Chapter 4

The Class

...............

As again sorry for the delay the muse i normally have decided to kick my ass yesterday instead of kissing me.

Hope you enjoy.

.............

A lot of things happened in quick succesion after this. Due to an uproar that not even the king could stop Grim and Andulas evacuted the area immediatly and were headed towards the capital.

Calling it the capital was a little far etched since the town of beginners was a district of the capital around 2 miles along the road. A carriage was waiting for his highness already and Grim was taken with him.

" From the moment i saw you i knew you were the first one destined to be in succesion of the throne. " Andulas said with a huge smile on his face.

Grim seriously couldn't understand what was going on so the ride to the palace was a rather long and silent one.

" Bring him some proper attire and make Mianalla his maid. " The king commanded before he left Grim in the hallways of the palace.

Numerous maids and butlers were doing their buisness right in front of him but he was not able to register it at all. Nothing entered his mind besides him being a adopted son of the royal blood line of elfs.

His daze disappeared as a elf tapped on his shoulders.

" Y-Yes what is it? " Grim said.

He eyed the elf in front of him and she was a beauty. Dark hair that reached down to her shoulders and glasses fitting her slender and beautifully lined nose. Light make-up adorned her face but Grim thought she wouldn't need any as she had the alluring charm of a mature women about her.

" Your highness , i have brought you to your chambers. From today on you can call this your home. " She said.

The furniture , the curtains , the flowers and even the walls and floor were extra vagant. Gold adorned almost everything , even some flowers glittered in the metallic color , and someone just told him all of this was now his.

Grim still couldn't understand and he drifted of into a daze but the maid snapped him out of it.

" Your highness , please make yourself comfortable a bath and fresh clothes will be prepared. " She told him and headed out while bowing before she closed the doors.

After a painfully emberassing scene where 5 naked female elfs tried to assist him washing himself and him being stubborn he was newly dressed and bathed. He was sitting on a chair lost in thought as the maid he knew from before entered once again.

" Your highness ... " She began.

" Please , Mianalla correct ? Don't call me your highness my name is Grim. " He uttered.

Mianalla breathed out a disapproving sigh before she continued.

" Your name is Grim Gwachilmar , of the royal house of Andulas the king of elfs. Our king has no heirs since his wife , Palanthalos may guide her soul , has passed away centurys ago in a war. You as his adoppted son stand firm in the legitimate succesion to the elfen throne. " She told him in a way that reminded him of one of his History lessons back in High school.

" Nonetheless call me Grim. " He remained stubborn.

Since his mind was half way clear now Grim took a closer glance at her outfit and legitimately she wore a french maid outfit and pressed a stack of papers onto her stomache as she started a scolding season.

" Your HIGHNESS , it is improper for me a elf of a lower social standing to address one of the house of Gwachilmar casual. " She said with a firm and resolute tone.

Grim understood the dilema she faced but since he learned a little bit of etiquette from the king himself he knew how to handle things like this.

" As the heir to the throne and a member of house Gwachilmar i order you Mianalla to address me casually , but only when we are privately in this room. "

Now it was grims turn to act firm and resolute and soon the maid started to giggle slightly.

" Very well then , Grim , i already heard about your teachings from the king himself. He used the same trick on me when he was younger. "

Now Grim was nothing less then stupified , at the mentioning of her age. Sure she looked older then him but to be older then the king that meant an incredible sum of years this female should have seen.

" Very good , not to ask a Lady of her age. " She said teasingly as though reading his mind.

Naturally the question burned on Grims lips but his mother always taught him , with and iron slap to the back if his head , not to ask any girl for her age. Unless she was way younger then yourself out of restrictions from laws. Yes his mother was a very ... doting parent.

" Follow me Grim , someone is waiting for you. " She said and lead outside of the room.

.............................

Mianalla lead him along grandious halls filled with the finest crafted pieces of art telling storys of elfen kings and champions that once defended the world against the evil side.

Some of those statues were so detailed that one thought that elf was still slaying a dragon or a pack of orcs while just looking at it. Other pictures told of the glorious past the elfs had.

Soon they arrived at 2 wooden doors that were imbued with gold and silver and the guards posted at each side opened them at our arrival.

Inside was a hall as big as a football field and filled with more statues , pictures and gobelins. The furniture consisted of a long table with hundreds of chairs and one person was sitting at the head of the table.

Andulas greeted him with a smile as Grim was lead to a chair right besides the king. Mianalla on the other hand pushed back Grims chair , so he could sit properly , and as soon as he sat down pushed the chair towards the table again.

" Hello , son. " Andulas said with a beaming smile.

Grim scratched his head and looked a little embarrased at this notion but the king continued.

" I will be busy most of the day , with boring patrons blessing ceremonys and king stuff which is even more dry and boring. So i will leave you to your own devices. But boy , there are a few things you should understand about your situation. "

He took a deep breath and started a new with a firm voice filled with authority.

" People will try to get on your good side but you need to pick carefully. You are the crown prince after all. The studys i myself started will be intensified and overlooked by the best teachers. Politics , military and strategys. Magic will also be a thema you need to get familiar with if it is your wish. But now boy what do you wish to become in the future? "

Food was placed in front of both and Grim thought about his future in this world. He knew that the life of a Wizard harnessing death from above on multiple enemys at the same time was not something he wished for. Grim wanted to stand on the front line and defend his allys and himself with his shield guard and mace.

" I want to be a warrior that protects the ones he loves and cares for. " Grim broke the silence after a few minutes.

" Hmmm , boy think deeper. You are the Kings son. The path before you should be greater then a mere warrior. Almost every class in this world is layed open before you. We have the means to teach you in every field so you can achieve the class you wish for. " He assured Grim.

" Father , the class is not overall to important. I understand my standing and know that i will have to lead troops of elfs into battle someday but even a warrior with a aura of leadership is able to do that. First you need their trust. "

Andulas was shocked at the explantion he had just received and soon started to smile.

" See Mianalla hes a refreshing change , right? " The king said with a mischevious tone.

Now the maid that Grim had completly forgotten about was sighing.

" Yes he reminds me of a certain King when he just came of age and played pranks on me all day. " She said.

The king burst out in laughter and soon told Grim his responsobilitys.

...............................

2 weeks had passed and Grim was holed up in the library as usual. A male elf was over seeing his studys and was constantly complaining about the fast progress and the little help he had to give his crown prince.

He finished the advanced course of politics and military tactics. Now he was almost about to finish the last course for import and export goods and how to uphold a thriving country. Information and more Infromation was hammered into his brain but Grim enjoyed to read about all the different factors that played a role inside of this game.

He finished the book and the teacher started to ask him questions which he all aswered 100% correctly. The teacher sighed and shook his head while rumbling along but gave Grim a satisifed and proud smile as he left.

He went to sleep after reading for another 3 hours and in the mornings Mianalla woke him up for his training.

He fought against the guards and teachers everyday and in the first week there was no progress but now the guards viewed him with compassion. He fought 3 guards and defeated them after short 15 minutes of exchanging weapons. As the teacher stepped up the atmosphere around him and Grim changed.

The guards that were watching had a shudder running down their spines at the spectacle. Grim stood firm with his mace and shield guard. The teacher held a wooden sword in hand.

They faced eachother for more then 5 minutes without anything happening. Grim suddendly rushed towards the teacher.

Parrying his first blow the teacher moved a little to evade the thrust with his shield guard. Grim swung his mace from the lower right up to his left shoulder. The teacher jumped back but Grim pursued he placed his right foot behind his left and entangled his legs in the process.

But as soon as he had them entangled he forced them with the muscles in his hips and spun around. First the mace was blocked from the teachers sword and the arm guards metal spikes struck home.

" Very good , you higness. " The teacher told him.

But now Grim knew the real battle would begin as the teacher threw away the wooden sword and took his favourite weapon.

A wooden naginata was retrieved from the rack and he rushed towards Grim.

Lighnting fast thrusts were barely blocked by the shield guard and left no room for a counter attack. Now some swipes to his feet were mixed in and Grim evaded them with back wards jumps. This continued with no evident winner for quite some time until Grim made a mistake and had the wooden Naginata right inside of his face.

" MYLORD , " The teacher cried out. " I am very sorry , you can take my life for the dishonor i brought upon you! " He said with a serious tone.

Grim sighed at the spectacle that repeated each day.

" Ricolas , help me up instead. " Grim told him.

A hand was stretched towards him which he glady accepted since he still saw only stars.

The training was wrapped up at this point and he took a bath before heading to the library once again.

It now was afternoon and he was reading books on the different classes that existed in this world.

He left the wizard , rogue , ranger and cleric classes untouched. But just reading through the warrior classes proved to be difficult.

There existed alone 1000 different classes of warrior. Paladins , Berserkers , Knights , Dragon slayer , Weapon master , Stone guards , etc etc etc.

He also touched some books about hybrid classes that used magic to enhance their strength or speed or the weapons themselves but all of them were very balanced and didn't give a distinctive advantage over the other classes.

Grim placed the book he just skimmed through back where it belonged and grabbed the next one but something unexpected happend. A warm feeling ran through his fingers as he touched the white tome.

It wasn't a uncomfortable feeling but rather a pleasent and refreshing feeling. He excitedly took the book out and went to a nearby desk to read this book carefully.

The more he read the more he was conviced this was the one he wanted as he absorbed everything inside of it.

..........................

The dark mantle of night engulfed the capital and he headed towards his chambers where Minalla was waiting for him.

" Good evening , Grim. Have you found what you seek in the library? " She asked innocently.

He knew that Mianalla had somebody watching him 24 / 7 so her innocent behaviour was just courtesy as she knew his every move.

" Yes i have. " He cut it short and sat down as he started to eat.

" I heard you finished the courses of politics , strategy and economy as well that you are making progress in your fighting expertise. "

" Yes the teachers instructions are helping in various ways and they deserve to be rewarded for the effort they put in. " Grim replied in a firm tone between swallowing and another bite.

Silence englufed both of them after a little bit more chatter but soon the maid broke this silence.

" You do remember that you have a 3 day learning period and a days rest every 4 days correct? " She asked.

" Yes i do know. "

" Then why are you learning EVERY day without rest and only with a few hours of sleep every night? " She told him with a furious tone.

" It is a rulers first and foremost duty to keep his body healthy. "

" But it also is my duty to be prepared for the uninevtiable. The more i learn and the more experience i gather the better my responses to catastrophes are. Tomorrow is the day the oracle will come by to decide my class. In the late afternoon i have plenty of time to rest tomorrow morning. "

He impersonated the kings tone and authority leaked out of his voice.

Mianalla remained silent and soon Grim went to bed.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

......................

He woke up outside of the capsule and directly went to the bathroom.

As he stared into the mirror his face was ashen and heavy bags underlined his eyes.

Craig took a shower that lasted for 2 hours and soon went ahead and ordered a pizza from a nearby store , delivery of course.

He pressed a switch on his tv and it hummed into the starting process.

" Internet , google , rankings of TnB. " He said.

The computer switched from one page to the next without him even pressing a switch and soon the top 100 players were displayed in front of him.

" Wow i can't believe the 1st ranked is already level 35 after 6 weeks of venturing outside of the beginner citys. Oh hes an orc. " Craig spoke his thoughts out loud.

The first 30 ranks were held firmly by orcs and then a mix of Draconians and more orcs.

At the 100 rank a Human appeared with level 31.

The first elf appeared at rank 12385 with level 16.

Craig carefully thought about this and gave the Tv a new command.

" Rankings , started on day X.XX.XXXX "

This day was incidently the day he started playing TnB 1 week after the inital launch of the game.

Same with the other rankings Orcs and draconians held the first 100 spots but the first spot astouned him.

It was the same name of the Elf that overall was placed at 12385 with level 16. Celuidh , female elf lvl 16 , class ???.

Most of the people registered in this hall of fame but left out their class since this could cause problems with Pking.

Grim hadn't registered yet but he was lvl 1 anyways so not much use.

He hadn't fought any monsters so far just trained and studied and trained some more.

But after the oracle set his class tomorrow his hunt will begin.

Grim clicked through some hunting spots that were close to the capital of the elfs and found a good spot where he could quest.

The pizza arrived and Grim shoved it down his throat before he went to sleep.

.............................

After he slept 8 hours we took another quick shower and placed himself inside of the capsule.

The usual feeling of weightlessness assaulted him and he woke up in Grims chambers.

He looked outside of the window and noticed the soon was just at its peak in the sky.

' Good still a few hours left before the ceremony ' Grim thought and washed his face even in game.

This washing refreshed him , since his stamina rose , but it was more a force of habit.

He strode to the barracks and fought with a few guards but as the light began to dim he headed to the incredbile huge baths to wash himself of the sweat that had formed during his practice.

Back in his room he put on his proper attire that befitted a crown prince.

A white silken shirt paired with pants of the same material. The stitches were made with a green metallic color and the pattern of the royal family was placed on the left side of the chest.

A pheonix in flight that dragged his tail of flames along with him.

The finishing touch was a belt that hung loosely from his belt where a single pouch was strapped to.

Properly dressed and his hair tied into a ponytail he proceeded to the dining chambers where his future was awaiting him.

Andulas was eying him with delight at the refined muscles that showed through Grims shirt as he strode up to the entourage of the king.

Mianalla was standing besides a robbed figure , that was sitting on the throne Andulas usually occupied , and looked at Grim with delight.

The king himself was standing on the other side of the throne and started to introduce the person clad in platinum colored robes.

" Son , i would like you to meet the one that has guided the kings since ancient times. " He said while gesturing towards the robed figure whose facial features were hidden by the hood.

" Grim Gwachilmar meet Palanthalos the creator of the elves. "

Grims jaws dropped open at this sudden predictament and didn't know what to say.

Palanthalos the god of elfs put back the hood and pointy ears came to light.

His skin tone was tanned and his eyes platinum grey colored with his hair being of the same color.

The aura the god emitted was dazzling and warm but fierce at the same time.

Grim almost took a knee at the overwhelming pressure he felt and he sweated profusedly.

Summoning all of his will power he remained standing and the pressure soon faded into nothingess.

" Just as i predicted. He is excellent. " The gods voice reached him.

Even though the god in the chair was calm his voice alone carried a bloodlust unlike anything Grim had ever felt.

" Now leave us alone . I will talk to this child confidentionally. " The god commanded.

The king and Mianalla bowed and left the room just after Mianalla gave him a warning look that told him what she meant ' don't screw this up '.

" Now child , i hope you have thought about your choice carefully. Every intelligent being may decide a class but only once in their lifetime. Let me hear what you have settled on. " The god commanded after eying up Grim.

Instead of speaking up Grim opened the pouch he strapped at his belt.

He retrieved 3 glowing rubys and a handful of more rubys.

2 were about 2 inches in length and 1 in width , while the 3rd one was the size of a fist and placed them on the table.

First Palanthalos eyed him with suspicion but as soon as the 3 rubys were aligned in a certain way in front of him while the small rubys circled around them he burst into a fit of rage.

" HOW DARE A MERE CHILD TO ASK THIS OF A GOD! " He shouted in rage.

The 6 foot figure transformed to 4 times the size and almost hit the ceiling with his head and stared down at Grim.

Grim was confused at what was happening and couldn't open his mouth.

So he decieded to run towards the closest door.

" Palanthalos , what is wrong? " He heard the voice of Andulas from the now opened doors.

He was just as confused as Grim but as he approached the table where the gems were aligned he realized what was happening.

" Son ... where did you learn this? " He asked.

Grim retrieved the white tome from his pouch and also placed it on the table.

" You found this in the library ... i thought everything about this class was destroyed in the last dusk war? " Andulas said confused.

Even the normally cool and colleced Mianalla was confused since she knew which book he had picked but didn't know how this situation came to be.

Since Grim couldn't understand Andulas decided to tell him a little story.

" Once there was a King of the elves so pure and good he challenged the races of evil just with a elite guard of knights. He succeded and almost wiped out all traces of draconians and orcs. Soon the humans numerous and vigilant to uphold the balance of the world besieged the elven kingdoms in the forest. " He started.

" The elven King was furious and unleashed beasts of mythical proportions that slept an eternal slumber inside of the ancient forests and slaughtered the humans from the kingdoms and soon braught war to the kingdoms in the central planes. "

" Females , males , young and old everything that stood in his way was reduced to ashes and he destroyed all human kingdoms besides one that surrendered to him. But neither did he spare them , in his insanity he thought humans were evil and slaughterd them like the orcs and draconians before. "

" His sight soon turned towards the dwarves and their never ending greed for metals and gold. After routing them out of their mountain fortresses the whole world besides the ancient woods was burned and shattered beyond repair."

" At this point he returned to the ancient capitol of the elfs Palanthiesti and he slaughtered his own race with his further detoriating mind. The gods urged all of the survivors elfs , dwarfs , humans , draconians and orcs alike to set sail towards the east. Only a handfull of elfs and the king remained as the gods brought down a burning piece of rock on the continent. "

" The sea took back the land and the survivors arrived at our current home. All records of the Insane King or the slayer of worlds , as some named him , was erased from the chronicles of the world and thus the 2nd dusk wars ended. "

A few minutes passed as Grim took the information in before Palanthalos regained his composure and reduced his size.

" This book is the hopefully the last remaining book of these times and the thing that drove the King insane. The class contained in this book is so pure and good it can drive any normal mortal insane and could lead to a third dusk war that will engulf the world in another downfall. " Palanthalos said.

After another pause filled with silence the god continued.

" Child , if you truly wish to receive this curse , i won't object. But if you decided to fill the footsteps of your great great great great grandfather the other gods and myself will smite you and your companions. " He said with a resolute tone that left no room for discussion.

*tring*

- A god has warned you

If you ever decided to kill all evil your character will permantly be deleted

*tring*

- The system has detected a event in your surroundings that should not be possible

If you decided to accept this > FORBIDDEN < class you will receive immense pain

The system is unable to detect damage this may cause to your real body

WARNING: The system advices you to decline.

*tring*

- Do you wish to change to this forbidden class?

Yes / No

Grim took 2 seconds to decide.

He hovered his hands to the green button and pushed it.

The feeling of weightlessness assaulted him once again but this time the warm light in every color didn't appear.

Only a stream of red and a immense pain exploded suddendly in the back of his head.

Grim screamed , wailed and cired.

He cowered , rolled around and wriggled.

At first he wanted to endure it , then he prayed for this to end and at last he wished to die.

So immense was the pain that wrecked all nerves in his body.

He cowered down like a fetus and wriggled back and fort.

Seemingly for weeks he did the same but then the feeling disappeared and he was back in the dining room of the castle.

Nobody was around and it was shortly before noon , Grim realized , as he looked out of the window.

FIrst he thought this was a dream inside of the pain , so he began to move his neck.

A loud crack resounded as the joints expanded and placed themselvs back into the right position.

Then he checked his feet.

Moving them was also easy.

His knees and shoulders followed.

Then he stared at his fingers but soon the back of his hand caught his interest.

A glowing ruby gem was placed inside of his flesh and he could see it in his palms as well as on the backside.

The same was for his right hand.

He remembered what was written in the book and touched his forehead.

In the middle of it was a fist sized ruby and around it were other numerous smaller ones.

Grim walked over to a mirror in one of the corners and looked at his reflection.

His flesh around the rubys looked perfectly fine and his hair was still the same.

Grims height also hadn't changed , but his eyes had.

They were burning with a light like the rubys emitted.

A sizzling small golden fire was emitted by his eyes.

At a closer inspection the rubys formed something like a crown on his forehead and at the realization he gasped loudly.

Now the door opened and the 2 guards stared at him.

Their mouths opened wide and soon shouted for the king.

All the while Grim was curiously checking out the new windows that had pooped up since he received the curse.

*tring*

- Character window has been unlocked due to starting the class change q

*tring*

- Inventory window has been unlocked due to starting the class change q

*tring*

- Message window has been unlocked due to starting the class change q

*tring*

- health , mana , and stamina bar has been unlocked due to starting the class change q

*tring*

- Quest was accepted for the class change to > Dawnlight Guardian <

You need to find the ancient beasts the Insane king has sent back to slumber and bond with them.

Depending on which beast you bond with you will receive extra bonuses.

Time limit , 2 weeks.

Sucess: Rewards vary

Failure: Permanently be banned from the elfen and dwarven kingdoms.