Losing connection with his body, Typhus found himself in a void of sorts. This was not the same void that those with related skills could influence, but one reserved for the process of class selection. He had heard before about this place, but not of anything that would be going on once here.

He was only told that he would find himself in a place where there was no space, no light, no sound, no movement. It was an odd feeling, and a bit disconcerting, but having been warned he was able to keep the panic from rising.

Floating in this void as a disconnected soul, separate from time and space, he wasn’t sure how long it took before things started happening. Eventually however, the process began. From the nothingness, 7 orbs of light began to expand in front of him. Once they had reached some immeasurable size, they stopped and pulsed softly.

Considering the first orb, one of a bright red tint, he felt knowledge come over him: this light represented the path of a warrior, and he could choose to follow if he so desired. He examined the knowledge that seemed to come from nowhere for a moment, and got the feeling that this red light represented combat, blood, the hunt, armors and weapons, strength and speed. It wasn’t any one thing, but everything this red orb of light seemed to represent revolved around testing oneself against another being.

Knowing this path was not for him, Typhus moved on and considered the next light. This one was a shade of blue not unlike the sky on a clear day. As he changed his focus, all the impressions of the red orb began to fade, and new feelings took their place.

This time, the path was one focused on the arcane, on twisting the elements and the fabric of reality to his whims. He could feel the water in a lake, the fire raging as it burned through fuel, the air moving through the trees and mountains, the earth shifting beneath feet. This was the path of a caster.

The novelty of feeling magic like he never had was surreal. He knew he did not want to be a caster, yet he could also understand the pull it had on so many. It was a power you could wield so long as the element of your choice was present, and there was almost always some form of every element all around you.

He soaked in the feeling for a bit, wondering if maybe he would want to change his mind. It would be so fun, he thought, learning to move the world around him. It didn’t have to be dangerous. He could be a scholar and a researcher, or a performer of some sort. He would still make enough money to live off of without risking much.

However much he considered the path of a caster, though, he knew he would regret it. He had already worked so hard to set himself on another path, and he couldn’t see how any of his current Skills would help him to progress a Class of this type.

Maybe down the line, he would gain access to some magics he could have fun with, but that would not be his focus. Moving on to the next orb, Typhus was confident in leaving the path of a caster behind.

The next light was a shade of purple, deep and dense, barely putting off any light compared to the previous two. When he examined this one, he got the feeling of fine silks, of crowns, and of commanding those within his domain. This was the path of a diplomat or politician. The path of nobility and rule.

This was a path Typhus had no interest in. He had never wanted to be a lord, watching over great swaths of land and people. Without even the desire to feel the ways his life might move, he passed on from the purple light, looking now to the next.

The fourth orb of light was the brightest so far, and was a verdant green. It filled him with feelings of wonder, connection, and knowledge. He had found what he was looking for: the path of a trader or merchant. The path where one’s knowledge of their products and customers, and being able to leverage that knowledge for mutual gain were the focus here. Making deals, discovering new products, meeting new people and providing what they need.

This was the one he would choose.

It also gave off feelings of production as well. He would follow this path if he wished to be a smith of some sort, or a miner or something of the sort. Striking metal, weaving thread, and smashing rock that was then sold to merchants was a similar enough path they got grouped together by the system, it seemed.

Before cementing his decision, there were more orbs floating around as well. Not wanting to rush ahead and miss out on something in the future or regret his decision if he found out there was somehow a better fit for him, he decided to examine all of them.

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There was one white one, one gold, and one that was a sort of gray color that he could barely see in the void at all.

The gold one was quickly cast aside, as was the religious option. It provided a life of faith and devotion, of piety and preaching. Typhus knew the gods were real, and even had a favorite god – Quelm, the god of trade and good fortune, of course – but he was not going to commit himself to the church’s service.

The white one showed him what a life as a healer would be like. It was similar to the religious path, as there was a lot of feelings of helping others, but it wasn’t the same. This felt like standing side by side with your fellow man and keeping them fighting. It felt like helping someone to recover and seeing the relief from pain wash over the people around you. It felt like contributing to the world in one of the best ways.

It was a worthwhile path. It was one Typhus had even considered early on. It was another option for making enough money to get by with, and to stay out of dangerous situations. He could work in town, and even when traveling, many inns provided discounts to healer types to thank them for saving lives.

Everyone liked the town doctors, and if he wanted adventure at any time, he would have no trouble finding an adventuring party to accept him, even temporarily.

The downsides however were much larger than as a merchant. He would have to watch people die. Sometimes, a healer was too late to be able to save someone. Sometimes, it was something you couldn’t be saved from in the first place.

Typhus wasn’t sure he could fail in one way or another to save lives and be okay at the end of it. Eventually, he knew those deaths would way on him.

This only left the gray orb. When he went to check this one, he got the vague impression he would not be allowed to choose it, even if he wanted to. He couldn’t get much other than this feeling, but what he could get was not enough to even determine what it was. He only felt as if things weren’t really there, or like they were wrong.

Obviously, being unable to choose this option meant it wasn’t going to win over his original choice.

Having examined all the orbs floating in the empty void, and feeling reaffirmed in his decision, Typhus refocused on the green option. This time, as his incorporeal eyes landed on the orb, he felt as though he flew towards it, and upon contacting the surface, it exploded in a blinding flash of light.

When it faded back again, the orbs were gone, but the void was now filled with little specs of colored light. They looked like stars of the same colors the orbs were.

Finding himself waiting again, Typhus had to admit to the beauty of the void space now, and the peace he felt just floating here for a time. Eventually though, a decision had to be made again. This time, a handful of the green stars floating around him grew and provided new orbs.

These were all different shades of green, some so close it was hard to tell the difference. Seeing as he was going to examine all of his options again, he picked one at random to start with.

These seemed to be the actual class options he had, now that he’d chosen his path. The first one was a production focused class. It would help with and reward him for shaping metals. He’d worked one summer at a forge, and his primary job was forming rough blanks for the actual smiths to finish out with their Skills.

Anyone could make a bowl shape with a hammer and fire, but the pros were the ones that had the skills to make it smooth and beautiful. He only worked at the forge because he had wanted to learn more about the process that went into making the tools and weapons that he hoped to one day sell.

Moving on to the next one, he found one quite a bit closer to what he wanted. This one seemed to be right up his alley, in fact. It was all about taking a product from one place to another. It felt like long runs and carriage rides, and like he was protecting something along the way. It felt like being trusted by both the sender and the receiver.

This was definitely a good choice for what he would be starting out doing.

Not wanting to jump the crossbow, he still looked over his other options. The next one would also be a good fit. It was a class for more knowledge. It would help him understand where things came from and why. It would reward him for new discoveries, and would lead him to continue learning about anything he could find. It seemed mostly about the items themselves, rather than buying and selling or anything of that sort. He liked the option, but thought he’d prefer the previous option.

The next choice was the last, and he was glad he looked at them all. This one was almost a mix of the last two options.

It was focused around trade, and the idea of give and receive. It wanted him to know about what was being offered by both parties so that he could find a balance. So that neither the buyer or the seller got ripped off. It was about fairness and honesty.

Now he found himself torn. Both the second and the last options would be good choices. The second option was perfect for what he would be starting out doing. He was running packages out to customers around town, and this class was for exactly that.

Choosing the second one would allow him to gain levels in both his Skills and his Class faster. It would also let him perform better in his job, which might help to get him promoted even earlier than expected.

The last option, though, was closer to what he wanted by the end of it all. It might not help him with what he’d be doing starting out, but over time, he would fit into a roll more suited to the class. It could slow him down a bit at first, he might not progress as quickly, but once he found the right angle, he would take off in the direction he wanted to go.

Figuring it best to try for what he really wanted, he focused on the last option, and like the last, was blinded when it filled his vision in blinding light.