Several Hours Before, Middle of the Night
*Ding*
You obtained a Title.
*Ding*
You obtained (Epic) Title - [Witness of Legends]
*Ding*
You fulfilled the requirements for the Class – Bard (Rare)
Would you like to accept this Class?
YES|NO
Those had been the notifications Ted had been staring at at least a hundred times in the past day.
Of course, the only reasonable course of action for him was to accept the Class that his mother had quite literally died trying to obtain. Not only that, but it appeared that perhaps just by being around Monica, he had obtained the “Witness of Legends” Title. He had been curious enough to ask the others, Tertius and Lucas, if they, too, had gotten the Witness of Legends Title. But he felt somehow alienated enough at the moment that he had just stared in a semi-catatonic state at the wall of his room in Madeline’s house until late at night.
He looked at his pack. He had packed some food and a little water in his leather skin he had gotten from the villagers. He slung it across his shoulder and went out. As he left the room, he saw Madeline still in the kitchen, rubbing the dirt off the pots, probably before bringing them to the river.
“Hey,” Madeline said. “Are you leaving?”
Ted looked at his pack and shrugged. “I don’t know. I need to get some air.”
“Alright.”
She was a beautiful woman, but Ted was so distraught that he almost didn’t notice the very thin garment she was wearing before leaving.
He walked outside of the rotten gate for several minutes along the path that went from the village into the woods. He knew that the woods were dangerous at this hour of the night, but he was close enough to the edge that with his spear, he was confident. It was safe. It would be safe.
He found a rock big enough to sit on and looked at the mandolin that he had been carrying.
“You stupid thing,” Ted said under his breath.
He didn’t know exactly what bothered him so much about all of this.
His father, Augustus Deadbane, had wanted to train him to be a great swordsman, and his mother, Ravenna Deadbane, had taught him music so that if she had ever managed to get the Bard Class, he would pick it up as well. Both parents had regarded him as a rare talent and had imagined a bright future for their child.
After his mother’s death, Ted’s relationship with his father had deteriorated faster than a comet crossing the sky. It had taken Ted less than a month to decide. He had stunned the man even when he had been on the verge of getting the Class his father had made him work so hard for. But he didn’t care. He cared nothing for the Class that Augustus Deadbane had worked so hard to get him. He had just wanted his father to damn well acknowledge his role in his mother’s death.
He just wanted him to say, “Son, I am sorry.”
Ted had told his mother several times that she had been pushing herself too hard. He, a child, had been able to see that. And the fact that Augustus, even when Ted had shouted in his face, had refused to say, “Yes, I pushed your mother too hard,” had maddened him beyond belief.
He wasn’t honestly afraid that his father would have pushed him the same way. But something so dishonest about his father’s behavior had just driven Ted out of his mind.
And now when Ted looked at the Title and the Class, he felt dishonest. He felt like he had abandoned the path his parents had drawn for him. Like a coward. But somehow, he had gotten a second chance, the greatest one could ever get. He had gotten a Rare Class by knowing Monica and playing a little stupid song.
He hated that. He really hated that.
Deep in his soul, he could feel it was wrong. His mother had died for this. She had lost her life because of this Class, looking for it, trying to find clues and complete as many dungeons as possible while playing this stupid instrument. She had tried everything. And yet, he had just gotten it like this.
Ted felt tears pooling in his eyes. Had his mother died for nothing? And he, a fool, would run away from home, away from opportunities that most people dreamt of, and get this Class just like this? Because of what?
He stayed like that for a while, crying, not really wanting to find a good reason to accept the Bard Class. He knew that he could have made a thousand reasons, a thousand justifications for why he should just move on, take the Class, and forge a new life for himself. He was growing older and couldn’t keep living like this. He couldn’t forever be the tavern idiot.
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He knew it. It was such a simple, rational conclusion that he had come to it two minutes after receiving the notification for the Class. But at the same time, such a large part of him had inscribed an utter refusal in his flesh for the Bard Class, any Class, or any role in life.
No matter how pathetic it might have sounded, Ted wished that perhaps a God, perhaps Monica herself, could have smitten him out of existence so that he wouldn’t have to choose and wouldn’t have to confront reality. He didn’t deserve the Class. He didn’t deserve the opportunity that Monica was offering him.
And for some reason, Monica was treating Tertius, who had done nothing different than him, who had joined the same damn people-eating cult much more harshly than him. Instead, she had asked Ted whether he wanted to stay or not, whether he wanted to take the Class or not, and whether he wanted to go on an adventure with her. And for some reason, that made Ted cry even harder.
He didn’t feel like he deserved any of this.
He berated himself for acting like this, for being such a wimpy child. He didn’t even understand at some point why he was crying anymore. What mix of his mother’s loss, love of Monica’s trust, or this opportunity from the System was putting the screws on him? He just knew that by the time the sun would come up, he would have to make a choice.
A Bard is born where a great story might be about to unfold. Wielding the power of music to inspire, heal, and defend, they accompany or incarnate the greatest tale-makers. Your melodies can bolster allies, demoralize foes, and even shape the fabric of reality itself.
+3 END, +3 DEX, +3 INT, +3 SPI, +6 CHA and 3 Free Attributes per Level
+6 END, +8 DEX, +6 WIS, +10 SPI, +6 INT, +18 CHA and 6 Free Attributes per level
Needed Experience Modifier: x10
Would you like to accept the Class ‘Bard?’
YES|NO
Reading the description of the Class made it even worse for Ted.
His mother’s dream had been to unearth the fabled Nine Wonders and complete the Great Dungeons that were associated with them.
In the era of the Old Gods, extinct races like the Dwarves created marvelous structures and places whose names are still written in the history books. Each great place was associated with a hidden, extremely hard-to-find Great Dungeon.
His mother had dreamed that, once she unlocked the Bard Class, she would have started hunting for them. She had essentially paused everything in her life, not just the pursuit of this dream, because of the stupid Class.
And now, it just hovered in front of him.
Just like that.
“I should just go,” Ted said, looking into the dark forest. “I should just disappear.”
* * *
Monica was royally pissed. She didn't know why she cared so much about someone wasting their talent, but she could feel it deep in her core that this simple idea of Ted not capitalizing on whatever he held in his heart made her furious. And she wasn't subtle about it. She was stomping the ground, muttering curses, and leading the column of people bound for the Crystal Wolf's Lair. A suffused, tense silence followed. Everyone looked at each other and then at Monica's back. Dotty had even considered interrupting the woman's trail of thought and curses, but even she, probably the boldest of the group, had decided that wouldn't have been a great idea.
About half an hour into their trek through the woods, with Monica so mad that sparks of dark flames erupted above her head every now and then, the column made up of Monica, Tertius, Ivor, Dotty, and the two goons suddenly stopped. Monica squared her shoulders, and everyone looked forward to see what was happening.
"Ted," Monica said, half angry, half curious.
They found Ted standing his ground in the middle of the road.
"Monica," Ted said.
Monica could see that Ted's eyes were puffy and red. From his pale complexion, it looked like the young man had been up all night.
"What are you doing here?" Monica asked, deciding she wasn't going to make it easy for the young man who had not presented himself where she had told him to be if he wanted to come along.
"I've made my decision," Ted said.
"Your decision?" Monica said. "I told you to be ready at the village in case you wanted to come. You missed your opportunity, Ted. This is not a game. We're going to destroy a Dungeon that's spreading corruption so that the monsters there won't come looking for the villagers. You might choose to be weak in the privacy of your life. But when it comes to protecting others, when it comes to justice, there's no such luxury."
A fiery aura surrounded Monica as she spoke with the full might of her Title Class bearing down on Ted. It was unconscious, but Monica was suddenly exerting aura pressure over the young man. But Ted didn't break. The silly man just looked at her. And then got on his knees, put his hands on the muddy ground, and placed his forehead between them.
Monica's aura suddenly retreated. "What are you doing, Ted?" Monica asked.
"Apologizing," she heard the man's voice coming across as crystalline and warm. Despite the fact that he was kneeling on the ground, there wasn't shame in his voice nor contrition. And Monica found a lot of determination in his words.
"Do you think apologizing is enough? Do you think this little move of yours will move me?" Monica said. "Give me a reason, Ted, for you to come with me. A good one. A very good one. I don't do second chances."
Ted slowly rose, standing again, and looked Monica straight in her deep blue eyes. "I promised my mother that I wouldn't let her down. This was eight years ago. I promised her and meant it with all my heart that I would do even better than her. She was everything to me. And she died, never even getting started on her dream. She dreamed of reaching the Nine Wonders and facing the Great Dungeons beyond them. I've accepted the Class, Monica, and I've decided I am going to carry on my mother's dream. I will visit all the Nine Wonders. I will find where they are, and I will complete all the Great Dungeons so that my mother's dream can keep living on."
Monica crossed her arms and stared at Ted. The two sustained each other's gaze for about a minute before the redhead spoke again.
"And you think this is enough?" she asked.
"Yes," Ted replied without hesitation.
At that, Monica walked up to him. Once they were in front of each other, she moved so fast Ted couldn't even see her figure, couldn't even react. And before realizing it, the young man was in a strong, tight hug from the woman.
"I'm happy," Monica sighed with a hand on the back of his neck. "I have a feeling, Ted, that we're going to do great things together."
"Me too," Ted said, feeling a few tears coming out of his eyes. "Me too."