Chapter 20

Class Evolutions

  The Military Academy is slightly odd in that its after school clubs all offer certs, but only if you attend for the whole year. I am also told that these certs will be universal certs, meaning they will be less impactful at evolving your class to a stronger version, but will still count for your class getting to a different rarity level.

  This is all a complex formula, but to make it a bit more understandable I will try to explain. It is known that we need three certs to go from our current Common Rarity Classes to the next level of Uncommon Rarity. While any three certs would help that process, it should also be noted that the more specialty certs one uses for that evolution, the greater one’s chances to evolve their class will be. One could also stockpile certs to try to get a greater chance at increasing the potency of one's class.

  This last part can be noted in my currently listed Mage Class where I am simply listed as Support. I had been calling myself a Mage Breaker, but apparently that is something I can evolve into. Apparently going from Support to a specialty can influence both the Affinity of the Powers and help learn new spells. I thought the Affinity was stuck, I even asked the good doctor about this, Dr. Charleston. Which he said, “they are stuck for your class. The odds of forcing a change in class are rare, especially as most people are chasing after changing the rarity of their class more than changing their actual class.” He answered.

  With that logic he is correct, my Affinities great as many of them are will never increase. But I do have a chance at improving my affinities if I get a specialized class based on what Affinity I want to improve. As such I decided that all my spare certs will go towards changing my Mage class. That is another thing I will have to deal with apparently. I will need double the certs to improve as I apparently have two classes, thanks to my odd ability to use both Magic and Psionic energies. This means that to reach Elite status, I will need more than thirty certs. I technically only need thirty, but I plan on at least trying to stack one of my Mage evolutions, so I am listed as something other than useless Support. Honestly Support for a Mage class feels like the Mage equivalent of a participation trophy, it’s like hurray you showed up. Now leave so the real kids can play.

  I Also found that one of the new Endarian professors might be able to help with my query.

  Knock, knock.

  “Come in.” A female voice calls out in Endarian from the other side of the door.

  I enter the office chamber to find an Endarian floating on a cloud. Well not just any cloud but a thundercloud inside their own office. The floor has a built-in drain at the bottom, and the furniture is what one might expect to be considered outdoor ware. They are cushions designed to withstand intense rain and elements. Normally such a precaution wouldn’t be needed within an office, and most who used such equipment would be considered eccentric at best. Yet given the storm cloud that the professor seemed to be floating on and conducting her work from it made sense. Looking around the room was also interesting. While most professors had long ago gone from having paperback books on display. This professor chose to show off her collection of crystalline book recordings. Basically, that is a fancy way of saying entire streams of knowledge were transferred to crystals and then placed all along her walls. The crystals then reflected the storm clouds, that gave the entire office the feeling that one was in a morning cloud that was rising over the mountains. It was an odd feeling. Especially since the more I entered the room the more the fog at the ground seemed to intensify. I am too busy taking in the room to notice the fog that seems to come up from the drainpipe in the floor.

  “Yes, may I help you?” The professor asks.

  “Professor Astria?” I ask.

  “Yes.” Astria answers, never quite moving her attention away from the crystal that is in her hand.

  “I was told you are somewhat of an expert on changing Class specializations?” I state, more than ask.

  “Yes, let me guess you wish to waste valuable certs to change your Class type?” She asks.

  “One of them, yes.” I answer.

  “One, so you are one of the legendary dual classers, one who needs twice as many certs as the next student just to be competitive and you still wish to waste certs on the chance that you could change your class type?”

  I pause, hearing the weight of those words, but I realize I do have two years extra. I could and should be able to not only get both classes up to Elite rarity, but also manage to get a few extra to force a Class evolution. With that thought in mind I answer truthfully, “yes.”

  She pauses to look up from the crystal in her hand, to finally look at me. “Oh my, you must be one of the Trials Blessed.” She states as she begins to lean forward and truly take in my odd visage.

  “I wouldn’t say blessed, often feels like more of a curse than anything.” I answer.

  “Nonsense. Those are markings of your exceptional efforts during the trials.” She pauses to really look at me. Her eyes are electric hazel-green, almost seeming to glow the same way my eyes do.

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  “Did you…?” I begin to ask but am cut off immediately.

  “Did I gain my pretty eyes from the Trials as well?” the professor asks.

  I nod.

  “No. I got mine the other crazy way.”

  “Which way is that?”

  “From evolving my class, seven times.”

  “Seven?” I shout out, before truly realizing my question.

  Hearing my surprise, she smiles brightly. “Yes, I too didn’t like my initial class. The only problem was, I didn’t like my second class, nor my third, nor my fourth, nor the fifth. Don’t get me wrong each class did get better and better. But ultimately, I was stuck with mediocre class changes before I got to the form I am now.” She states as a matter of fact.

  “Wha…what class are you now?” I blurt out, only belatedly realizing that asking such a question is rude. “I mean, if you don’t mind my asking.”

  Laughter.

  As she laughs the cloud, she is on begins to pulse with the flare of unreleased lightning.

  “I am a Lightning Monarch. I will not tell you about the differences in Attributes, nor Affinity rankings. Just know that there is a difference from where I first began until now.”

  There is a tense silence that falls over the two of us.

  “How, how many certs did it cost?” I ask.

  “The only way to guarantee a change in class is to provide a full seven certs to the Class Progression. It is best to do this early on. As each rarity increase also costs seven to attempt another change. Then if you waited, or advanced early, thinking you would spare yourself the chance at a class evolution, only to later take the evolution. Those certs that you didn’t spend on the previous evolution will need to go into the current evolution that you are on.”

  She is talking, and I think I understand what she is pointing out. She is stating that if I try to save four certs by evolving my class early, those four certs I didn’t use when going from Common rarity to Uncommon Rarity would still need to be paid, in addition to the four extra needed to go from Uncommon Rarity to Average Rarity. At least that is what I think she means. I am about to ask her to explain, but she changes the subject on me before I have time to formulate my next question.

  “Honestly though, it is a big waste of time. Forty-Nine certs to get a halfway decent class isn’t worth the hassle. Especially since you are a dual classer, meaning you would still need at least fifteen more certs to get to elite status.” She answers. “Besides, what class do you have? If it is not Support, or some other Magical participation class, you should be fine.”

  At her words I visibly deflate. Seeing my look she pauses for a moment, then realizes I am likely one of those classes. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re an Enchanter? I mean that isn’t so bad. I mean sure you must deal with grinding magic dust into metal wires all day. We all know that magic dust is just the glitter of the magical world. And there have been the few times when that glitter got to an Enchanter’s soul, causing glitter to be left on every spell they cast. But that happens only rarely.” She states.

  I shake my head, suddenly glad I never had any of the prerequisite powers for being an Enchanter. From the way she makes it sound, I would be the equivalent of working as a stripper at a steel-mill.

  “Okay, that’s good. But it’s not like you’re a Bard or anything? I mean I do see the musical instrument on your side, but surely you don’t need to rely on your looks and ability to persuade others to help you, with your demeanor, right?” She asks.

  I feel like I have been insulted on multiple levels by that last group of statements. Though I can’t state for certain. I just shake my head no, again.

  “Okay, good. I know you probably would put your little heart into playing, but I don’t really see you as the gregarious type, if you know what I’m saying.” She states.

  With that, I realize that I was in fact being insulted. Before I can say anything to that point, she asks.

  “See, so it’s not one of those terrible Magic Classes, so what is it?”

  “Support.”

  “Oh!” She shouts as if she was physically hurt by my answer. “The Magical equivalent of the participation class? Yeah, you should change that as quickly as possible.”

  I sigh in defeat. I want to tell her that this was why I was here, but she pulls up something. Within a second, I see it is my bio data that I had to use to enter the door.

  “Oh yep, right there. Participation mage.” She says, shaking her head in shame. She looks at me like I did something in my past life to deserve such a status.

  “The sad part is, your Spirit is amazing, and your healing is also good as well. Your elemental affinities are trash, but I think I have the solution for you.”

  “The solution?”

  “Yes, your Spirit is too high to help unfortunately. So, what we need to do is to get one of your other magical affinities to be more dominant. That’s how you force the evolution you want. You use the Affinity you wish to be known for the most. Tell me, do you want to be a healer or a shitty elementalist?” She asks bluntly.

  “Hey. I’m not shitty at using my elements.” I say, a bit defensively.

  “Look, if you want to sugar coat your participation trophy go for it. All I’m saying is that you realistically have one way to get a somewhat decent Magic Class evolution and that is to focus on improving your Healing and using your healing abilities constantly.” She pauses.

  Hearing her speak I get the sense that she has an alternate goal here.

  “I just so happen to have the ultimate way for you to both be helpful to the school, thus earning additional certs. While also using your healing Affinity to the max.”

  As she spoke, I realized I was right about her alternate goal.

  “Have you heard about the MAC, or Magical Acumen Combat?” She asks.

  The words ring a bell. These are the galactic fighting rings that showcase the best of both Magic and Psionic crafting abilities. I nod.

  “Good.” She says, then she looks at me conspiratorially. “There is a match center in town later tonight. I want to enter, but I need my own healer present to just enter.”

  I pause to look at her. “So, your plan for me to evolve my class is for me to join you to an underground fighting arena, where I will be your personal healer? All so you can get what? Prize money?”

  “No, nothing as base as money. Well money never hurts, but I need to relieve some stress. You don’t understand. Every day these annoying kids come in to ask stupid questions, like how do you get glitter out of your soul? You said it was okay to be a Bard, but I don’t even like to sing. On and on they come in to complain.”

  I look at her, once again feeling like I was somehow slighted.

  “Oh, not you. You are okay.” She says, trying to be reassuring but she ends up coming across as anything but.

  “When would this be?”

  “Later tonight, meet me by the main gates. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “I’ll even give you the seven certs you need to advance your class from support.” She says support like it is a rancid word in her mouth.

  “Okay.” I agree.

  “One cert for each fight you accompany me to.” She speaks. My face drops as I realize she just changed the plans. Still one cert per night can’t be that bad, can it?

  I glower at her slightly, before re-confirming. “Fine, so long as I get one cert per night to advance my Mage class.”

  “One cert per night.” She says nodding her head in agreement.

  I have a feeling I am not going to regret this, but I can’t quite figure out why.

  “Now shoo, shoo. I have practice to do.” She says waving her hand for me to leave. I am at the door when she stops me again. “One last thing. Well two actually. First, can you switch the sign on my door to say that I am out for the day.”

  I look at her, but then do as she asks. Then once I am done with the first ask, she continues, “the second thing is, don’t tell anyone about this, I will know.” She says, her eyes flashing with violent lightning. Suddenly I really regret making this choice.

  I leave, wondering how my life has gotten to this point. Still getting what are likely to be ring side seats to a MAC fight, should be somewhat fun? Right? I think to myself, trying to reassure my mind that what just happened might have been a weird hallucination. Yeah, just a hallucination. I’ll go to the main gate, and she will have completely forgotten our arrangement.

  I did gain some of the information that I needed. If I wanted to guarantee that my class would change all I needed was seven certs per upgrade. That would be enough to upgrade both my class Rarity, and my Class specialization. After that, well we will see if I am in fact needed tonight, after all.