The Clarkes sat in a heap. Even the dogs on their lap were quiet. The soundbar had fallen and turned off. The Terminal had returned, and displayed the same green font as before. A mass of Grunks threw down the trailer door, tumbling over each other through the stopgap. They tore through the trailer, tossing anything in their way aside.
The terminal whined.
Enemies detected: x2 Snargs (lvl 1)
Analyzing…
Strike Points: 2/2
Club Attack: 1 Strike
Conrad threw his back against the bathroom door, his arms spread wide. The little creatures tossed their weight against the flimsy door, gibbering in a frenzy. Each heave bent the door inward.
“CC, do something!” said Conrad.
“Hold on! I’m trying to swipe through all this crap!” said Celestia, Pops crowding her to see the Terminal screen.
“CC, what is that?" said Pops. "Did that come from your phone?”
“I dunno, Pops! Trying to find the part that tells me how to kick these things’ asses.”
“You’re scrolling too fast. Hang on, I need my glasses. Maybe the military sent it, you know? Some kind of emergency broadcast system we’ve never seen before.”
"It''s a quest prompt," said Conrad, adjusting himself to hold the door shut with his palms, legs braced behind him. "From a video game?”
“Connie, shut UP!” said Celestia, scrolling madly with a finger.
"It''s a stupid game?," said Pops, disgusted.
“What’s it saying?” said COnrad.
“Uh, some stupid fantasy story.”
And the land of Raglia did rise from the sea in the west, where the Fair Folk called home and frollicked through endless golden fields-
“You’re looking for a character creator,” said Conrad.
“Whoa!” said Celestia.
x3 Ability Cards (common) added
Three cards appeared in her hand. A faint glow and warmth came from them, and they smelled like old books, vanilla and pulp. The cards showed symbols. These Celestia didn''t understand. Below the symbols read a small text. Paltry Heal, Quick Attack, and Wildcard. The cards left her hand and began spinning around her wrist. However she moved her arm, the cards followed.
“They are so pretty,” said Celestia, awestruck.
The Clarke''s couldn''t explain the cards, of course. But the three, and even the dogs, shared a feeling. Something in the smell and feel of the cards was welcoming. Comforting. Pops placed a hand on Celestia''s shoulder, a slight smile breaking on his face.
"Look at that," he whispered dreamily.
A new text appeared on the Terminal.
Quest Added: A Class Act
Is this madness or the beginning of sanity? Welcome to the next level! Pick a class and pick carefully - there’s no second chance
Objective: Select a class.Reward: Allocation of starting Stats and Skills, Class Card (1), Starter Card (3)
“Holy shit, this is it!” said Celestia.
“Hurry!” said Conrad. “Ugh, it should be me with the Terminal.”
Behind his sister, Conrad pieced together much from very little. Connections and assumptions his dense, uncultured sibling would never make. Already he''d formed a grudge based on these assumptions. Someone, or something, had chosen Celestia and not himself. He recognized the data as soon as he saw it. He hated the world in all its monotony. He was a social pariah where his sister flourished. He was perfect to inherit the world he felt sending shivers down his spine. The world he''d awaited without knowing. Countless nights alone in the dark before a computer screen.
Celestia had no such dark ruminations. She smiled. The butterflies beat their wings as the green characters reflected in her eager eyes.
Would you like to see a selection of Classes? Y/N
If no, enter or declare class
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
But there was no time. A crash resounded as the bathroom door was ripped from its hinges and cast aside. A garrison of furry monsters pulled the Clarkes out by their ankles. Celestia grabbed the bat from the floor, clenching it with desperation. The Clarkes were dragged to the living room, and to the curled feet of two massive Snargs.
Bile dripped from the drooping faces, and the long daggers in their hands twitched. A moment of tense silence passed. It seemed the destruction outside had ended. Had all come to roost in the Clarkes’ trailer. Celestia flew to her feet, arms outstretched, as Pops, Conrad and the dogs cowered against the wall behind her. A Snarg quickly awarded her heroism.
A club swung faster than eyes could follow, cracking her on the temple. Her head and body turned with the impact. Her jaw went slack and eyes closed, an expression incongruous with the terrible strike. After a moment, she went to her knees.
"No!" cried Pops, who instinctively went for his daughter. A Snarg pushed him back against the wall, like a bully on a playground. Pops lunged again, and again the monster shoved him.
"You son of a bitch," said Pops, fury mounting.
The other Snarg tired of watching and swung his dagger downward.
A card dissipated in Celestia''s hand. She acted on instinct, drawn to the card. To the words Quick Attack. Her arm jerked, somehow in and out of her control. The bat crashed against the flat of the dagger, parrying it. Though the impact sent hot pain up her arm. Another card vanished. Paltry Heal. She found the strength to stand. To fight to the death.
Thwack! Thwack! The bat cracked against the Snargs. They didn''t falter. The bat began to splinter, and the frenzied creatures flailed against the onslaught. Had they charged, they might have easily taken her. But something held them back, rattled their nerves. They didn''t like the bat. Perhaps they''d never met resistance of any kind.
But they soon gathered themselves and struck out. The dagger wielder opened cuts on Celestia''s arms and legs. She bled, and it seemed the blood drained straight from the red bar. Only adrenaline kept her upright and fighting. The bat did nothing against the monsters.
The Terminal floated at Celestia''s side, near her hip.
WARNING. NON-PRODIGIES CANNOT DEFEAT MONSTERS
Choose Class
And a long list typed out. She didn''t have time.
"Anything!"
Error
Choose Class
"Fighter, Paladin, Bard, CC, come ON!" said Conrad.
"A bard, alright!" cried Celestia, agonized by the pain.
A Vitality Bar manifested over Celestia, the same as the Snargs and legions of Grunks watching them.
Flambard Knight Selected
WARNING. LEGACY CLASS DETECTED
Generating…
Prodigy: Celestia Windy Clarke
Human - Level 1
Class Card: Flambard Knight (legacy)
Strikes: 3/3
Heroism: 7/10
Savagery: 5/10
Favor: 0/10
Judgement: 0/10
Maleficium: 4/10
Starter Cards:
Quiet Flame (ultra rare) - rank 1
Chaos Shield (ultra rare) - rank 1
Hear Heartbeat (ultra rare) – rank 1
Skill Cards (Practical):
Musicality (common) - 35
Construction (common) - 25
Cooking (common) - 18
Storytelling (rare) - 80
Leadership (rare) - 85
Piloting (common) - 67
Teaching (uncommon) - 80
Skill Cards (Martial):
Fist Weapons - 0
Bladed Weapons - 50
Blunt Weapons - 75
Polearms and Spears - 20
Whips - 0
Shields - 0
Bows, Slings, Crossbow - 0
Thrown Weapons - 20
Class weapon generating. Please Wait
WARNING. IMPROVISED WEAPON DETECTED
-4 ATTACK PENALTY
MAX DAMAGE 2
Suggest using Quiet Flame
“Quiet Flame!” said Celestia, parroting the machine without thinking.
A card dropped from the spinning hand into her palm, and vanished with a spark. A phosphorus glow enveloped the bat. It seeped outward like angry, boiling water from the break in the wood. It hissed, animated and alive. The tendrils of energy bit Celestia''s hands, taking chips from her health. The bat swung, and a BEEP sounded from the Terminal.
25 Attack vs 8 Defense. Guard Break!
The bat destroyed a Snarg. It passed cleanly through the creature, swiping aside muscle and bone.
Snarg (lvl 1) takes 2 Strikes. Defeat!
The top of the Snarg fell onto its bottom, and the whole mass toppled. The bar over its head cracked and shattered, showering steaming blood over the combatants.
The Snarg’s ally pressed the attack, stomping over its partner, oblivious. Another whack from Celestia! Wicked light burst from the bat as it snapped in two. But the Snarg caught the bat with its hand as Celestia’s strength gave out.
8 Attack vs 20 Defense. Parry!
The Snarg pulled back its sword arm and thrust it forward with mechanical precision.
19 Attack vs 0 Defense. 2 Strikes!
A jagged scimitar drove through Celestia’s gut, embedding into the drywall above Conrad''s head. His sister''s blood trickled onto his face, and the Vitality Bar above Celestia cracked.
The pain was hot madness. Blinding sharpness, then a spreading ache. She fought eternal sleep, enlivened by pain. Standing, because her family would die without her. Desperate, Celestia rapid-fired her remaining cards.
Quiet Flame failed - 3 minute cooldown!
Chaos Shield failed - Inadequate Stats!
Hear Heartbeat failed - Inadequate Stats!
The cards in Celestia’s hand quivered and turned red. Nothing. Her vision went crooked. Nothing. Only the rotten flesh aroma and the snout in her face. Someone grabbed her ankle - Pops or Conrad. She wished to fall over and be done with it. The upturned scimitar tore from her cut, taking flesh and innards with it. Time slowed as she lurched forward, red and blue hair aflame in her eyes. A graceful motion. Not Kendo. Her opponent today didn’t bow. Didn’t employ a single legal move. But he’d won. Time to bow out. The last card found her palm.
Wildcard Activated. Randomizing…
WARNING. FLAMBARD KNIGHT SPECIAL CARD (HEAVEN’S TEAR) ACTIVATED. EVACUATE AREA
A klaxon whine blared from the Terminal.
The System spun in its timeless void, childish excitement stretching for eternity. Instance 21''s first Wildcard had triggered. And by the same hand that had selected a forgotten, esoteric class. A vast consciousness turned toward Washington Street. Its eyeless sight fixed on the trailer, awaiting the Wildcard''s impact.
Even the Guild Masters halted to watch. Masses of frightened new Prodigies begged at their feet for guidance, protection. Some gathered the courage to look skyward.
A color shot through space, as a pillar of light avoided the space station by meters. The astronauts watched as the light parted the hurricane spirals below and hit earth.