Jeb made it to the Library before the Priest caught up with him. For all that he was still reeling from the new Class he’d received, he was glad that he had gone so early. There was still another hour until classes started for the students, so he had time to ask the Librarian questions without feeling like he was taking time away from the other children. Well, that, and it would mean fewer people asking about his Class.
“Good morning Jeb!” the Librarian called out, “I hope that your Class Ceremony went off without a hitch?” Though it was framed as a question, it was clear to Jeb that the Librarian assumed it had. “Which of your family members will you be following in the path of?”
“I’m not quite sure yet,” Jeb said, “I was wondering if I could get a few Primers, though.”
That was clearly a different answer than the Librarian had been expecting. He looked up from the book he was reading and really looked at Jeb. Jeb swore that he could feel a prickle as the Librarian clearly Inspected him. Maybe that was a benefit of the new Class, or maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way, the expression on the Librarian’s face made it clear that he’d seen Jeb’s new Class.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Jeb,” the Librarian said. Jeb was touched that the Librarian knew him well enough to know that being a Mage was not his dream. The Librarian activated another Skill, then responded to his request. “As a Mud Mage, you have immediate access to the Water, Earth, and Mud Primers. If you would like access to the other Elemental Primers, you also have access to,” text streamed in the Librarian’s eyes, “my apologies, there are few enough Least Mud Initiates that the Catalog is less than perfectly smooth. Ah,” he seemed slightly surprised by what he’d seen, “you can request any Elemental Primer up to the Third Tier. On request, I can also give you a general primer for Magical Classes, since we are more than fifty miles from the nearest Mage.”
Jeb looked at him for a moment, unclear if he was missing some subtext.
“As your former teacher, I would also point out that you can study from a Magic Primer while you wait to find someone to apprentice under. I assume that you need to spend some time getting ready for the harvest?”
Jeb nodded. The idea of Primers did lead him to another question, though. “Do you have any Primers on Agricultural Magic?”
Lines and lines of text seemed to flash through the Librarian’s eyes as he consulted the different lists of tomes in the Central Library. It went on for far longer than it had while he searched for the standard available books to Mud Initiates. “I don’t see any entries for books accessible by Least Mud Initiates, but I’ll do a more general search, so that I can at least tell you what Class you would need to have general permissions with it.”
The lines started streaming by again. As Jeb watched, they flew by faster and faster, until it was nothing more than a blur to him. What Statistic needs to be higher for me to follow what’s happening? he idly pondered.
“I don’t see any entries for Agricultural Magic at all. it’s possible that someone wrote a dissertation that is not in the general Catalog, but I can’t imagine that you’d have a Quest for something like that this early in your Path.”
Jeb answered the half-asked question, “I don’t have a Quest for it. I was just hoping that I might not have to do what the Paragons assigned me to do.”
“Truthfully, Jeb, and I’m telling you this as your teacher, not as the Librarian, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to. Classes are much more malleable than the Tier Guides will suggest. More than that, though, you can always grow outside of what the System has recommended for you. In time, that work will be rewarded at least as much as any Quest the System proactively assigned you.”
Jeb knew that there was more to the statement than he could unpack then, but the support still warmed him. As the Librarian opened his mouth to keep talking, though, the door to the Library slammed open.
“Jeb!” the Priest called out, “I need to enroll you in the System Census. What is your Class, and what are your Statistics?”
Jeb stammered out an answer, nervous at how agitated the Priest seemed. The Priest seemed slightly surprised at Jeb’s Class, but covered it up quickly. “Congratulations on the Class young man! I know that you may need to finish up on your family’s property. Just remember, though, you need to enroll in the Academy by the Fourth Tier as a Mage or be accepted into an apprenticeship by a registered Mage. You can get your Adventurer’s Badge immediately if you want to go off and defend the Republic, but you still need to go in person.”
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“Jeb,” the Librarian interjected, “have you decided where you want to focus your energy? Laying a good foundation at the First Tier makes building towards whatever final Class you’re hoping for much easier.” The Priest nodded, then looked at the books in Jeb’s hands.
“I see you already have primers, that’s good,” the Priest said. “You should read up on the different tracks that Mud Mages might follow, so that you can see which calls to you most. Much as I would love to help you Theorycraft your progression, I need to return to the Temple. It would not do for me to be absent when someone needs me.” He turned to leave, still a little manic. As he opened the door, he turned back to the two of them. “Pargaons’ Blessings on you both,” he intoned, suddenly somber.
“Paragon’s Blessings,” the two responded. Jeb would have sworn that he saw the Librarian roll his eyes, but that must have just been a trick of the light.
“I do have one more question,” Jeb said once the door had shut.
“Hmm?” the Librarian answered.
“Do you have any materials about the Dragon of the West?”
“Let me guess,” the Librarian said as he pulled a few more books out, “You were given a Major Quest to kill him? I’m not telling you to ignore that Quest, but I will tell you that I’m sure there are at least a hundred other people who received it this month, and thousands more before that. Still, here is the Official Republic Report on the Dragon,” he said, in a tone which made it clear how much he respected the Official Report. “As a Librarian, I am obligated to inform you that you should attempt to complete all Quests to the best of your abilities. You need to prioritize which Quests you complete, since you will likely not have time to complete them all. When,” Jeb read the if he wanted to say instead of when, “you tell others about a Major Quest, they are obligated to help you complete the Quest.”
Jeb read between the lines. Don’t tell strangers that I have a Major Quest, he thought, making a mental note.
He still wasn’t confident about facing his family, so he started to read through the Mud Primer.
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Congratulations! You have chosen to follow the path of Mud Magic!
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Jeb skimmed through the opening section, since it just described the various ways to unlock Mud Magic Classes at the First Tier. He’d already done that by accident, so he hardly needed a reminder. He finally found the section for First Tier Classes, and more carefully paged through until he found the entry for his Class.
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Least Mud Initiate First Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Rare
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Typical Second Tier Class Options: Lesser Mud Initiate Lesser Earth Initiate Lesser Water Initiate Lesser Druid-Mage Initiate Least Mud Student
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The progressions seemed more or less like he had expected. He could continue to focus on Mud, or stop working on one of the two First Tier Elements and start specializing in the other. It seemed a little strange that the Student was Least while the rest were Lesser, but maybe the Academy only started taking students at Second Tier. It was also strange that one of the Classes was crossed out.
“Druid Classes were suppressed four hundred years ago,” the Librarian said, answering the question before he could ask it. “According to the Official Report,” this time Jeb knew he saw eyes roll, “the Head Druid led a revolt against our dear President. As a result, while Druid Classes may still be offered, they are not to be taken.”
None of the Second Tier Classes seemed particularly desirable, so Jeb moved on to the report on the Dragon. Hopefully he could unlock a different option. After all, those were only the “typical” offerings.
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The Dragon of the West has lain waste to the land bordering our Republic. He demands harsh tribute from those he has enslaved, eating them whole when they cannot pay. He has rejected all attempts to parlay peacefully, and so the current diplomatic relations are a state of constant war.
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That was unhelpful. Jeb didn’t even know if the Dragon had a Class. As he thought about it, Jeb realized that he didn’t know if animals had Classes generally. He could tell that he was just avoiding thinking about his situation, which probably wasn’t healthy. He closed the Report, deciding to finally face his family.