<>(Zack)<>
"Hey, Nik!" I wave at the old Dark Knight.
"You seem cheerful this morning," he says.
"Look!" I pull out the dog tags from under my shirt. "I considered what you said yesterday, and decided to get them! I could only get the copper ones, but I expect I''ll have the silver tags by the time I''m a Dark Knight."
"That would require you taking on Dark Squire, first."
"Yeah, yeah," I wave a hand. "I''ll get to it once I get to 100 Total Skill Levels. Since there was something for hitting fifty without a Class, I''m going to see if there''s something at a hundred, too."
"There was something for hitting fifty?"
"An Original Class," I nod. "It counts as a Subclass, according to the status screens. ''Original Ruffian''. It''s currently Level 3, after I killed the sleepy Goblin yesterday."
"A''Rui," he says. "Its name was A''Rui."
"Yeah, I know," I say. "But he was a sleepy Goblin."
Nik snorts, shaking his head.
"Alright, Zack," he says. "So there''s such a thing as the Original Classes, then?"
"Indeed."
"If there is some sort of reward at 100 Total Skill Levels without a Class," he says. "I will personally pay you a full gold. One silver per Skill Level you gained without a Class. I will not give you more than a full gold, it''s only to 100 Total Skill Levels."
I give him a cheeky grin. If there is, he''ll probably be glad he fixed that loophole before finding out that he''d have to pay me.
"Did you come here for anything else?" He asks. "Ask me anything?"
"No."
"Did you dream again last night?"
"Yeah."
"Care to share?"
"The mage was sunbathing."
"Uh-huh."
"He was," I say. "And he didn''t have tanlines, so it''s probably normal for him to do that, too. Then again, a being powerful enough to wipe out hordes of monsters and use Cataclysmic Shifts so many times is probably able to just sunbathe at a waterfall without worry because Monsters probably avoid his presence if possible. They can probably just sense that he''s well beyond their capabilities, and so choose to live."
"They generally only do that for Dark Knights and Blood Priests."
"Maybe he''s both?" I ask, and he snorts. "What? His attire suggests an affiliation with Most Awesomeness, so it''s not like it''s a far stretch."
Were you referring to me? Big Flame asks.
"Yes."
Oh, cool! He exclaims, and Nik suppresses a laugh. I really am the most awesome one, you know!
"Yes, you are."
Big Flame giggles in my head, and Nik snorts in his attempt not to laugh.
"I''m heading out to the forest," I tell Nik. "Going to try raising more of my Skills, instead of gaining new ones."
"How did you hit 50 Total Skill Levels already?"
"I''m fully-ambidextrous," I remind him. "And apparently did enough climbing before dying in reality for Big S to say ''fuck it'' and make mine Level 10. Then there''s my Rage already being at Level 6 and Level 7 Martial Arts. So it wasn''t really that hard, since I was already almost there."
<table>
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center" width="100%">Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 2!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"Yes!"
"What?" Nik looks confused.
"Sorry," I grin at him. "I''ve been actively trying to resist Appraisal with everyone since I got the resistance Skill. It finally went up to Level 2."
Nik just snorts again.
"Go back to lurking around and waiting for me to show up instead of training," I wave a hand. "I''m going to head out to the forest and stalk some Gobbies again."
Nik laughs and wishes me well, then I head out of town and into the woods. I spend the entire day hunting, and only find one Goblin I can take on, not gaining much, even in Skills. I return home and make a small stew, then get some sleep.
I train in the forest all day, every day, for another eight days, only stopping in town at night to sleep, to sell my loot at the Trading Post, to get some more food from Jesse, and to chat with Nik about various things.
The dreams come to me every night, the dreams of the mage.
Even though I don''t manage to kill very many Goblins, I do manage to increase my Skills and notice the difference when I fight the Goblins I do go against, even managing to take on two at once.
As I''m sneaking through the woods on the eighth day after the one I bought the tags on, Sneak goes up another Level, and an additional message appears in my vision.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">Combined Skill Level of 100 Reached Without a Class</td>
</tr>
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<td style="text-align: center" width="100%">Adventurer Subclass Unlocked</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">New Class!</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">Adventurer</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">The truly adventurers, these people posses special talents, allowing them to reach a high level of skill without a Class to assist them. They benefit from all aspects of their adventures, never failing to find new things.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">This does not count as a Class, and nor does it take up a Class Slot. This Class has 5 Tiers, each Tier having 10 Levels, like traditional Classes. This Class''s Level is based on your Overall Level. It will go up a Level each time your Overall Level is a multiple of five.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="50%">+1 to All Stats each Level</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="50">Minor bonus to all forms of Experience, loot drops.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">(R2) First True Adventurer</td>
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<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="100%">Only the truly adventurous can manage to attain a high level of skill without a Class, and you not only managed it, but managed it first. Congratulations!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I''m having fun watching him. Oh, and you owe him a gold.
<table>
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center" colspan="4">Dark Squire:</td>
</tr>
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<td style="text-align: center" width="25%">Requirements:</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="25%">Sword Mastery 1</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="25%">Rage 1</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="25%">intimidate 1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">Bonus:</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">+1 Strength</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">+1 Endurance</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="1">+1 Vitality</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="4">If you take this Class, you will not be able to take on any holy Class or use any holy Skills you have already learned.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="4">Take on this Class?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">No</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="3">You are now a Dark Squire!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="33%">+1 Strength</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="34%">+1 Endurance</td>
<td style="text-align: center" width="33%">+1 Vitality</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Yeah, well, things are as they are.
Did you seriously just put your hand in fire?
I like you! He says happily. And for the record: most Dark Knights do the first time they see my Sacred Fires. It''s funny. I don''t know what it is about the natural Dark Knights, but they seem to like seeing if the flame that burns without fuel atop an altar in a room clearly sacred in some way will burn them.
He''s not as nocturnal as you think. He''s currently in Praevar''s mines.
He''s come to expect you, Big Flame tells me. So he stops by. I generally let him know when you''re on your way. I do sometimes wait as long as possible.
He was in a meeting.
Thank you. That was kind of disturbing.
Consider the flames an extension of myself.
You''re forgiven. You''re too entertaining right now for me to stay mad at.
I dunno.
It''s for if any of you wish to make an offering or a sacrifice to me, he answers. There''s also a Demon Familiar Skill you can unlock at Tier 3 or above of the Class. You sacrifice a ''Vice'', something off a Monster you slayed, on the altar. The more valuable the Vice, the better the bonus to your Demon.
Indeed, he responds. It is one of the few Rank 1 Classes that has Skills locked to it and to certain things. Demon Familiar is available only to it and Blood Priests who have reached Tier 3 or higher of that Classes. The Skill that allows Dark Knights to manifest a demonic aspect is also locked to Dark Knights.
Might be sooner than you think, little one, funny, coming from someone that sounds like a child. As we''ve told you, I tend to speak with my faithful more often than the others do.
Protip: visualize a ball of flames and say ''Fireball'', and you''ll probably get it in a few tries. Visualize it manifesting into existence through your desire and Mana, and it should, with that. Like all natural-Dark Knights, you align with me, which means you have a high affinity for it. It''ll help you butcher the Slimes, and you need Fireball for the next Tier, anyway.
Indeed.
No problem. You gain Skill Levels fast due to the characteristic you have of learning and adapting quickly, which provides a bonus to Experience by itself. As a result, you''re actually mostly-there in terms of the Skills and Skill Levels required for the next Tier. The only things you''re missing are a couple of Skills that you don''t have yet, and Fireball is one of those. Plus, it''ll give you an easy way to heat up the water for your baths.
No probs. Oh, and by the way – Crimson Guide is the other Skill you''ll need. It generally isn''t able to be learned until at least Level 10 Dark Squire, but it''s you, so I''ll let you know now about it.
A sphere of a crimson light, he answers, and I sense a sort of nod from him, which is weird, since he''s a massive fucking crystal. Well, not really fucking, but you know what I mean. It emits a crimson glow, as the previous statement states. It hovers in front of the caster, floating wherever they desire it to be, adjusting its location based on where they are looking to illuminate it. The higher the Level of the Skill, the larger the area of coverage the light can affect.
Probably, he answers. All you need to do is, essentially, the same thing as the Fireball. However, instead of flames, it is a light attuned to the power you hold in connection to me. As you manifest it, focus on a light that shows where you look, not where you hold.
Indeed, but it takes conscious effort until Level 5 of it.
That is all.