So that left just two classes to consider. The caster and the rogue. Both rang with Octavia, deep down in her heart. But there was only one class that resonated the most, and that was rogue. With no doubt in her heart, she selected that class and watched as the words flickered in the air.
You have selected the rogue class!
Dex:+2 Agi:+1 Perc:+2 End:+1 +1 free stat point per level.
You have unlocked:
Acrobatics (Inferior): The rogue is graceful, with a keen sense of balance. Passively grants a miniscule buff towards balance.
Quick Step (Inferior): Move across small distances in an instant.
Identify (Inferior): With a mere glance, information that was hidden will be revealed to you.
As Octavia read through the words, a strange sensation washed over her head. It felt like hundreds of needles poking into her head. Images flashed through her mind’s eyes, bringing with it knowledge of how to use her new skills. It was a strange feeling of knowing how to do something, yet never having done it once.
“Congratulations rogue! Now, time for you to select your equipment. Your class allows you to use lighter weapons, like short swords, daggers, hatchets, rapiers and similar armaments. We stock most kinds so please, make a choice.” The porcelain figure spoke up, tearing her from her thoughts.
The feeling of needles pulsing up and down her skin and into her brain faded into a slight tingle. It was enough to just barely bother her, but the annoyance was easily pushed away. So, it was time to choose a weapon, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted. A short sword seemed fun, but it fell flat. Whatever she chose, she wanted to excel. Mediocrity was not an option.
So what weapons would be best? A rapier? The thought of it conjured images of musketeers and fencing, and she’d be lying if she didn’t like the idea of it. She could remember the countless years she spent on the couch, watching the Olympics and seeing how the contestants moved faster than the blink of an eye. It was exciting, yet, with all these choices, it was paralyzing. She could reach for the stars, and in turn they were blinding.
“Can I test a few weapons?” Her senses slowly came back to her, as did the final tingles that scintillated across her body.
The porcelain mannequin nodded its head as it sat there, staring at her with its purely blank face.
“In that case, can I try a rapier,dagger, and just for shits and giggles, can I get a large Chakram?” The rapier, naturally, was a strong contender, simply because of the memories that it had in her childhood and the time she spent watching the sports with her parents. Having the dagger as an off-hand weapon could be crucial if things took a turn for the worse. Which, usually, they did. That one was going to be non-negotiable.
The final one was the Chakram. This one she didn’t have too much information on. All she knew was that it was a ring weapon from India. She only knew about its existence from watching gameplay videos featuring a character using a giant one to do wild things. Like throwing it like a boomerang, or splitting it into two, and using them as orbiting weapons.
The advisor nodded and waved its hand. Three weapons dropped onto the table with a brief clatter. The first was a simple steel dagger. The handle was nothing more than twine, and the blade looked rough, as if no one had taken care of it since it was made.
Second, the rapier wasn’t what she had expected. Perhaps it was because of a built expectation of watching fencing on TV. But this was a beast. It was the length that she had expected, but the blade was easily five centimeters across at the base, where it met the simple knuckle guard. The blade itself was seventy-nine centimeters and gleamed in the harsh lighting of the training room.
Last but not least was the Chakram. It was far larger than she was expecting, easily taking up more of the table then the other two combined, The ring’s blade tapered to a fierce edge and traveled along its circumference, till it met what looked to be a small handle wrapped in the same brown twine like substance of the dagger.
“Can I pick the dagger, and then one of these weapons?” The words left her lips as the desire to touch them bloomed within her heart.
“That is fine.” The advisor replied in that strange mechanical voice. It’s featureless face staring into her soul.
Octavia nodded as she reached out and touched the rapier’s hilt, lifting it. The first thing she noticed was how heavy it was. It wasn’t overly cumbersome, but it was more than what she expected, perhaps somewhere around two kilograms. Tentatively, she flicked her wrist, and she felt how the blade danced through the air with a soft whistle.
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It felt fine, even if it didn’t really fall into her expectations, so it was a definite contender. Gently, she set the rapier down, and moved to the giant chakram next. This was a unique weapon. One that only came to Octavia’s mind as the most exotic choice she could think of at this moment.
Her fingers curled around the twine-like handle, and picked it up. Shockingly enough, it wasn’t as heavy as she thought it would have been. Granted, it was still heavy but only slightly more so than the rapier, which was weird, considering the size of the weapon. She carefully positioned it and gave it a small swing. It cut through the air with a soft whistle, much like the rapier had, but something felt different about this weapon. Yes, it was a giant ring, but the way it flowed felt right. Even more so than the rapier.
Carefully, she brought it close to her body, tracing the sharp edges of it with her eyes. Yes, there was something there that she couldn’t seem to put her finger on. A resonance that stirred within her heart and beat heavily in her chest. While she wanted the rapier, this gave her a strange feeling that she wanted to explore.
Trusting her gut, she pulled the chakram away from the table. ‘I’ll take this one.”
With another wave of its porcelain hand, another set of notifications appeared in her vision.
General Skill Unlocked:
Large Chakram Usage(Inferior): The large chakram is an exotic ring weapon. Used in both close range and long, it is a weapon few use, and even fewer master.
Basic One handed Weapon Usage(Inferior): Unlocks basic proficiency with most one handed weapons.
All rogue skills are now tied into the large chakram usage tree.
New skill unlocked:
Wrathful Disc(Inferior) The chakram is thrown, imbued with both mana and stamina. It travels across a small distance, shredding up to three separate targets before returning.
This time it felt like a bucket of ice cold water getting dumped directly into her brain. With it came images of how to use her dagger, and how to move with the giant ring weapon. Seconds turned into minutes as the information seeped into her mind. Eventually, however, the feeling faded, allowing Octavia to suck in a lungful of stale air. “Fuck, that was rough.” She groaned as she fell into her chair, heaving for breath.
“Congratulations on selecting your weapon. The large chakram is a rare choice indeed. Now, please, collect your gear while I prepare your tutorial.” The advisor waved its hand once more, and a few items appeared onto the table.
Octavia’s eyes tiredly took in what she saw, her recently gained inspection skill kicking into effect.
Rogue’s cloak (Inferior); The most basic clothing item a rogue carries. Its color helps to blend into the shadows, while keeping the wearer warm or cool depending on the environment.
The first item was exactly what the skill said it was. It was a square folded black cloak that looked like it was made of wool. Carefully, she took it and noticed how light it was. Yet the familiar prickle of wool dug into her skin, causing her to grimace. Maybe it was a sensory thing, but feeling it made her skin crawl.
Rogue’s tool belt (Inferior): A key essential of any rogue. This tool belt carries anything from potions to lock picks.
The item looked pretty normal, and was made of low-quality leather. Octavia took a deep breath to clear her throat, and calm her racing mind as she stood up. She took the belt, found a small metal clasp, and quickly undid it, sliding it on over her dress pants.
Next, she quickly unfolded the clock and donned it. Thankfully, the clothing that she already wore stopped the wool from grating against her skin.
As she glanced at the table, she noticed a few more items. The first was three small flasks filled with a brilliant red potion that sparked in the air.
Next to it were six more identical flasks. The first set of three was such a vibrant green they looked like emeralds, and the second set was such a deep blue they glimmered like sapphires.
Health potion (Inferior): A health potion collected from the bottom of the barrel. Restores twenty health.
Stamina potion (Inferior): A stamina potion, collected from the bottom of the barrel. Restores ten stamina.
Mana potion (Inferior): A mana potion collected from the bottom of the barrel. Restores fifteen mana.
As Octavia read, she could only shake her head. Well, how kind the system was to give her its scraps. Chagrined, she reached out, took the small flasks, and quickly set them into her belt, finding that each of the pockets fit three perfectly.
Last but not least, she saw a small cluster of small strange looking items. They were no larger than a bobby pin and looked like oblong keys with missing points.
Lock picks (Inferior): A set of old discarded lock picks. High chance of breaking upon use.
Grumbling, she reached out and grabbed the small stack, counting out five. The system had the audacity to take her from her job, tell her the world is getting assimilated, and then hand her over what amounted to scraps? Under her breath, she cursed whoever created this system to never have a cool side to their pillow ever again.