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”Ready to go kids?” Ophiel asked while straightening out Raziel’s attire. Unsurprisingly Seraphiel had managed to dress herself impeccably. She also somehow managed to bear her candy-pink clothing with stoic acceptance. Something she’d done with everything the last few years.
At first, Ophiel had been a little skeptical about her young daughter's claims about having lived other lives, but that skepticism had quickly vanished. It wasn't really even that she'd thought the girl had been making it up, and more that she just needed to verify the truth. The speed at which the girl had adapted to the situation and 'learned' new skills had been rather obvious. In fact, it was quite clear that she wasn’t learning new things, and instead simply slowly revealing that which she already knew. The fact that the girl had taken over cooking entirely by the age of five was just the most obvious example. Seraphiel had just announced one evening that she’d had enough of Ophiel’s admittedly sub-par cooking and was now going to be taking care of it. Both Ophiel and Raziel had quite quickly accepted the change after tasting the young girl’s cooking, and since then the kitchen had been Seraphiel’s domain.
“I was born ready.” Seraphiel smiled at their little inside joke, before moving to help her brother don his attire. Winter clothing had become a necessity in the last month, and while Raziel could handle simpler clothing pretty easily, heavier clothing was a problem. Mainly because of the wings.
“I still don’t understand how you can hide your wings so easily Sephy!” Raziel protested to his sister. “Or that they never tangle with your clothing.”
“That’s because you don’t fully understand how they work. The wings are only a physical tangible object when and where you want them to be. You don’t really have to hide them, as much as just want them to be intangible. They are what you want them to be.” The girl explained. For the fiftieth time. This month.
“Intangib-what?” Raziel asked Ophiel loudly with obvious confusion while pulling the robes over his head. The boy had already gotten used to being bewildered by his little sister, bless him. It wasn’t that he was not smart, but Seraphiel simply outshone him in comparison.
“Intangible. It means unable to be touched or affected by physical objects.” Ophiel patted her son on the head and ushered both of them out the door and towards the elevator that took them down to the ground floor. There they went to the transit stop to wait for the magicar.
As she looked around, Seraphiel had to admit that the city was an interesting mix of technology and magic, just like their home. In many ways it was quite advanced, with public transportation via magical vehicles, and buildings constructed mostly of steel, crystal, and glass. Most of the buildings around her were very tall, and the city planners loved building and designing vertically. In the city center, none of the buildings were less than a dozen floors, and many of the buildings had skyways built between them with roads filled with vehicles. Usually, the roads could be seen in three layers, though in the deepest part of the city the layers went up to five. Flying vehicles existed but were rarer and usually reserved for either the super wealthy or for trade and travel between cities. The fact that half of the city’s population could fly also contributed to the vertical nature of the architecture.
The buildings were rather uniform in appearance, mostly having large floor-to-ceiling windows, occasionally interspersed with magical crystals that helped maintain the buildings and allow them to ignore some structural issues. The top floors were usually owned by Angels, and not just because they were the ruling force in the city. It was also practical, as the Angels could easily fly from one building to another, while the Draenei and occasional other races needed to travel the old-fashioned way. On the other hand, the Draenei also had several floating islands of their own, that circled around the city like a ring of defensive forts. They ranged in size from just big enough for a single house, to floating fortresses that were practically cities by themselves.
Their apartment was located on the top three floors of their building near the center of the city. Ophiel was quite well-off and could comfortably afford such space on the salary of an archmagus, though their lifestyle aside from the home was far from lavish. Their apartment also had many of the luxuries she’d come to find common in technologically advanced universes, such as entertainment systems close to TV and music players. There was even a magical internet equivalent. On the other hand, there was no electricity as such. Everything ran on magic. The number of appliances that could work on ambient mana was limited, and she’d quickly realized that the level of luxury one could enjoy was strictly proportional to how much mana one had. Or if you could afford to hire someone else to charge your apartment’s mana circuits if mana wasn’t your thing.
The economy, or at least what she'd seen of it, was a weird mix of more modern and older-fashioned. People valued quality over price, so most of your clothing and items were created by artisans with Skills and levels in an appropriate Class. On the other hand, commerce guilds had focused many of the storefronts of those artisans into large commercial complexes which reminded her of the large stores and malls often found in post-industrial revolution worlds. And those Skills and levels often allowed the artisans to produce simple products en masse, almost like a factory would. That reduced the prices to manageable levels while maintaining quality. You could find smaller stores elsewhere in the city, but those were either stubborn and very individualistic artisans, or they were more service-oriented enterprises with the location being a matter of distance from workplaces.
The city itself was densely populated, as hinted at by the building style. The city was situated on a floating island just like the smaller ones circling it, so space was at a premium. A little more than half the population was made up of Angels of various types. Two-thirds of the rest were the mostly blue-, grey-, or purple-skinned, horned, and hooved Draenei, and the rest were a mix of travelers, merchants, and others that had chosen to make this city their temporary home for one reason or another. Permanent residents from other races were not exactly discouraged from what Seraphiel had seen and heard, but they weren’t exactly welcomed either.
The magicar, which looked like a bus that floated above the road magically, dropped them off near the academic district, and the trio got off at the stop in front of a very official-looking building that had a lot of young people streaming inside. It was difficult to judge the age of the children, but they ranged from small kids to young teenagers appearance-wise. Seraphiel was among the youngest and the smallest which wasn’t surprising. Education until your System Day was mandatory, but the kids started their education at different times depending on their capabilities and maturity. You could attend when you were judged mature enough, not at any particular age. Some continued their studies after System Day, while the gifted ones found other education.
Ophiel led them through the large automatic glass doors that were dotted along the bottom floor of the building. The lobby looked to be filled with various information counters, while the majority of the kids and their escorts were flowing towards the elevator banks at the center of the building. “Hello, I’m picking up the schedule for a new student starting today named Seraphiel, as well as the schedule of one continuing student named Raziel.” Ophiel had led them to one of the information desks, where a purple-skinned Draenei in a pants suit quickly looked something up on her terminal.
“Seraphiel starting her first year of the System track, and Raziel on the third year of the general track, correct?” The Draenei tilted her head a bit, causing the rings attached to one of her curved horns to clink a bit. “It says here that Seraphiel is signed up to nothing, but System-based classes, and that she’s six years old?” Her tone was questioning. Apparently starting so young was not normal despite the variable starting ages.
"I'm home-schooling her on other subjects," Ophiel replied immediately, not giving any room to argue. There was no point in placing Seraphiel in math or reading classes. The only classes from the general category she really needed to learn were general information and history, both of which Ophiel could easily teach herself. Only System-related information was new to the girl, and those classes were mandated by the city anyway.
“You are aware that she will need to test her learning at the end of every year on the other subjects anyway, yes?” The Draenei asked just to confirm. It wasn’t the first such arrangement even if the age was out of the ordinary.
“She has already been tested on the first three years’ worth of material on the other subjects,” Ophiel pointed out. And Seraphiel had gotten record marks too. Not difficult when she could pass math and other similar classes designed for dedicated Classers in her sleep. The same applied to most subjects. She could design starships and calculate orbital vectors in her sleep, so elementary math was a joke.
“Sephy’s a genius!” Raziel announced, quite happy for his sister’s success. He’d been tutoring her after all! Or at least that’s what his mother and sister allowed him to think.
“Ah. So, she has.” The Draenei clacked on the controls that were quite similar to a keyboard and seemed to confirm the information. “In that case, here are your schedules.” She handed them two slates that seemed to be similar to laminated paper.
“As we suspected, your lighter class load leaves your day ending much earlier than Raziel’s.” Ophiel nodded to Seraphiel. “I won’t be able to come and pick you up separately. I still have work to do. Mages are in high demand. Especially at my level.”
“Not a big surprise. I’ll be browsing the library next door or using the training facilities. Or I could even try socializing, although that holds less appeal.” She shrugged in response. “I’ll be taking physical education in the future anyway, so that’ll even things out a bit.”
She’d started training after turning four. Her body was much too young for any strenuous physical activity, but she mostly did basic exercises and some light sparring with wooden weapons just to keep herself active and busy. Her brother also often joined her in training, and both rather enjoyed the joint activities. Raziel could act like a big brother, and she could subtly help her brother’s form improve. Still, she was too small to take part in official classes. “Fine, just try to keep out of trouble.” Her mother gave an exasperated sigh.
“That’s me. Ms. Normal and Safe.” She joked back, causing her mother to snort. She didn’t usually get into any trouble, as she was smart enough to avoid it, but she did tend to draw attention. Even now she was getting some curious looks.
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“The System is the all-knowing and all-powerful construct that maintains our universe and gives us power. We do not know for certain who created it, as it has existed longer than recorded history. We are somewhat certain that the Gods as we know them were not the original creators, although that too is disputed. Some claim that the System came first, and the gods are just beings that have reached the peak of what it can offer, or even that the gods have all come from the outside, but that is pure speculation at this point. What we can say, is that even the gods are subject to the System, and that the power we gain from the System is the basis of our society, and all the other societies around our universe." A stern-looking white-winged Angel woman wearing a rather generous toga lectured at the front of the class. The rest of the students were at least a year or three older than Seraphiel, though no one had made a mention of it so far.
“The very first thing you need to understand about the System is how stats work. Different Classes have different stats appropriate for their path, but there are some generalities that should be understood. The stats fall into groups based on your Classes, but they always come in groups of four. Two of those groups, the Physical stats and Social stats are common to everyone, while nearly every Class brings the person one extra group, meaning four new stats. There are some stat groupings that are shared between many Classes, such as Magic stats that all magic users have access to, while others are fairly unique. Some of the powers that have come from other universes and utilized by the Champions fall into this category. Those will not be the subject of this class. If you’re interested, most academies that you can enter after your System Day offer specialized classes on both stat theory and the Champions.” The tone of the teacher implied that she didn’t expect anyone currently present to take those classes, even though it might be a good idea. Seraphiel considered it as well, as those lessons might help her understand her own role. Still, she didn’t even know much about the academies, not to mention what classes to take.
“The second thing, and perhaps the most important thing you will learn in this class is that stats only enhance what’s already there. If a tiny creature has the same Strength as a grown man, the man is still stronger than the small creature. In fact, he will be significantly stronger, as his base is a lot better, and as I said, the stats only amplify and improve what is already there. This bears repeating. That’s why training and keeping in shape is important. That’s also why certain races are considered superior to others, especially when it comes to their specialty. An Elf will have a much better base for Agility and Perception than a Giant, while the Giant will have a much better base when it comes to Strength and Vitality. At some point, even a bunny will have enough stats to overpower a Dragon, but that bunny would need thousands of levels to do so, and that’s assuming the Dragon hasn’t leveled at all for some reason.” This brought some laughs from the students amused by the idea of a bunny felling a mighty Dragon. “That said, don’t let appearances fool you. Both Draenei and Angels are much stronger and sturdier than we appear. It seems our bodies work a little differently compared to the races that are lower ranked.
“As I already mentioned them, we might as well go over the Physical stats first. The four Physical stats are Strength, Vitality, Agility, and Perception. At first, these seem simple, but they interact in complex ways. Strength describes how strong you are. The more Strength you have, the heavier objects you can lift and the stronger the swing of your weapon. Importantly though, it’s also how many times you can do a heavy task or how many times you can run around a track. It’s power, and it’s stamina.” As the teacher spoke, small illusory images of Angels and Draenei lifting weapons and swinging them were shown. Those also happened to be the only two races taking the class. They were the only two races in the school.
“Vitality describes your sturdiness and health. It’s your ability to resist damage, to live a long life, to stave off disease and poison. It helps you recover from sickness and wounds, ranging from a plague to a simple punch. Being healthy also obviously helps with your stamina and even with things like childbearing. Vitality also slows down aging and can make you effectively immortal, though some races grant us that from the beginning.” This time the images showed figures shrugging off blows from weapons, and quickly recovering from wounds.
“Agility is all about speed and flexibility. Importantly, it's also about coordination. It's about your ability to control yourself and your actions. If you want to create fine art or precision items, Agility is your friend. It also combines with Perception when it comes to determining the accuracy of your strikes, whether it comes to cutting lumber or firing arrows at enemies. Agility helps you strike swiftly and to dodge blows, run away quickly, and to catch fleeing enemies.” This time the figures were running in circles and making acrobatic movements.
"Perception is about your ability to perceive the world around you and react to it. If Agility allows you to move faster, Perception allows you to react to the movements of others. It allows you to see the flaws in items, and to spot dangers from a distance. As mentioned before, it combines with Agility to help with your fine control, and at high enough levels it can make it seem like the world slows down around you when you’re in danger. Any craftsman worth their salt will need high Perception to do high-quality work.” The images showed a hawk swooping down on a prey before transitioning to an artist drawing a picture on canvas.
“Now, I already alluded to how some of the stats work together, but can anyone tell me further reasons why stat builds that are not balanced enough are a bad idea?” The teacher looked towards the class, not really expecting an answer from such young students, but was surprised when the youngest person in the class raised their hand. "Yes, Seraphiel was it?"
“Seraphiel, yes ma’am. I would guess that the reason is because the stats are interconnected in many ways. They support each other, and in case of builds that are not balanced, can leave you unable to control yourself. For example, someone with high Agility would have trouble controlling their own movements if their Perception was not high enough. Or someone with low Vitality could injure their own body if their Strength or Agility was too high in comparison. On the other hand, if your perception was very high, you could see danger coming, but if your Agility was low, your movements would not be fast enough to do anything about it.” She answered.
“Exactly. These issues can be either exacerbated or made worse by Skills. A Skill that boosts your Strength is great, but that means you’re going to have to invest more into your other stats to compensate. We’ll go further into Skills and how to avoid such problems in the future. However, a good rule of thumb is that no stat should be more than ten times higher than the other stats without incurring serious problems.” The illusory image now showed a runner who stumbled over their own feet.
“Now, moving on to the next group, the Social stats. The Social stats are a little less direct in their application, but can often be even more important depending on your Class and what you do in life. The Social stats are Charisma, Willpower, Manipulation, and Acumen. Unlike the Physical stats, the Social stats are notable in that they are divided into offensive and defensive stats. While the Physical stats support each other, the Social stats are a little different, mainly because they work on other people instead of just enhancing yourself. Charisma is resisted by Willpower, and Manipulation is resisted by Acumen. That’s not all the stats are good for of course.”
The illusory image turned into a static picture of a beautiful woman, someone most of them recognized from adverts on the streets. “Charisma is a measure of your ability to influence others with your appearance and your personality. Charisma doesn't necessarily mean looks, though it often does correlate. It shows your ability to convince others to your point of view. Whether you want to charm someone or sell them a product, Charisma will help you accomplish that. It also influences your ability to lead people and people with high Charisma are usually the most popular people as well. Someone with high enough Charisma will be able to convince you of almost anything and to get you to do just as much. Keep in mind though, Charisma, or Social Skills for that matter, are not mind control, but you will find it difficult to resist the influence of someone with high enough Charisma. The person you’re trying to influence will have to be somewhat inclined to be persuadable. To give an example, if someone with high Charisma was selling you something, you’d find yourself convinced that buying the item at the price offered is a good idea. You would find it difficult to negotiate. However, if you knew for a fact that you have no use for the item or if you were completely against the idea they were trying to convince you of, you could abandon the situation completely. More often than not, you wouldn’t want to, however. That’s the most insidious part of Charisma. You often want to listen to people that have it high enough. And the more Charisma they have, the more they can get away with.”
Next, the image turned to that of a politician. "In contrast, while Charisma is about appearance, charm, and personality, Manipulation is all about knowing the right words to whisper in the right ears. The right thing to say to a person. Your arguments are better and more convincing when you have high Manipulation. It's more about your wits and your social know-how than charm. The end goals are often very similar to Charisma, but the means to get there are very different. Many people, usually those with low Manipulation, argue that the stat is the more sinister version of Charisma, but it's just a different way of approaching things.” The teacher noted that her audience might be a bit young to appreciate the difference, so she chose to move on instead.
“Willpower is your ability to resist the influence of Charisma, but it’s also more than that. It’s your ability to keep cool under pressure, to stay true to yourself in the face of adversity, and notably one of the best ways to resist multiple forms of magic and other Class Skills. People with strong Willpower can maintain their course even if life doesn’t go their way and can deal with adversity. On the flipside, people with low Willpower can break under pressure, and are unable to deal with stressful situations. Willpower also helps you with discipline, and with leading a more regimented lifestyle. People with low Willpower are more prone to addiction and picking up bad habits.” This time the image showed a man rejecting the attempts at making a sale by a beautiful girl, before turning into a soldier standing under the scorching sun without flinching. “In my humble opinion, it is one of the most important stats if not the most important, and also the one where you notice your lack of points most keenly.”
“Acumen is…complicated. It helps you when it comes to noticing the plans and actions of those with high Manipulation, but that’s only a part of it. It’s your ability to sense things socially. With high Acumen, you can predict trends, can sense when the situation is turning dangerous, or when there’s something wrong with your friend. Or something right. You can notice positive things as well. High Acumen allows your mind to work faster and combines somewhat with your Perception. The effects of Acumen are often subtle, but important. There are many situations where you stumble socially where high Acumen could’ve helped you avoid the situation altogether. Ironically, it also combines well with Manipulation, instead of just resisting it. The best manipulators have high Acumen as well, as they can more easily tell if what they’re doing is working.” The teacher noticed that the complicated topic, while important, was also starting to bore the students. The information would be repeated many times in the future, so it didn’t matter if the students didn’t learn everything right away.
“As a final note on other stats tied to Classes, they usually follow a certain pattern. You usually have one stat that determines power, one stat that determines control, one stat that determines how often you can use your powers in a short period of time, and a final stat that determines your longer-term limit, like a fuel tank. As the different stat groups vary wildly, these rules don't always hold true, but usually, this is the pattern. That’s it for this lesson, and tomorrow we’ll delve more into the specifics of each stat.” The teacher dismissed the class a little early. Usually, the younger ones had shorter attention spans for such complicated topics, and there was little point in trying to cram in more information once the limits of that attention span had been reached. Repetition fixed any gaps left behind.
Seraphiel gathered her things, which only consisted of her clothing at this point as she wasn’t taking any notes or carrying any books, and made her way towards the library in the building opposite the school. She wasn’t the only one as many other students streamed out and the library was a very common destination. Ophiel had brought her here before, so she knew the general layout of the building and had had a library card that allowed her to borrow and read books.
She was browsing the history section when she felt someone approach her. As she turned, she noticed a Draenei girl a couple of years older than her approach. The girl had bright blue, almost grey, skin with dark short hair and tiny curling horns that had yet to grow out properly. The Draenei really looked a lot like the stereotypical depictions of certain demons with their hooved feet and almost demonic appearance, but they were almost the exact opposite. Where demons were embodiments of chaos and selfishness, the Draenei were orderly and self-sacrificing, sometimes to a fault.
The Draenei were big believers in the power of something they just called the Light, Seraphiel had learned that the race tended to be very similar to Angels in their outlook. The most likely reason the two races had stuck together. That faith in the Light had also created a manifestation in the form of a god of the same name, but unlike the other gods, the Light was more of a concept and an ideal.
“Excuse me. I’m Dalen. Would you like to join us for a game?” The girl asked with a somewhat timid voice.
“Dalen, is it? I’m Seraphiel. What are you playing? And why me?” She gestured around her, where a wide variety of slightly older students were looking on with a mix of ‘Awwww!’ and ‘How cute!’.
"It makes things symmetrical!" Dalen said simply, without further explanation, and pulled her towards the side rooms that offered a bit of privacy. Seraphiel decided to humor the girl and didn't resist.
She quickly realized what the somewhat mysterious statement meant as two boys were sitting around a table on comfy chairs, one Draenei and one Angel. Her presence would certainly make things symmetrical in a certain way. “So, what are we playing?” she asked again, this time more interested, and the Angel boy waved a deck of cards her way.
She didn’t know any of the card games of this universe, but she didn’t mind learning, so the four of them all sat down to play.