Before he could even react, Johann found himself standing at the entrance to the Well of Potential and face to face with Torin and Gloria. The two of them had grins on their faces and Johann found himself smiling in the face of their joy, despite what was about to come.
“Sooo, anything interesting happen to you, or am I the only paradigm of awesomeness here?”
Johann sighed in exasperation at his brothers antics. “First of all, it’s paragon, not paradigm, dumb-ass. Second of all, you have never been a paragon of anything, except maybe annoyance.” Gloria nodded along, agreeing with the sentiment wholeheartedly. “And third of all, if something interesting did happen, it would be the height of stupidity to talk about in the middle of the street where anyone could hear you.”
Torin put on a look of fake outrage. “How dare you address one such as I in this manner, you uncouth ruffian?!” He demanded, altering his voice to sound like a noble. He dropped the act and added “besides, its not ‘get grabbed by Trait-hunters’ interesting.”
This time Johann grinned. “I never said I was talking about your interesting thing.” he said wryly.
Torin’s eyes widened and his mouth opened but before he got the chance to speak a hand clamped down over his mouth. “How about we take Johann’s advice and talk somewhere more private, huh?” Gloria said, her eyes alternating between glaring at the brothers and darting around at the busy street.
Both Torin and Johann nodded, their levity gone for the moment. They quickly headed towards the boys home, staying silent the whole way. Sadly, the silence died a brutal death once they walked through the front door.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!”
The shout stunned them long enough that they were unable to dodge the flying bear hug from the exuberant form of their father. No sooner had they collapsed on the floor when Kern leapt up, dragging with him the dazed lumps that were his sons, and proceeded to swing them about in his arms as he started to sing happy birthday in an off-key voice.
Gloria, who still stood in the doorway watching this all happen, wondered why on Terra someone as calm and nice as Mrs. Alltud would marry a goofball like this.
Kern managed to get half way through the second line of the song before he suddenly froze, every fiber of his being suddenly going rigid. The two boys, their wits slowly returning to them, carefully extracted themselves from their fathers statue-like embrace.
“Thanks mom”
“Thanks mom”
They both thanked their mother who was standing a few feet behind Kern, flickers of magic still present in her outstretched hand.
“Happy birthday, boys, and you as well, Gloria. Come inside and wash up, breakfast is almost ready.” Melissa smiled at the three of them, happiness and love present in her eyes.
“Yes, mom” “Sure thing” “Thank you, Mrs. Alltud”
The three newly minted adults made towards the kitchen to wash up but Torin paused next to his still frozen father. “Hey mom, how long until the [Paralyze] wears off?”
Melissa’s smile widened a fraction having already guessed where this was heading. “Another 30 seconds honey, make it quick.”
Kern’s eyes, the only part of him he could still move, widened before they began to plead with the young man who was now standing in front of him. Torin paid the eyes no notice as he rubbed his hands together before getting into the proper stance and winding up his arm.
Back in the kitchen Johann had just finished washing his hands and was busy setting the table when a smack rang out like a gong from the entrance hall. A moment later Torin walked in cradling his hand.
“Damn that crazy old man, why did he have to have a high Vitality? Slapping his face feels like slapping a wall.” Torin grumbled.
“Sigh, why did you slap him? You know it hurts you a lot more than it hurts him. You might as well slap yourself, at least then you wouldn’t end up getting tackled.”
Torin shook his head. “You don’t get, it’s abo-” Torin was going to explain that it was about the principal of the thing, and that even though it hurt right now, soon he’d have enough Strength to even the playing field. Besides, the satisfaction of slapping the crazy old man was one of the highlights of the day.
Unfortunately, before he could so eloquently explain the purpose behind his actions, he got tackled.
“Hah, got you, you little buttwipe! You think just cause it’s your birthday I won’t beat you up? Hah! Think again.”
The two immediately started wrestling each other while everyone else kept getting ready for breakfast. Gloria hesitated, but decided she’d rather be a good guest than help Mr. Alltud beat up his son, despite how fun that might’ve been.
Once the table was all set and the food ready Melissa called Kern and Torin, the former currently holding the latter in an arm lock, and after they untangled themselves the five of them sat down to eat.
The food was simple yet delicious and, more importantly, plentiful. Various Mana rich meats that had been marinated for over three days before being slow roasted over a fire coupled with steamed vegetables and fried eggs made for a hearty and heavy meal that was too delicious not to eat. If it weren’t for a Digestion potion none of them would have even been able to move.
Once the meal was over and the table cleared, and Melissa gave him the okay, Kern finally said what he’d wanted to say all morning.
“So boys, tell me everything.”
Johann and Torin looked at each other and Johann motioned for him to go first. With a grin on his face, Torin started talking.
“Nothing interesting happened. Got the system unlocked, an Agility and Perception scores of 19 and 17 with the rest pretty average. I did manage to get the Ranger Class though.” He said nonchalantly, as if he was talking about something mundane like the weather.
He got exactly the reaction he was waiting for as Kern spat out his drink and exclaimed “Wait, what? How? Oh, let me guess, Trait? What Trait is it? Is it- Ahh, ow ow ow ow!”
Melissa, her hand still holding her husbands ear, said “You don’t have to tell us your Trait honey, we’re just really proud of you.”
Torin smiled awkwardly, for once lost for words. The ever confident and boisterous young man had the endearing habit of getting completely flustered in the face of sincere affection.
Once he regathered his wits Torin replied “Thanks mom, but it’s okay, I’ll share. Turns out I have the Heritage of the Elfin Rangers Trait. It gives me access to the ranger Class and gives me one point in Agility and Perception every three levels.”
In the moments after his revelation the room descended into silence. Torin felt very satisfied at the stunned silence but failed to notice that his parents reactions weren’t quite stunned. After the revelation Melissa and Kern looked at each other, Kern’s face filled with with a look that just screamed ‘I told you so’ whilst Melissa’s face was filled with a look that promised dire consequences if he were to speak.
With a sigh Melissa stood up and walked to a nearby cabinet where she retrieved a small stack of parchments before returning to the table and handing everyone a sheet, keeping one herself.
“The parchment you see in front of you is a Contract of Silence that your father-” She grit her teeth somewhat for the next part, knowing she was unlikely to live it down anytime soon. “- in all his endless wisdom had me prepare ahead of time.” she pointedly ignored his expression of gloating, not only because this was a delicate subject, but also because she didn’t want give him the satisfaction. Melissa loved her husband but he could be really insufferable sometimes.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“The contract is one enforced by the System and what it boils down to is that nothing said here, today, regarding Traits, Attributes, Classes or Skills will be mentioned to anyone else unless necessary to save the life of the person whom the information pertains to.”
Melissa grimaced before saying the next part. “And I’m sorry, but I’m going to insist that you sign it before you leave.”
Both Johann and Torin braced themselves. Gloria was a tad … volatile, even at the best of times. Being forced into signing a contract well, neither of the boys knew how she’d react.
Gloria on the other hand, seemed to take it all in surprisingly calmly. She listened to what Mrs. Alltud had to say before perusing the contract, making sure to read it through thoroughly. Once she was done she simply asked for a pen.
Melissa, as surprised as her sons st the decidedly neutral reaction from the young lady, shook her head and said “System contracts don’t actually require a signature. Simply place your thumb on the dotted line and a System prompt should appear.”
All five of them placed their thumbs on their respective contracts and all of them got the same System prompt.
Do you wish to bind yourself to this contract under the terms stated.
Yes No
Without hesitation all five selected yes. After taking a few moments to acknowledge the gravity of the situation, Gloria spoke up.
“Since I’ve signed the contract, I might as well make use of it. My Trait is nothing fancy, just the shape shifting, so there’s no need to go into it. I took the Warrior Class and I’m planning on going down the Paladin route, wielding a mace and shield.”
“Wait, seriously?” Torin asked. “You’ve never used a shield or a mace during any one of our bouts, I kinda figured you would go with bare-knuckle brawling or something.”
Gloria sighed. “One of the few things my father taught me before he left, is that you shouldn’t pick up a weapon unless you were ready to kill. And yes, I may have joked about putting you six feet under almost daily but I never actually wanted you dead.”
“Are you sure? That spine-breaker arm lock you had me in last week sure as Hel felt like you were trying to kill me.”
“Well, maybe if you weren’t so weak, it wouldn’t be so painful.”
“Weak? I’ll show you who’s weak.”
The two of them leapt to their feet but the sound of Melissa clearing her throat brought them up short.
“As happy as I am to see the two of you in such high spirits,” Melissa said, “we have yet to hear how Johann’s unlocking went.”
Immediately everyone’s attention turned to Johann, especially Torin and Gloria who remembered him alluding to something interesting happening.
“Yeah, you two will want to sit down for this.” he said before taking a deep breath and describing what had happened.
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“Okay kids, today we’re going to talk about Classes.” Mr. Demerki said. “As we’ve already covered, the System long ago decided that in order for an individual within a community to be the best, specialization with cooperation was key. One of the ways it does this, is through Classes.”
“Classes are, simply put, paths of learning. Each Class focuses on a different aspect and pushes those who take it to achieve the absolute maximum within that aspect.”
“To start of with, unless you are blessed with a trait that grants you a different Class, everyone will start with the same seven Class options: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Crafter, Clerk, Student and Healer.”
“Now, before we move on I want to make it absolutely clear, none of these Classes are better or worse than the others, and none of them will mean anything if you don’t put in the work. I have seen Clerks beat up Warriors and Rogues outsmart Students simply because they didn’t put in the work. Classes are paths to power, they are not power themselves.”
(A/N: How'd you like the little flashback? Planning on doing more so if you liked/hated it you can vote in the section below the chapter)
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“So I chose the Druid Class but I completely forgot about the Attunement Skills.” Johann finished.
There was silence, similar to the silence created by Torin’s revelation but far deeper, the emotions roiling within it far greater. The revelation of Johann’s Calling of the Arch Druid created a confusing mix of pride, excitement, worry and fear. If Torin’s Trait were revealed they would have to worry about Trait hunters.
If Johanns Trait were revealed, they would have to worry about everyone. Not only would every Trait hunter on the planet would come sprinting, every kingdom, guild and organisation with even an iota of power would try and grab him, to use him as a pawn or commodity to further their own agenda.
It wouldn’t just be him though, Melissa and Kern would be caught up in the chaos. As the ones who birthed him they would either be taken apart and have their every cell studied to try and identify what led to the Trait’s creation, or they would be forced to produce as many children as possible to try to recreate it. Even if Johann explained the source, it wouldn’t help as the Potentiality Trait was just as attractive.
This Trait could either propel their family to the highest heavens, or straight into the depths of Hel.
The first to break the silence was, naturally, Torin. “Fine, you win.”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards him, confusion evident in their expressions.
“What?” Torin asked. “It’s clear his is the best Trait, so he wins the bet. Just don’t go naming the team something stupid, okay?”
Understanding dawned on Johann and Gloria. Just the previous day they had made a bet that whoever had the best Trait would get to pick the name of the team they were going to form.
Once he realized what Torin was talking about Johann couldn’t help but start laughing. It was so very Torin to ignore the gravity of the situation and instead focus on an comparatively inconsequential bet. At the same time, it was just what was needed. With the tension broken everyone congratulated Johann, Melissa and Kern hugging him a tad too hard as their emotions threatened to get the better of them.
Once they settled back down Kern spoke, his usual casual demeanor missing. “Okay, I want to start off by saying that I’m proud of both of you. That being said, I hope you realize that the fun relaxed time is very much over. You both have great Traits but if you want to keep them, things are going to need to change. In five months the Trials for the Adventurers Boot Camp are going to open and unless you’ve decided you’re not going,” he paused to check and all three shook their heads, “Then you will need to work overtime to get ready.”
“So, let me tell you how the next five months are going to go.”
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Johann and Torin collapsed onto their beds, Gloria flopping on a couch nearby, all of them exhausted to their bones. The last five months had been figurative and almost literal Hel. Ever since their eighteenth birthdays the three of them had discovered that the lovable goof Kern Alltud was actually a demon in disguise. Worse, he was a demon with a level somewhere over 100.
They had, at Kern’s encouragement, tried to kill him, or at least hurt him, over three dozen times in three dozen different ways. So far they hadn’t even managed to touch him.
Johann had been spared the horrors of the training at first, needing to master an Attunement skill before he could train a battle worthy Druid skill, but sadly his Trait seemed to make mastering the Attunement skills a lot faster than he’d expected. Mastering a skill within three weeks should have been a source of celebration, instead Johann wished it had taken longer.
Waking up before the dawn and going to sleep after midnight, every moment was packed to the brim. Sparring, Skills training, non-Skills training, Tactics, Teamwork and whatever kind of training Kern could think of he threw at them. What he was going to train, when he was going to train it and for how long was completely up to him. The teens never knew what was going to happen next but eventually grew used to reacting rather than expecting.
Not even Gloria had been spared the brutal training. Kern’s response had been that if they wanted to fight as a team they had to train as a team. Gloria had, at first, been filled with a sense of warmth. As an orphan she’d always struggled to fit in with others but Kern seemed to treat her as one of the family, willing to train her as if she was his own.
The warmth did not last.
The rigorous schedule had a threefold purpose. The obvious was the rapid leveling of skills. It was a well established fact that Skills leveled faster when greater effort was put into them and, with Kern offering a day off every time they leveled a skill, the amount of effort they put in only increased as time went on.
The second purpose was to get them used to the working under the worst conditions. The Adventurers Guild was tasked with maintaining the various dungeons throughout the land. For the most part, this simply meant that the average Adventurer would delve a dungeon once a week and spend the rest of the time recuperating, preparing and relaxing.
Kern wasn’t preparing them for ‘most of the time’ though, he was preparing them for the worst case scenario. When a Dungeon broke, it’s barriers collapsing and the hordes of monsters charging towards the nearest warm flesh, it was the Adventurers Guild that dove through the torrent of teeth and claws and into the depths of the dungeon to put an end to it. It was those days, when they would have to fight for hours on end with little sleep and less food, that Kern was training them to handle.
The third and final purpose, was to make sure they wouldn’t slip up. Before the training even started Kern had them come up with cover stories that would explain their power without revealing their Traits. Throughout the Training he would throw out questions about their Traits and if they answered wrong or didn’t answer quickly enough he’d add on an extra ten minutes of training. It didn’t sound like much, but with the tiny amount of sleep they already got each minute felt like agony.
He also made them a promise; the first person to tell the truth about the Traits would no longer have to endure training. Kern was filled with no small amount of pride that none of them had even thought about doing it in the five months since he’d made the promise. They’d stuck with each other, right up until the end.
Sadly, as much as Kern would have loved to keep tortu training them, all good things had to end. Tomorrow was the event that each of them had been preparing for, the Adventurers Guild Entrance Trials.