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For the rest of the evening, Vincent and Sergeant Thomas Thickskull debated about training. To put things in perspective, they tested their ideas by drilling the local troops and sparing in hand-to-hand combat. The exercises went very well. Vincent's techniques were superior, and the locals unfamiliar with basic details that made the bread and butter of any decent army on Earth.
Although he would have won at points in a boxing match, the sparring had unintended consequences for Vincent. He avoided most hits; Thomas was a living telegraph, but hitting the sergeant was like smashing against a brick wall, and he got bruises only from that. In the end, Thomas demonstrated his special attack, reflected by his nickname, by headbutting a dummy and reducing the wooden cranium to splinters.
After the training session, Thomas hugged the youngster in a bear hug. The motif became clear through a notification.
You have raised the tier of fifty Troops and a Sergeant from Common to Uncommon. Skill acquired: Mentor (Passive, Elite). You are exceptionally gifted at teaching. Current Skill Level: 10. You have gained +1 in Body and Mind.
"My police station is your police station," Thomas said. "Anything you want, ask for it."
It was a radical change from the man's previous attitude, but Vincent wouldn't object. "How about letting me use some of your space?" he asked, looking around. The inn was too crowded for his taste, and he could use a secondary command center.
"The attic is free if you don't mind the dust."
"Much appreciated," Vincent nodded.
After another half an hour of small talk and a glass of brandy, Vincent returned to the inn to change into fresh clothes and shower. He was dissatisfied to find the food was leftovers from lunch: beef steak and potatoes. The steak was stringy, and the potatoes tasteless, and he had to drown the meal in beer to improve his mood. After everyone ate, they gathered together to discuss a strategy, but not before a row of applause rewarded Vincent for bringing them the full luggage.
Then Irene cleared her voice to ask for their attention. She's cute, Vincent smiled, seeing her struggle to cough loud enough to cover the conversations in the room. He helped her effort by whistling with two fingers, and she gave him a thankful glance and nod.
"Let's start with the beginning," Irene said. "Why we're here. The information behind Summonings is not a secret; I found enough materials in the library. Summonings happen every other century or so when the System detects an imminent danger—"
"Like reading the future?" Vincent asked.
"An AI predicting probabilities," Jorge said.
Irene frowned at both, silently scolding them for interrupting her. "The books only say: 'When the signs show a rising darkness.' Then, the Archetypes perform a summoning spell to call on heroes from other worlds. The usual fantasy cliché. This spell is more like randomly throwing a tiny fishnet into an ocean and praying fate brings you a good catch. If I got it right, there’s a concurrence among the Archetypes. Whoever’s summon succeeds gains higher status and followers and issues more quests."
"Did you find something about how to go home?" one of the two dancers asked. They were the youngest there and the more likely to yearn to return to their families.
"Yes…" Irene said with a brief hesitation. Questions exploded from everywhere, covering the room in noises. "Hey, hey, hear me out!" she yelled over the ruckus, pushing on her toes to appear taller. "When we reach level ten, we'll be asked if we want to get a class or return home… But it comes with a price. If we go back, we lose all our magical powers."
"I don't care!" the dancer shouted back.
"At least take everything into consideration before making a decision. People here live longer. Elite classes live hundreds of years, and we figured out how to unlock them."
"Almost every disease is curable," Ayman, the doctor, added.
"We can build advanced tech by mixing our knowledge with magic," Jorge said. "This is not one of those shitty LitRPGs where guns and electricity don't work. I already figured out how to keep our smartphones and laptops working. We have enhanced our portable solar panels with magic and installed a few recharging points around the inn. In a few days, we'll have an intranet."
"Yeah… still abduction… Never mind… Irene, you think we should stay?" Vincent asked.
"I dunno…” she grimaced, looking all of a sudden frail and vulnerable. “I can speak only for myself. This is what I… we trained for: to make a difference in the world… Only this is not really our world, but… you know what I mean. From what I've learned, most Summoned chose to stay because of the advantages."
"We also have to consider the risks," Jorge said. "What use is a few hundred years lifespan if a tiger eats you?"
"Yes, we have to get our hands on some statistics," Irene said. "Fortunately, the locals have a magical communication device with the capital."
"Like a phone?" someone asked.
"More like a fax. A piece of paper on which you write what you want, and the Pragwyn station passes the message on. There's a shop belonging to a rich entrepreneur, who is himself a summoned person from long ago. He will come to meet us in a few days. That'll be a good occasion to find more ab—"
"Is it possible to order more magical advanced materials and books about magic?" someone asked.
"Paying with what?" Irene turned her hands upward. "Let's meet him first, then—"
"Barter," Vincent said. "I bet we have many things they'd want. Plastic bags, for instance. Something as simple as that could be exotic here. And what about asking the locals for a loan?"
"OK, OK," Irene waved her hands. "Let's return to the matter at hand. We had a team dedicated to the System. Tell us what you've found."
A woman cleared her voice, standing up. Vincent recalled that she was a quantum physicist, but he didn't remember her name. "Magic is governed by a sentient System that manifests through Archetypes, but there are other ways to use magic. We didn’t reach a consensus about what Magic is, but it is quantified by an energy called Mana."
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"We're still debating if the System is an AI and the Archetypes subroutines," Jorge said.
"Please, let Clara speak," Irene pleaded.
So the name is Clara, Vincent thought.
"The System has classes, levels, and skills, all with tiers. The weakest is us, unclassed. Then comes the common, uncommon, rare, elite, and legendary. The legendary are one-man armies, literally. Kings and generals. It is rumored there is a mythical tier out there, but I haven’t found any evidence. The important thing to understand is that tiers and stats are only approximations."
"Wouldn't having more than three stats be more efficient?" Vincent asked.
"How many would you like?" the woman asked.
"Err…" Vincent scratched his head, check-mated by the question.
"There are countless real stats. The body is complex; a single cell has trillions of atoms. There are hundreds of different processes in your brain at this very second. You can't control every action; these things are solved instinctively in the background. Enough to know that every process in our body is now enhanced by Mana.
"Now, about stats. Each Stat has its own resource pool. Stamina for Body, Concentration for Mind, and Mana for Spirit. We think the first two are still Mana but processed differently. Starting with ten, considered the average here, stats progress logarithmically. It keeps our progress constant and eliminates diminishing returns."
"So one point means, in fact, more?" Vincent asked, the notion familiar from high school.
"Depends. In an arithmetic progression, a Stat going from ten to eleven gains ten percent, but from ninety-nine to one hundred, only one percent. With a logarithmic scale, the growth remains balanced; it’s less than ten percent at the lower end but higher at the upper. Do you understand?" Clara stared at Vincent, a hint she doubted his intellectual capacities. He nodded, trying to appear confident.
"Keep in mind that not all stats are equal. An Elite Class's stats have a better logarithm than a commoner's, and at similar tiers, a cat's Body is more powerful than a mouse's.”
"Tell them about classes," Irene asked.
"I was getting at that," Clara said. "We figured out we could get at least Rares and maybe Elite classes by unlocking specific skills. Mentoring is the easiest."
"I Mentor," one of the Filipinos bragged to Vincent in broken English.
"How?" Vincent asked.
"They agriculture bad. No thinking. Irrigation awful. Hunt small animals until no more, and bigger monsters come for food in the village. Then call adventurers to kill beasts, and pests grow too many and eat crops. Then—"
"A vicious circle," Vincent nodded.
"May I disturb you?" Clara asked coldly, making Vincent tuck his head between the shoulders. "Good. Now, about gaining experience. The Summoned ones earn it exponentially faster. Leveling slows down as your levels are higher.
"Everything you do will grant you XP, combat included, but there are rules. Crime doesn't pay. It looks more complicated than that, but let's stop here for now. Don't, I repeat, don't spend all your tokens before you get a class. They are also a currency for skills, some of which can only be bought. Advance stats through training or enchanted gear."
"Well, I think this is it for today… Can we meet tomorrow at the same hour?" Irene asked.
"I was supposed to brief you about the political situation," a man said.
"O, sorry, Vincent, go ahead," Irene facepalmed.
Another Vincent? Vincent thought. Shoot…
"Vincentio," the man said, to Vincent's satisfaction. "I'm a historian and anthropologist for those who don't know me. My Ph.D.—"
"Please stick to the subject," Irene said.
Thanks, girl! Vincent leaned back on his chair with relief. These scientists are blabbermouths…
"Sure… You guys might have figured out this is a variant of our Earth. Of what kind is still a mystery—"
"Alternate reality," a woman shouted. "Similar historical characters and countries. It branched out when they awakened to magic, circa third century AD."
"What about a parallel universe?" a man retorted. "Have you looked at the sky?"
"It's a Serkin causal set event," the woman yelled back. "A kindergarten kid could see it."
"Order… Order," Irene hit the table with her palm.
"Those moons in the sky are actually planets," Vincentio continued, while in the background, the scientists were arguing in whispers, sounding like a bunch of cats spitting out furballs. "We're in the human Realm. The elves have their own, and the Dwarves are mining all over the asteroid belt. There are more species, and traveling between the planets is done through special portals. Fortunately, there are no interspecies wars… but there are tensions.
"Polities are different here. We'll give everyone a memo, but in short, Byzance still stands and is powerful, but the main powers in Europe are Celtic. That's the Common Tongue we were taught by magic: Celtic, with some influences from Latin and Greek. Hungary and Beauhemia are a buffer between the Celtic Federation and the barbarians. Mongols to the east, the Bogomils to the south—"
"The who?" Vincent asked.
"A sect… a bit unconventional."
"Crazies," Dorel stated the first time he spoke for the evening. "I read about them."
Vincentio appeared to wish to contradict him for a moment but shrugged and continued. "To the north are the Vikings and the Finns; they are allies. We're in a problematic location, on the path of constant Mongolian raids. Fortunately, the incursions go mainly to Prague, sorry, Pragwyn, because it's the biggest city. This place was a tourist resort until recently because of a few hot springs, but business has declined as monsters' numbers grew."
"It's on a river," Vincent interjected. "I bet it's the Berounka. It's navigable and connects to the Vltava and the Elbe. A competent administration would make this town a logistic hub."
"We'll have to take it into consideration," Irene sighed. "Meeting adjourned. I wish you all a good night."
[Kiara (Archetype of Light and Fortune)]: Not so fast, my dear Summoned ones.
The brilliant apparition made many people jerk, and a few cursed, holding their hands over the chest. Here we go again, Vincent thought.
[Kiara (Archetype of Light and Fortune)]: I'm happy that many of you realize the Realm has much to offer, and you can play an important role in its development. Yet, I will not lie to you; there will be challenges. You will be called upon to solve mysteries, fight monsters, or deliver inventions that improve lives. Last but not least, protecting the realms from the Rising Darkness.
As your power grows, you will be tempted to abuse it, sometimes even turning against your friends. That's human nature, and I've seen it too often. With such a large number of Summoned, it is all but sure to happen. This is why I'm here.
I propose you form a guild. Guilds are extra-national entities, working everywhere and for everybody. A System-enforced oath prevents guilders from harming their comrades. Read the charter and decide for yourselves.
Her words were followed by a lengthy blue text.
Guild Rules:
You may not intentionally plot or act against the life of the other members, under punishment of being marked as a criminal and having a ‘Dead or Alive’ bounty on your head.
Guilds are required to protect the city where they're based, but they are apolitical.
Guild members can individually work as mercenaries as long they do not contradict the first two points.
"Sounds like the rules of robotics…" Jorge joked.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Irene said. “One cannot better the world if they stick to a particular ideology.”
Kiara proposes Vincent Valaška as your first Guild Master and Irene Altenschoss as second in command. In the future, you will hold your own elections, with a minimum of 60% votes required to elect a leader. Please say yes aloud to confirm the contract.
"Hm," Irene wrinkled her nose, crossing her arms on top of that. "I should be the leader, and he the second in command. Civilian control?"
“I think she’s better for the job,” Vincent said, but a choir of yesses drowned his objection, and a notification about his promotion ensued. Rolling their eyes, Irene, Clara, and a few others mumbled their accord. "I'm not even sure if I want to stay here," the young man complained. No one seemed to hear him except Kiara, who winked and turned her palms upward. 'Vox Populi,' she said silently, moving her lips.
The System recorded your vote and registered your group under the name The Society of Illuminated Prodigees. Patron: Kiara, Archetype of Light and Fortune.
"Told you the Illuminati are behind it," Lukas yelled.
"Noooo…." Irene wailed. "It was a pun, I swear."
[Kiara (Archetype of Light and Fortune)]: This concludes my third intervention. For a while, you’ll be on your own. The System considers Summoned progress better without a chaperone. I hope you all reach the cap level. Goodbye for now.