“Please tell me you made it to the village,” Jed said dramatically.
“I did,” I replied. “And I got a map.”
“Finally!” He exclaimed. “Where are you? What’s the name of the town?”
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I bought the unmarked map. I’m just south of…”
“Bro, why do you always have to be difficult?” He snapped. “You aren’t going to miss out on anything by purchasing the filled-in map. But whatever. Just ask someone what the town’s called.”
I looked around to discover Phylis cleaning a table nearby. Either she couldn’t hear my phone conversation or she was just being polite.
I called out to get her attention. “Excuse me. Phylis. What’s the name of this town?”
“This is Homestead, Dear,” she replied.
A label appeared on the map the moment she said it.
Jed, who overheard, said, “Good. It shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to make it to Kingstown Harbor. It’s a straight shot north through the mountain pass to the coast. You can get a carriage and…”
“You know I like to explore,” I cut him off.
“Gah!” He screeched at me. “You realize you always get left behind because of shit like this. I want us to actually be in the same guild for once. Can’t you hold off exploring until we meet up?”
“Sorry, Bro,” I replied. “I’ll regret it if I leave anything behind without exploring.”
“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll grind near Kingstown for a bit but if I out-level it, I won’t wait for you.”
“Fair enough,” I replied.
He hung up. I knew he was disappointed. That is what always happened. He power-leveled while I explored and generally took my time getting to the max level. For me, the magic was in the world and what it had to offer, not in racing to end-game. Maybe this time, I could find a way to do both. It would be fun to raid with my brother.
I turned my attention back to Phylis, who had stopped pretending to clean and was looking at me intently. “Do you know if any other classes are offered in this town?”
“Do you want to learn how to cook?” She asked, winking and nodding toward the kitchen.
Phylis has offered you the class: Chef
“I see,” I replied more to the message than the job offer. “Does that mean anyone can offer a class?”
Phylis pulled out a chair and sat at the table across from me. “You will find many professions in this world. They say there are as many jobs as stars in the sky. Some of them you will find useful for adventuring while others will allow you to live a peaceful life on the sidelines. They say an adventurer can even become the king of a mighty nation if he puts his mind to it.”
Her comment felt like a canned speech designed to fill new adventurers in on the game’s class system.
“I bet that’s a nightmare to balance,” I chuckled.
Phylis’s reply was drowned out as a wall of text obscured my vision.
Disclaimer: Classes are not balanced as they are in traditional games. While we strive to make each class enjoyable, our goal is to provide a unique experience for each. Classes can be changed once every 5 levels. Some penalties will apply.
I took a few minutes to let that soak in. Since classes weren’t balanced, that meant some would be better at certain things. It also meant the raiders would gravitate toward the strongest.
“Not me,” I muttered.
“Excuse me?” Phylis asked.
“I’m going to find the perfect class,” I replied. “And it’s not going to be what everyone else picks.”
“Cooking is the perfect job,” Phylis said confidently.
Suddenly, I felt like considering it. “What skills do I get with cooking?”
“Well, I can teach you to mince vegetables,” she replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “And filet fish, and…”
She went on to list various cooking techniques. I waited patiently for her to finish. “What about fighting skills? Do you have any skills you use when you hunt for ingredients?”
“Heaven’s no,” she replied. “I buy all my ingredients. There’s no way I’d try to hunt them. I might die.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
That made the class slightly less appealing. While being able to cook a good meal in-game and possibly buff my stats, it would do next to nothing to help me explore and have fun. Still, I didn’t want to be rude. “I’ll think about it. Do you know any other class trainers in town?”
She shrugged. I left the inn and took a look around town for the first time. The sun was out. The short game day came in handy as most of the other businesses seemed to be open. I walked into the first business I saw.
Custer’s General Store
Custer stood behind the counter in a store full of stocked shelves. There was everything from rope to horse tackle to a fancy display of maps. A copy of the filled-in map was on display in a glass case, highlighting the many points of interest in the area.
“What can I get for you today, Son,” Custer greeted me when I approached the counter. “We are having a sale on ration packs today. They taste better than they look and provide a small stat boost to boot.”
“Do you have any classes to offer?” I asked while I examined the rope.
Hemp Rope
Length: 30 feet
Custer smiled, ignoring my question for the moment while he let me sell myself on the rope. “I can let that go for five silver. Would you be interested?”
“But the map only cost five copper?” I replied, wondering how he set his prices.
“You practically bought a blank sheet of paper,” he replied, pointing to the fully populated map. “This one is significantly more expensive than the rope. Do you want it or not?”
“I’ll take it,” I replied, sliding the silver across the table. “Now, what about that class? Do you have one?”
“What makes you think you have what it takes to be a Merchant?” Custer asked, crossing his arms. “You didn’t even try to get a discount. You only asked about my pricing.”
I felt discouraged by the meager class options in Homestead. “I don’t suppose your class knows any fighting skills. Do you ever have to defend your caravan from bandits?”
“Heavens, no,” Custer gasped. “We hire adventurers for that.”
I sighed. “Are all of the classes in this town crafting and gathering?”
“The kid occasionally fights monsters,” Custer pointed out. “When her mom’s not looking.”
“Oh, you mean Anna,” I replied, thinking back to the Card Battler class she offered me.
I picked up a few ration packs to go with the rope before leaving. I’d forgotten to get any food to go from Phylis and the dried rations looked like they would last longer. It only dawned on me that he never offered me the Merchant class after I left. Perhaps I had to convince him I was worthy to get the offer.
I explored the rest of the town and didn’t find any adventuring classes. From what people told me, I’d have to travel to Kingstown to get one. There were several different crafting classes but they all seemed boring to me. While I didn’t want to rule the classes out, I was looking for a bit more excitement.
I was about to give up and move on when I noticed something interesting. Behind the town was a path leading to a mine in the mountain nestled up against Homestead. It wasn’t the main path that ran by the village. That was much wider and wound through a mountain pass to Kingstown.
Curiosity got the best of me, and I entered the mine. Perhaps it was another dungeon. Unlike the hidden dungeon, there was no helpful moss to light the way. It was pitch black.
“Who’s there?” A gruff voice called out in the darkness.
I strained my eyes to see in the faint light from the entrance. It was a stout, crosseyed man in a hard hat. He came up to my navel and had a soot-covered beard that went down to his ankles.
“Who are you?” He asked. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“My name’s Veritas,” I replied. “Who are you and what were you doing in the dark?”
“My name’s Gromnald and I’m making the mountain sing,” he replied. “Why do you ask? Wanna watch?”
That sounded interesting. “Sure. That sounds fun.”
I became less sure of my decision as he led me away from the light. “Can you see down here?”
He guffawed. “Course, I can. I don’t let a little darkness stop me. Just ignore it.”
“Ignore the dark?” I asked.
“Aye!” He replied.
“How do I do that?” I asked, truly curious.
He guffawed again. “I can show you if you agree to be my apprentice.
Gromnald has offered you the class: Excavator
“What does that class do?” I asked.
“What doesn’t it do?” He shot back. “Excavators break things down and take only the good parts. We are one with the land. When I say crack, it says how wide!”
I groaned. Poor Gromnald might just be insane. “Tell me about ignoring the dark again.”
“Agree to be my apprentice and I’ll show you everything,” he replied, not budging on his offer.
Gromnald has offered you the class: Excavator…again
My heart raced as I seriously considered a class for the first time. “At least tell me you have some attack abilities. You know, to defend yourself.”
“Of course,” he replied, slapping me on the back so hard I flew a few feet forward. “Gotta defend myself against the cave gremlins, don’t I? Besides, everything I do is considered an attack.”
I was almost sold. “Do you use a weapon?”
“Just my fancy pickaxe,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he had one or not. It was too dark to tell. “And a shovel when the situation calls for it.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight monsters with a pickaxe. Maybe I wouldn’t have to. “Tell me the best thing about being an excavator.”
“That’s simple, Lad. The work we do is rewarding. You can level all you want by just breaking rocks.”
Just by breaking rocks? That meant I could level up using my Cannonball skill, and there didn’t even have to be a monster around. “Sign me up!”
You have accepted the class: Excavator
Trait Obtained: Ignore Darkness
Skill Obtained: Break Stuff
Skill Obtained: Ping
Skill Obtained: Whallop
Proficiency Obtained: Pickaxe
Proficiency Obtained: Shovel
The darkness suddenly turned into thousands of tiny insects that flew in every direction before disappearing. What was left was the two of us in a narrow cave that led into the distance. It was as bright as a sunny day once the darkness went away. I didn’t even know how that worked. There wasn’t exactly a light source. My brain still struggled to grasp the concept. I decided to examine myself as a distraction.
Veritas
Class: Excavator
Level: 8
HP: 800/800
MP: -
SP: 1600/1600
Skills: Cannonball, Super Jump, Imbue Card, Break Stuff, Ping, Wallop
Traits: Ignore Darkness
Proficiencies: Pickaxe, Shovel
“Still no mana, eh?” I grumbled as I looked over my stats.
“The stuff’s worthless,” Gromnald replied. “Never did find a way to make the stuff explode. Stick to good old elbow grease. Will get you where you’re going every time.”
“Are there any other dwarves down here?” I asked.
“Dwarves, you say?” He asked gruffly. “What makes you think I’m a dwarf?”
“Um…” I was at a loss for words.
“I’m just a short-statured man with a magnificent beard,” He replied, fluffing his beard for effect. “If you don’t believe me, inspect me.”
Race: Short-statured man with a Magnificent Beard.
I laughed. It fit with everything else I knew about him. “So, I guess I get how Ignore Darkness works. Tell me how to use these other skills.”