chasm device meant he could reference the list anytime he needed. He also internally apologized for having judged Catella on not being able to remember them all a couple days back.
Swiping the attributes away, he brought up the last section in the Overview menu. The abilities list.
v2 Attributes [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-attributes.png]
“Now, just to head off your question,” Constantine jumped in, “Abilities aren’t sorted stringently like Attributes are. The four different categories you see displayed along the top are strictly for convenience.”
“Sheesh, I thought the attributes were bad… six, seven, eight, nine… there are forty of these things?”
Constantine nodded. “There used to be more before Abilities were condensed into groupings. Something like… 200 or so?”
Jordan grimaced, but nodded back. “Yeah, I think I remember… mother telling me about that. Though, how were these things changed? That sounds…” Jordan trailed off as he thought, like he’s describing a game patch or something. People wouldn’t be aware of that kind of thing, right?
“The way Skills and Abilities are taught and pass on has changed through the millennium. They’ve been refined, so to speak. In reflection, the Spirits of the Celestial City change as well. The very rules of reality shift as the collective will of the People change it and magic itself evolves.”
Jordan stared blankly at him. That’s a patch, he concluded.
“Er, well anyway,” Constantine said, “Everything you see lit up will show you what you’ve trained.”
“Um, wait a moment.” Jordan jumped in. “These dots, and the attributes lettering. What do they even stand for?”
“They measure your level of proficiency.” He answered, as though that summed up everything.
“Ah, what does that mean. Like I had a, what, E in Strength? How much can I lift with that as opposed to a D?”
“Oh, that’s what you meant, my apologies Aury. Generally, your Attributes ranking will determine what would count as a trivial task versus what would require a check of some kind. Abilities will augment the relevant Attribute in question, though by themselves they can help bolster a lacking Attribute.”
Checks? Huh, he’s straight up using some game terms here, Jordan thought. Do whatever rules of this universe use a random number selection based on these variables then? Jordan knew many games used percentiles to calculate events after all.
“As for exactly how much you can lift, that would vary.” Constantine continued. “Someone with your strength could lift up to 40 kilograms without much worry, and if you pushed it, causing a check to occur, you could lift up to 80 kilograms.”
Jordan recoiled in an instant. It wasn’t that he was unhappy to hear actual numbers—it was that the numbers meant nothing to him! He should have anticipated that his father would use the metric system like everyone else had. Jordan was the odd one out with his imperial measurements he couldn’t even explain. Stupid translation skill not letting me say things from Earth.
“You aren’t guaranteed to be able to reach that amount,” Constantine said chuckling, not understanding Jordan’s glower, “and if your check falls short you’ll suffer Vigor Strain. Well, unless it’s more than what you can safely lift in which case falling short on your check could cause Health Strain.”
“Strain?”
“Yes, you would have seen it on your monitor. It’s a form of non-lethal damage. It’s quick to heal, but can knock you out faster than almost anything else if you aren’t careful.”
Jordan shook his head. Okay, I guess that can make sense. Hurting yourself or tiring out lifting crap, and all that. Still, he’s definitely using game terminology here. Too damn much of it though! I’m going to need a fucking glossary at this rate.
“Are you doing okay Aury?” Constantine asked. Jordan looked at him in confusion, but then cursed himself inwardly. He’d forgotten, but among the many joys of his ‘bonding’ with Nothring, he’d discovered that the Brat’s body liked to reflect his feelings without him realizing it. His new father had seen his rampant displeasure.
“It’s fine, just processing it all.”
“Take it at a measured pace sweety, we’ve got plenty of time until we get into the city and you shouldn’t expect to master this all in one day.”
“Thanks… where are we going anyway?”
“We’re on our way to meet with Miss Brightmeadow, the Curator of the Brightmeadow Archives. It’s the largest library in the Hellwastes Duchy, and with any luck we’ll see about narrowing down your choices for a Class. We might even pick up a Skill book or two.”
“Skill books now?” While that sounded exciting, Jordan had grown to expect an unfair level of realism in this world. “I don’t suppose they’ll actually give me skills, will they?”
“I’m afraid not, Aury.” Constantine chuckled. Fucking knew it, Jordan thought, but steeled his expression so as not to dissuade the excited man. “In this case, they’re one of the ways you can go about progressing.”
“I thought you just got experience and applied it? Do skill books give you some?” Jordan wasn’t going to hold out hope, but during his cultivation his Grandfather had used items that had done just that. They’d also been illegal and probably put Jordan on an interdimensional watch list.
“Generally, there are three ways to invest in your traits. Filling your Experience gauge is one, yes, and likely the one most are familiar with. However, completing sanctioned Quests is a more lucrative option that awards Experience points directly, and you’ll need to pursue it in the coming months anyway. The last is through training, which can be split between tutors and magical tomes.”
Gesturing towards Kioko, he said, “Your new Governess will be responsible for helping you coordinate between your trainers, and we’ll purchase what books we can for you. They can’t replace Experience, however. They reduce the cost needed to acquire a trait, but never completely. Also, you need to be very mindful of the Academy’s Review Board.”
Jordan gulped. He’d already survived one review, and the idea of another wasn’t appealing. He’d been warned a bit about the academy’s requirements, but wasn’t entirely sure on the full list he’d have to meet.
“Are these guys going to hound me if I use trainers and books?” Jordan asked.
“To a degree, yes. If you focus on an option that could be construed as overly relying on wealth, they will see no merit in allowing you entry. Anyone can be given tomes and artifacts and be made powerful, but those same people would fail on the road to becoming an Immortal. That is the bar they judge by.”
“So, should I use these things at all then?”
“You’ll have to if you hope to be ready in time.” Constantine said with a sigh. “At very least, you have to reach Level One, which will require you to form and sufficiently invest in two additional Specialization trees. That’s ten Skills per each of those, and each Skill costs a base of ten Experience.”
“Er, is that a lot?” Jordan asked.
Constantine shook his head dramatically. “Go ahead and open your Cultivation Menu.” And Jordan did so.
[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/null-5.png]
“This screen,” Constantine said, “shows how much Experience you’ve been accumulating. Once that gauge is full, you can spend some time to reflect on it and coalesce it into an Experience point. The maximum amount of points you can hold onto is based on your Aptitude Attribute”
Then, Constantine ran a finger along the boxes on the bottom. “And below that you’ll see the Specializations you have and how many Skills in each there are. While it only takes five Skills to form a specialization, the display is currently set to show how much you need invested into your Pattern before you’ll be ready to reach Level One.”
“Why are there six boxes if I only need three of them?” Jordan asked.
“Don’t mind the bottom three, those will unlock at higher Levels.”
Ugh, this isn’t good then, Jordan thought. If it's ten experience per skill and I need ten more in two different specializations, then that’s two hundred damn experience! At very least, he could see why his father was saying he wasn’t going to be able to avoid training.
“Is there really no way, then, to keep the review guys from getting on my case?”
“Unfortunately, no. They will challenge you on every decision and question every motive. They will bring any and every shortcoming before you. So each book you take, have a plan for it. Make it worth more than just the power it will give you, and be ready to justify it at the end.”
“G-got it.” Jordan said. “How much do the abilities and attributes cost though?”
“Those ones are a bit special. They require several stages, and each one is ten experience. There are five stages for the Attributes, and three for Abilities.”
“Wait, how would I be able to afford that?” Jordan asked. “I’ve got a maximum of sixteen friggen xp here!”
Constantine chuckled, but reached down and swiped away the Experience tank to show the small, unassuming log to the side.
[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/null-6.png]
“You don’t need to unlock a trait all at once.” He said. “You can invest Experience into your Pattern, and work to increase it over time.”
“Why… urg, why is it all over the place?” The Brat had invested in a ridiculous number of attributes and abilities, but none of her starting attributes had been above the baseline. Why the hell didn’t she focus her damn efforts!?
“Remember, training reduces the costs. In the past, you tried to be conservative with your Experience and invested with what was easiest. You were… sensitive to the utilization of Essence in general, and Experience even more so.”
Right, the Brat had a lot of trouble before with that illness of hers. Jordan was trying to be understanding, but it didn’t erase his annoyance at having yet more of a mess to cleanup after.
“Here, it may be best if we handle Talents and Skills when we meet with Curator Brightmeadow, so for now, why don’t I show you how to coalesce your Experience? It looks like your time with your grandfather was eventful enough to fill your bar after all.”
Jordan agreed, and Constantine pointed out the final screen in the Cultivation menu.
v2 Core [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-core.png]
Constantine whistled. “Wow, look at that Core of yours sweetie.”
Jordan snorted. Then he winced, having made such a very un-ladylike noise. “Yeah it beats looking like a giant purple potato, I guess.”
A snerk on the opposite side of the carriage reminded Jordan Kioko was still here, and even Constantine chuckled. “A potato, huh?” He shook his head as he let that sink in.
“Oh, here are the affinities.” Jordan said. “What exactly do those do? I’ve heard people reference them.” He gestured back towards Kioko. She’d told him he probably had a good affinity for ‘oneiromancy’ and she’d been right.
“Mechanically speaking, Affinities modify the base cost of a trait. A Lesser Affinity reduces it by one Experience point, and a Greater by an additional one. Disafinities work the same way, but increase the cost. Generally speaking, they reflect your natural aptitude for a trait and its associated Skills. Training in them will be easier, taking less time, and you may sometimes receive bonuses to related checks even if you have no investment in them.”
Jordan couldn’t help but notice there were quite a few of them. “Er, why are there so many and where do they come from?”
Constantine paused to think for a moment. “Hmm, alright before we finish the experience then, go ahead and open up your Backgrounds Menu.”
Jordan did as instructed, pulling out of the Cultivation Menu with a thought and bouncing to Backgrounds.
v2 Qualities and Conditions Page I [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-qualities-and-conditions-page-i-1.png]
Wow, there's a lot of this one too, Jordan thought. Though it looks like it's mostly racial stuff? He recognized most of what was listed, having had them mentioned in conversations the days prior. Seeing game terms associated with them was new.
Looking over to the right to see his Conditions, he knew that those were separate from Status Effects only because they were ‘permanent,’ so to speak. He was less than pleased, therefore, to note he apparently had ‘social anxiety’ and a ‘light frame.’ He then noticed it was only the first page of three, and grimaced as he pressed next.
v2 Qualities and Conditions Page II [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-qualities-and-conditions-page-ii.png]
“Oh, good.” Jordan sighed in relief. There was only one more Condition on his list, which meant that he likely had even more good qualities spilling out onto a third page. At least something is going my way, for once. “Focused mind and perfect timing though? Er, what kind of stuff is this?” Jordan asked.
“Those are positive Qualities you developed over the years. The higher your Appearance Attribute, the more general Qualities you’ll develop in your youth. Though you can acquire these later in life through Titles, Artifacts, or magic.”
Huh, alright. Jordan thought. He then pressed the next button one more time.
v2 Qualities and Conditions Page III [https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/v2-qualities-and-conditions-page-iii.png]
“Fast Reader, huh?” Jordan mumbled. “Sounds about right…” He tried to keep his complaining to a minimum, but it did seem typical that the Brat would have a selection of useless qualities. Jordan wished he could have had his own list to choose from! Also it was just silly to have a single trait listed on the third page. Maybe he could have the text shrunk down?
He shook his head. It was too early to start thinking of modifying a menu system he didn’t fully understand yet. Instead, he closed out of the last page, and re-opened his cultivation.
Following his new father’s instructions, he then learned how to coalesce his experience gauge. It turned out, the device’s interface to his Core wasn’t just for show. It was a tool that aided in meditation, and helped him find and focus on the raw experience energy that he’d been collecting. It took around fifteen minutes, but in that time he was able to condense the energy.
And looking back over the first Cultivation panel, he could see the fruits of his labor.
[https://hismajestysimmortalacademy.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/null-11.png]
He’d just earned his first Experience point. It had only been possible due to his ludicrous journey with Rahm. While it had felt like he hadn’t done much himself, his father explained that Jordan’s meddling with Fate had probably been the root source of his spike of raw experience.
Regardless, before Jordan could continue playing with his menu, it was time to get out of the carriage. They’d arrived in the Brightmeadow Archives, and it was time to learn all about Skills and Classes.
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