Once everyone finished their meals, we moved locations back to the quiet dock that had slowly turned into a home for Jim and I. While he still slept at his parents house, a locked chest glued to the ground with barnacle glue held a good number of his tools, as well as a pair of hammocks. Stringing them over the canal took a bit of work and my aid as a stable platform, but soon they were in place and in use as additional seating, giving Jim and Themis a place to sit comfortably while Stella, Wiz, and Snozzy sat on my benches.

“So you’ve all conditionally agreed to work with me and Robert.” Jim started out once everyone was settled in. “Now that we’re in private I thought we could start by sharing what we could do, and see how it matches up against the obstacles that are ahead of us.”

Jim took a deep breath. He might have just come into his own Status Screen, but he still had enough experience with it to realize the step of faith he was asking of his fellow misfits. While there wasn’t a way to directly show what a screen said, Jim took his time to carefully detail every attribute and Skill he had listed on it.

Name

Jim

Experience : 32481

Class

None

Body : 6

Mind : 4

Spirit : 2

Perception : 5

Skills

Power Strike

Repair

Customer Detection

“It might not be the most impressive screen at the moment, but I have a whole lot of experience saved up. I provide flexibility. It won’t take much for me to pick up any Skills that we would find useful, or I could get a class and use the given skills from it to meet a need that we have.”

“Well that’s one way to show you’re serious about this. You only get one class, kid.” Wiz answered.

“I know, but I figure it’s probably worth it if it means we can pull this off.”

Wiz hummed noncommittally at that, and Stella took the chance to speak up. “Why haven’t you spent any of your experience yet, if you don’t mind me asking? Seems a little bit strange, from what I can see.”

“I used to live somewhere other than Dirint, and the Classes I originally had access to didn’t fit me anymore. Wasn’t really interested in being a woodworker or a soldier, so I just waited for the System to recognize that my life had moved on from that point. I still have access to a woodworker class, but I can also choose to become a ferryman or an oarsman right now. I’ll take one of those if I need to, but neither strikes me as the perfect class for me either.”

“You’re not interested in shaping a class as it levels up into something that suits you?” Stella continued her line of questioning.

“Not particularly.” Jim admitted. “I know it’s doable and all, but from what everyone says you can only level up so many times before it becomes too costly. I’d rather wait and get the best class from the start if I can.”

“It’s an admirable idea, but I would like to insist that you either choose a class or purchase skills with your banking experience, just to show that you are serious about this venture. It’s hard to believe you’re truly committed to it if you’re still holding back things.”

“That’s fair. We can figure out what exactly makes the most sense a bit later. Robert, do you want to share what you bring to the table?”

“Besides being a boat that can think and act for myself, I do have access to a screen of my own.” I said, before walking my companions through it. I kept quiet about my boat specific screen, and instead referred to everything on it as my natural abilities.

Name

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Robert 'Bob' Rowland

Experience : 8537

Class

Ocean's Child : Lvl 6

Body : 0

Mind : 8

Spirit : 24

Perception : 8

Skills

Power Strike

Stability

Endurance

Water Resistance

Meditation

Blessing of the Tides

Saltwater Sense

Active Sonar

“That’s an unusual class you have there.” Wiz mused. Of the three friends he was the most interested in my capabilities. “Most classes below level ten have relatively straightforward names, one word titles that fit most common jobs people might have. Dishwasher, cook, mage, sailor, and so on. Have you noticed anything unusual about your Class in the time that you’ve had it?

I thought it over. While Wiz had a point that my class was an outlier as far as general knowledge was concerned, I personally didn’t have the experience needed to know just how unusual my class actually was. “I don’t think so, although I’ve only had my class for a short period of time. Personally, I think that my unusual class is simply a result of my unusual circumstances, and isn’t that different otherwise.”

“Hmm. That does make sense, but do let me know if you discover anything noteworthy. It’s truly fascinating to get a perspective such as yours when it comes to the System. I know you mentioned that the circumstances of your existence were both private and unusual, but it's still fascinating to think that the System might be expanding the range of beings that it is able to connect to.” Wiz eagerly shared his theories.

Themis was not so enthused with his ideas. “Let's hope not. Sea monsters and land monsters are both hassle enough as is without the benefits they would draw from the System. Anyways, I suppose I’ll go next. I’m not a newbie like you two are, nor am I completely invested in this idea of yours, so I’ll say upfront that there’s things I’m keeping to myself. I’m a bounty hunter who works to track down people with my partner Snozzy. I’ve had him a while now, and I have a few skills that reflect that, allowing us to communicate and work together easier than we normally could. I’m a fair hand at fighting, but I prefer tracking people down and letting others deal with them if they put up a struggle. Snozzy has a good nose, but it’s countered somewhat by all the saltwater around here.” Having said her piece, Themis relaxed back into the hammock, sending it swaying with soft creaks.

“I still don’t think I’m a good fit, but I guess I’ll go next.” Stella hesitantly spoke up. “I’m a seamstress, so I can probably make anything out of cloth that you might need, and I have a couple of skills that let me make my way around town despite being blind.”

“We wouldn’t have asked you to help us if we thought you were useless, Stella.” Jim defended her inclusion. “We’ll have to test it out first to see if it works the way Robert and I think it might, but we’re hoping that your Ghost Hands skill can give us more information about what’s inside the warehouse.”

“That sounds like a fascinating topic, but before we get into it I’d like to share what I can do to finish up this sharing session. “ Wiz interrupted. "I am both street performer and magician, using magic to make the impossible a reality. I have quite a few illusions available to me, as well as some minor cantrips for making things move around or for conjuring noise out of nothing. I also like to think I have a way with words and a certain degree with showmanship that most people lack, although that is just my own opinion.”

“You’re a showman, alright.” Themis muttered, softly enough that I was only able to pick it up thanks to my magical advantages.

“But going back to dear Stella here, what ideas do you have for learning more about the warehouse? Despite her talents, prodigious though they might be, her milky eyes and her blank stares give her away as a blind person.” Wiz argued.

Jim took the lead on answering that one. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Stella, but your Ghost Hands don’t care about walls. If something is within a certain distance of you you can feel it, correct?”

“Sorta.” Stella admitted. “I can only feel where there’s space for me to project my ghost fingers, so it doesn’t work if something is completely solid or if it’s underwater, but otherwise you’re correct. It does take more effort for me to concentrate and make things out though if there’s other things in the way. And I can only feel out about thirty feet or so, so I’d have to be closer to this warehouse than you can probably get me. Those guards worry me.”

“Thanks for the confirmation.” I told Stella. “We haven't tested it yet, but with a bit of woodwork I should be able to get you right up next to the warehouse with no one even noticing you, and making sure you have plenty of time to map the place out while you’re at it. These guards might keep watch out for anything on the canals or that crosses the bridges to get to the warehouse, but even they will have problems seeing anything underneath the water in the dead of night.”

“That’s clever.” Themis said after a moment to think it over. “It’s the rare individual who travels underwater, and even then most people wouldn’t be able to do any spying from that position. But knowing exactly what they have stashed away in this spot is only the first step. How exactly are we meant to actually steal it, and then get away safely?”

“Right now, I’m thinking we don’t even try for a clean escape. If the Ferrymen have no idea as to who might be responsible for this crime, then they’ll suspect everyone. Instead, I’m thinking we can make a big show out of it. You want to leave the city anyways, and I”m more than willing to take you if you agree to help. If the Ferrymen know that me and you are the ones responsible for this theft, then they can chase us all around the world, leaving Wiz and Stella safe to enjoy their lives as normal.” Jim shared his current plan with the group.

“I appreciate the thought, Jim. But are you sure that you’ll be alright? Depending on how much we steal, they might be chasing you for a while to get it back.”

“Then we figure out how much we can steal without having eternal vengeance sworn on us. Otherwise we just rely on luck and the willingness to keep moving until the guild gives up on us. I want to see the world, so it’s not like leaving here forever would be a big deal.” Jim lied convincingly. While we were going to try and get some of our loot from this heist to his parents if we could, we had agreed that it would be better if no one knew that Jim had family in the city.

“Well, your plan is currently a what, more than a how, but we can figure out the details as we go along, especially once Stella here can give us a better idea of what exactly we’ll be working with. Was there anything else that you wanted to discuss at the moment? I have a show scheduled in half an hour that I’d like to make it to.” Wiz asked, bringing the discussion to a close for the moment.

“Nothing else to say, but I could use a hand or two with making the changes to Robert that we had in mind.”

“Well what are we waiting for?” Themis asked, hopping down from the hammock to land softly in my hull.

“Let’s get to work.”