Jeb woke the next morning at his usual time. Then, rather than start stretching, he turned back over, excited for the extra hour of sleep he could get that day. By the time he rose, the sun had fully broken the horizon. He went downstairs, excited for the most important day in his life.
“Welcome down son!” his mother called, “are you ready to get your class?”
“I hope so!” Jeb responded, already walking out the door.
“Are you not staying for breakfast?”
“No, I want to get to the Temple as soon as it opens.” Jeb knew that he was the only person turning sixteen that day, but any number of crises could break out. After all, Humdrumville didn’t only have the only Library around, but also the only Temple.
“Best of luck Jeb! I’ll leave a stall for you to clean for your first Quest!” his uncle joked.
As Jeb reached the Temple, he saw that he was arriving as the Priest was opening the Temple for the day. Unlike the Librarian, the Priest was only Tier 7. He had apparently been assigned here after doing poorly on his graduating exams. Still, he respected his position enough to not actively work to antagonize the townsfolk.
The Priest tended towards the jovial, which made his somber expression all the more jarring. He turned to Jeb and intoned, in what was clearly something ritualistic, “Jeb, child of Humdrumville, today the System will mark you as an adult. You will awake your first Class, opening your path to greater glory for the Republic.”
The Priest opened the doors to the Temple proper, and the two walked in. Inside, the room was dark, with only early morning rays shining through the stained glass to illuminate the space. Each of the four walls held a statue of one of the Paragons.
Directly in front was the statue to Paul, since this Temple was not directly built to honor another of the Paragons. As Paragon of Faith, he was the default option. To his right, Marcus stood, advising him. To the left, Silas stood, armor clearly worn from protecting the faithful. And, if Jeb looked behind, he knew that he would see the Unnamed. After all, as the theology said, the other three Paragons could only travel so far because of the support coming from those they left behind.
The Priest walked Jeb to the center of the room, and Jeb noted absently that there was a marking where he was supposed to stand. “Stand here,” the Priest said, then walked away. Jeb watched the Priest leave the Temple and heard the door slam behind him. The space seemed to grow darker as Jeb stood there.
He turned to face the Unnamed, knowing deep inside of him that he would be called to the Farm life. Watching the Unnamed, Jeb felt like the nominally genderless statue was starting to look more and more like him. Maybe that’s a sign, he thought. Jeb noticed that the room kept growing darker. It wasn’t like clouds had covered the windows, though. It was like the room was slowly leaving the reality that he was in.
The room fell to absolute darkness as Jeb saw the pews fade away. The Unnamed still hadn’t lit, and Jeb started to grow concerned. Jeb turned around, worried that he had missed something. As he finished spinning, turning back to facing the Unnamed, he saw the statue light up. Before he could get excited, though, he saw out of the corner of his eyes that the other two statues were as well. Turning around again, Jeb saw the statue to Paul lighting up as well. Before he could wonder what was happening, the room suddenly came to light.
He was surrounded by a field of golden wheat, ripe and ready for the harvest. It looked idyllic, and Jeb could picture himself walking amidst the stalks, harvesting them and refreshing the soil. As he reached out to touch the stalk, though, they all caught flame.
Jeb jumped, but realized that the flames weren’t real. Or, at least, the flames weren’t burning him. Jeb was becoming sure that the Unnamed was a he, and the Unnamed opened his mouth. Before he could start to speak, however, Jeb heard a voice from his right. A gout of flame descended from the air as Silas began to speak. “Jeb, a great evil currently walks the land. You have been called out of a life of mediocrity to save the Republic. Marshal your forces to protect our way of life. ”
As the flames and smoke died down, Jeb saw an image of wings and hatred. It was clearly large, but Jeb could not see depth clearly yet.
From Silas’s right, Paul continued, “The Dragon of the West, a being of flame and wind, has conquered territories under the protection of our glorious Republic. With a path of Magical Earth and Water, you will quench its flames and quell its storms. You will slay this Dragon, and you will protect the Faithful of my flock.”
Jeb saw great sheets of water fall from the sky, quenching the last of the flames. From amid the broken field, once full of life, Jeb saw great pillars of stone rising, destroying the field even more. The dragon fell from the sky, pierced by a number of the stones. Jeb saw what was clearly a time lapse of uncountable and faceless men and women slowly working down the pillars. When they were gone, the people worked to make the land bountiful again. Marcus finished, “You shall be a Mage of the Earth and Water, to counter this dread beast. Slay it, that we may reclaim the land. Reclaim this territory that others may grow on the land. You are called to far more than mere growth.”
The vision faded, but the statues remained lit. Jeb finished his circle again, staring at the Unnamed. The Unnamed looked at Jeb, and Jeb saw himself. He slowly shook his head and closed his mouth.
The room fell into darkness.
Jeb felt something pierce through his head and heart and into what must have been his soul. He felt himself changing, though not how his family had described. Instead of feeling the earth near him, or some connection to the farm, Jeb saw Glyphs of Power. Try as he might to remember them, though, they faded from him as the pain did.
The room returned to how it was when he entered. The sun had barely even risen from before the ceremony had taken place. Jeb heard the Priest saying something as though from a great distance.
He walked away without answering, some part of him still hoping that he was wrong about what he had heard. That part died as he opened his new Status.
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Jeb Human Age: 16 Class: Least Mud Initiate Level: 1 Experience: 0/100
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Total Statistic Load: 96 Physical Load: 54 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 8 Endurance: 14 Vitality: 15 Presence: 3
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Mental Load: 42 Intelligence: 16 Willpower: 17 Magic Affinity: 3 Mana Depth: 3 Charisma: 3
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Mana: 100
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Glyph Attunement: 2 Least Conjure Water Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Earth Tier 1 Spell
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Skills: Least Mud Magic
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Quests: Major: Slay the Dragon of the West (Progressive) Minor: Begin Your Magical Studies (Progressive) Update Available!
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Heart already in his chest, Jeb focused on his Class, trying to read its description.
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Least Mud Initiate First Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Rare
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Congratulations young Mage. Without access to the fullness of the System you have claimed knowledge over Earth and Water. You have not stopped at wielding these two powers separately, though. Rather, you have worked to join these powers into one, creating Mud. Continue working, that you may grow in your power.
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Level Bonus: +3 to Willpower +2 to Mana Depth +1 to Intelligence
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At least the Statistic increases are higher than I expected for this level, Jeb reasoned, trying to find the best in the situation.
As he kept looking at his Status, hoping something might change, he realized that he had an Update on his Minor Quest. Pulling open the page for it, he read:
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Begin Your Magical Studies (Update Available) Minor Quest First Tier Learn a Water Spell No Mage can exist without Magic, and no Mud can exist without Water. Learn a Water Spell to take the first steps on the path of Mud Magic (Completed) Minor Quest First Tier Learn an Earth Spell No Mage can exist without Magic, and no Mud can exist without Earth. Learn an Earth Spell to take the first steps on the path of Mud Magic (Completed) Minor Quest Second Tier Learn a Water Conjuration Spell What can a Mud Mage do when there is nothing but dry Earth around him? Create Water to make Mud! (Completed) Minor Quest Second Tier Learn a Water Manipulation Spell When the Water lies still upon the dry Earth, a Mud Mage uses his Will to force the two together Minor Quest Second Tier Learn an Earth Conjuration Spell What is a Mud Mage to do when the floods threaten to drown everything? Create Earth to make Mud! Minor Quest Second Tier Learn an Earth Manipulation Spell When the Water lies still upon the dry Earth, a Mud Mage uses his Will to force the two together (Completed) Minor Quest Third Tier Learn a Mud Spell Mud Magic is more than just Water and Earth Magic. Combining the two creates something greater than the sum of its parts. Take your first leap into Higher Magics by learning a Mud spell.
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As angry as he still was about the Class he’d been given, he was still glad to see that his hard work had paid off.
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Congratulations! You have completed the Minor Quest: Begin Your Magical Studies First Tier “Learn a Water Spell”. You have begun to build the foundation of your magic. Rewards: 25 Experience, Mana +5
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Congratulations! You have completed the Minor Quest: Begin Your Magical Studies First Tier “Learn an Earth Spell”. You have begun to build the foundation of your magic. Rewards: 25 Experience, Mana +5
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Congratulations! You have completed the Minor Quest: Begin Your Magical Studies Second Tier “Learn a Water Conjuration Spell”. Building on what you learned, you have taken the next step in your magical studies. Rewards: 50 Experience, Mana +10
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Congratulations! You have completed the Minor Quest: Begin Your Magical Studies Second Tier “Learn an Earth Manipulation Spell”. Building on what you learned, you have taken the next step in your magical studies. Rewards: 50 Experience, Mana +10
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Begin Your Magical Studies (Updated) Minor Quest Second Tier Learn a Water Manipulation Spell When the Water lies still upon the dry Earth, a Mud Mage uses his Will to force the two together Minor Quest Second Tier Learn an Earth Conjuration Spell What is a Mud Mage to do when the Floods threaten to wash him away? Create Earth to make Mud! Minor Quest Third Tier Learn a Mud Spell Mud Magic is more than just Water and Earth Magic. Combining the two creates something greater than the sum of its parts. Take your first leap into Higher Magics by learning a Mud spell.
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The slew of notifications blinded him for a second, and he saw that he’d gained 200 experience! If it was this easy to get experience, it was no wonder that adventurers leveled up. Jeb saw that he could level up if he wanted to, but something held him back. After all, maybe there was some way to change his Class.
He knew that the further you were in your Path, the harder it was to change. Sure, a First Tier Swordsman might eventually grow into a Spellsword, but a Tenth Tier Swordmaster never would. In his life, there were two places Jeb knew had the answers to whatever questions he might have: his home and the Library. He was worried for what his family might say, so he walked to the Library.
If he’d been paying more attention, he might have noticed the Priest running after him.