Toby arrived at the kitchen to find Simon yelling at a couple of the smaller children. He couldn't tell who as they appeared to be cleaning up a spill on the other side of the counter. Of course, Simon would be in charge of Breakfast for the orphanage on his last morning there. With Simon, a skinny dark-haired freckle faced twelve-year-old with no appreciation for food, running the kitchen plain boiled oats was guaranteed. Toby hated gruel, but he needed to eat something. He had no idea when his next meal would be.
"Simon, give them a break would you. Accidents happen." Lowering his voice so only Simon could hear he continued. "They were probably just too excited as it's my last meal here. I'll be leaving soon. Also, if you keep scaring them like you are they are going to make a lot more mistakes. I know you hate kitchen duty; more mistakes mean more time in the kitchen to get it clean."
Simon shot a vicious glare at Toby. "Keep your opinions to yourself, Tobias. What do you want anyway? It's my day to run the kitchen and you aren't needed here."
"I'm here to grab breakfast, Director Victoria sent me so that I could be gone before all the littles woke up." Toby continued to smile at Simon. He knew better than to rise to any of Simon's provocations. Simon not getting the response he wanted spun around grabbed a wooden bowl and slammed it down onto the counter. Every one of his actions were completed with a jerky sense of hostility as he scooped a spoonful of gruel into the bowl. He didn't even stop to look at Toby before walking around the counter and helping with the mess.
Toby's smile grew and became genuine as he picked up his bowl. Walking out of the kitchen he could hear Simon speaking gently, encouraging the kids he had just been yelling at. Simon came to the orphanage off the street only a year ago. His defensive walls were slowly crumbling, and if given time Toby was sure he would be able to help care for the littles. So many of the older kids never learned how and it worried him. Who was going to step up and take over for him, protecting, and teaching them. There were so many things the younger kids didn't know or understand. They didn't have anyone there for them to instruct them on the importance of XP. The more XP an orphan earned before gaining their class the more likely they were not going to end up on the street barely getting by. These kids didn't have a family to help them for a couple extra years until they had the XP to succeed in life. They needed to get as much as they could right away.
Toby took a seat in the dining room the smile wiped off his face by his recent thoughts. Lifting his spoon out of the bowl he had to gawk. How did they manage to mess up gruel so badly that it was clumpy, watery, and cold all at once. With a grimace he took his first bite and opened his status screen.
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Status
Name: Tobias Guardson
Race: Human
Age: 15
Class: Arcane Knight (Hidden) expand
Class: None
Level: 0
Experience (XP): 470,400/100
Health: 300/300
Mana: 600/600
Attributes:
Strength: 15
Agility: 11
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Endurance: 12
Perception: 13
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 15
Luck: 18 (Locked)
Spells: Heal 2 / Arcane Haste 1
General Skills: Hide
Cooking 3 / Leadership 2 / Firebuilding 3 / Reading 5 / Writing 4 / Math 2 / Acting 1 / Lifting 7 / Running 9 / Climb 1 / Haggling 2 / Detect Lie 3 / Tracking 2 / First Aid 1 / Sewing 1 / Identify 5 / Poison Resist 1
Combat Skills: Hide
Unarmed Combat 4 / Daggers 1 / Medium Sword Proficiency 1 / Shields 1
Armor Stats:
Weapon Stats:
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With a thought Toby Expanded the Arcane Knight Class to reread its description.
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Arcane Knight: The Arcane Knight is a unique class. This unique class is a legendary evolved version of the Knight Class. Only five may exist at one time. Class can be passed from its previous holder to a new holder by a combination of both consent and contact between two parties. This type of class is known as a Legacy Class. When this class is passed on some of the attributes and skills may carry over. Attributes and Skills levels will reduce upon progressing to a new holder. This class allows a Knight to have access to mana. This access includes but is not necessarily limited to basic elemental branches, and heightened perception-based spells. Every level a holder will receive one attribute point in each Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Holder will also receive 3 attribute points to assign.
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His bowl empty, Toby dismissed his status screen. According to his teachers, most kids should work hard to achieve between thirty and forty thousand XP by the time they reach their Class Day. Thirty thousand XP was enough for a respectable level five entering a potential apprenticeship. Toby on the other hand already had more than 470,000 XP. Regrettably he hadn't realized that having a class allowed him to earn 100% of all quest XP rewards until a couple years after he entered the orphanage. He tried to talk to his teachers and Miss Vicky about already having a class and earning so much XP, and every time they would smile and tell him he had such a good imagination. Eventually Toby just gave up and embraced the secret nature of his class. He threw himself into his minor quests and began to earn as much XP as he could.
Finished with his status review and gruel he stood to leave. Grabbing the empty bowl to return it to the kitchen, Toby turned around and ran straight into Miss Vicky. "Gah." Even with his decent perception, attributes for an average new class holder were typically a ten, he could never sense her like he could the kids that got close to him. "Miss Vicky, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?"
Not looking at all out of sorts Miss Vicky held a small satchel out to Toby. "I'm fine Toby. I didn't mean to surprise you. I was hoping to catch you before you left. A few of the teachers and I did our best to put together something for you. We went with a satchel to carry your spare clothes and whatever else you might need." Her brow was furrowed, but smile genuine, and all signs of her earlier tears were gone. "Now, no more waiting here. You need to get going, the other kids will be waking soon."
Making his way out the front door of the dining hall and the orphanage Toby paused but didn't look back. He had to look forward, and not towards his past. The sun was cresting the wall meaning he had a bit of time before he needed to be present for his class selection. The smell of the tannery accosted his senses. The town did its best to support the orphanage and the mayor's daughter, but no one really wanted orphans in the living near their homes. Deciding to put distance between himself and the smell he didn't wait and made his way from the south wall for the center of town and the church.
Toby pulled the satchel from his back to get a better look at it. A nicely crafted bag made of obviously cheap leather. Opening the single buckle flap, he took a quick look inside, and then another look. There was more in the bag then just a single set of grey clothes. Resolved to inspect the contents of the bag later he buckled the flap.
"Toby!" Toby glanced up from the satchel in response to a voice he easily recognized. He had already made it to the market square.
"Good morning, Marlin. How's business been this morning?" Toby asked a stocky youth only a couple of years older than himself.
"Morning Tobes. Business is good, but I don't want to talk about business. It's your class day. Isn't it exciting. Any idea what you'll get. Of course, you know, I knew I was going to be a baker. Only thing I ever wanted to do. Just like my dad. Here have a roll on me." Marlin tossed Toby a roll only now taking the time to breath. Marlin was always excitable, even as a kid at the orphanage. It got worse after Marlin received the Baker Class and his apprenticeship. His Master was the only person who could slow the never-ending stream of words. "Oh, don't let me stop you. Get to the Church, hurry, or you will be late."
Smiling at Marlin, Toby took a bite from the roll, nodded and kept walking. Slowly chewing he savored every bite; the roll helped him completely forget about the horrible gruel from earlier. Chewing the last bite, he stopped outside the nicest building in the town. The church loomed overhead. One of only a few stone buildings they had, the church was taller than everything else. It stood even taller than the walls surrounding the town.
Doubt entered Toby's mind.