《Stellar Shift》 System Awakening Hailey jumped, her chair jolting backwards. The sound of a burning log crackling in the hearth disturbed the focused silence in the inn¡¯s common room. The eyes of the town were on her, as was the tradition. I can¡¯t wait for this to be over. Why does this have to be such a big event anyways? Hailey thought. Hailey felt uncomfortable with everyone¡¯s attention on her. Tonight was no different than any one of these gatherings had been over the years. The uneasy silence of so many people was always unnerving, even when she wasn¡¯t the focus of all the attention. I wish I could speed this process up and be done with it. But there''s nothing I can do. It¡¯s already been, what, five minutes? ¡°Are you sure you got the right time?¡± The gathering shifted their attention to old man Jacobs in the corner of the room. Hailey sighed with relief as most of the room¡¯s focus shifted to the interruption. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Sarah, Hailey¡¯s mother, replied. ¡°I was there after all. Eighteen years ago, almost to the minute. Hailey was born just after midnight.¡± ¡°Like just, just after midnight, or do we have time to get another drink?¡± Old man Jacobs asked. Meave, an all-too familiar elderly woman, stood up from her chair. ¡°Somewhere between four to six minutes after the hour, depending on when the System registered her birth, of course. Now shut up, it¡¯s almost time.¡± She sat back down at her honorary seat at Hailey¡¯s table. Meave was never one to mince words. And now everyone¡¯s back to staring at me. When is this going to happen? I swear, I should have ¨C Her thought was interrupted as she was suddenly blinded from the white light that began to shine out of every pore of her body. She was forced to close her eyes hoping to lessen the pain in her retinas. The light subsided, and when she reopened her eyes, she was somewhere else entirely. The inn, and all the familiar people that had gathered were gone. Everything had been replaced by the sheer nothingness that now surrounded Hailey. A nothingness that somehow had a floor, which Hailey found herself falling backwards towards, as the chair beneath her had vanished along with everything else. ¡°Oww,¡± was the only thing to come out of Hailey¡¯s mouth after hitting the ground. Hailey was quick to get back on her feet, as she rubbed away the pain in her backside. The world of nothingness around her was a light grayish-blue color, but it lacked any definition. Does this place go on forever? Or¡­ As if answering Hailey¡¯s thoughts, a black shadow began to rise from the ground. Small wisps of black began to coalesce as the entity began to take shape a few feet in front of her. The mass swirled and bulged as it grew denser, eventually taking a more humanoid appearance. Hailey stood there, her jaw hanging open slightly as her face froze in puzzlement of what she was seeing before her. This isn¡¯t right. This doesn¡¯t match any of the stories I¡¯ve been told. There should just be a table with my choices on it. Or something simple like that. Could I be cursed? There is no way I should be cursed. I did everything right. I- The shadow had stopped growing, instead its features became more defined. Within a couple of seconds Hailey recognized the form it was taking. It was her, a complete mirror image of herself, complete with her signature mid-to-high ponytail. The shadow stood motionless for a minute before raising both closed hands. It turned one hand over, then opened it. A bright marble-sized yellow orb of swirling energy was revealed. Yellow. A dexterity-based class. Fuck me. That is the worst outcome. I was hoping for strength or endurance so I could fit in with the village. Perception or Intelligence would have been better. I can just see me getting stuck with house-chores for the rest of my life. It¡¯s okay, It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s just the first option. If the stories are correct, I should get some more choices. The shadow opened its other hand revealing ¡­ Nothing. Hailey''s eyes narrowed as she looked for the missing marble of energy. No. No no no no. That can¡¯t be right. Where are my other choices? I can¡¯t be stuck with only dexterity classes to choose from. While Hailey had yet to move a muscle, her panic intensified. She looked at the shadow, searching for an explanation, but it remained emotionless and unmoving. Why even offer me an empty hand. Is it seriously offering me the choice of nothing? What happens if I pick it? Would I be fucked for life? What classes could I get with no stat specialization? The shadow began to move, taking both outstretched hands and bringing them together, pressing the contents of both hands together. A moment later the shadow opened both hands, revealing the same yellow dexterity orb as before. Hailey stared at her sole choice. She took a deep breath, steeled her resolve and reached out for it. As she contacted the orb, bright, golden-yellow light filled her world, causing her to close her eyes once more. When Hailey opened her eyes, she was greeted by the disappointed faces of the villagers. It was no secret that she had chosen a dexterity-based class, the color of light had betrayed that detail to the world. Hailey could remember watching the System awakening process in the older villagers. The light would always start of white, then transition to the match the color of their chosen stat specialization. Red for Endurance. Orange for strength. Yellow for dexterity. Blue for intelligence. Green for perception. And rarely purple for being an all-rounder, but Hailey had never seen anyone have purple light before. While it had felt like it had been a small eternity to Hailey, to the rest of the gathering it had been only fifteen seconds or so. The experience of bathing in the light of the System felt amazing, to put it mildly. A System awakening more so, and most gathered to experience that sensation, rather than to see the outcome. Some of the crowd turned away, returning to their previous conversations and reverie, breathing life back into the room that Hailey had stolen all of the oxygen out of. A good portion of the village were in the process of making their exit, as they looked forward to finding their beds. ¡°Hailey, honey, why did you pick dexterity?¡± Sarah asked. Seated around Hailey was her small collection of friends and family, who were particularly interested in her awakening. And then there was Meave, the mid-wife and resident healer, who was busy making notes in one of her record books. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. It¡¯s all that was offered to me,¡± Hailey said. The disappointed looks on everyone¡¯s faces softened slightly. Everyone knew that dexterity in a mountain town that made its fortunes on mining and smithing wouldn¡¯t go over too well. Strength and endurance-based classes were prized for their abilities to work the mines. On the combat side of things, dexterity was a dangerous stat specialization to try and train in the mountains. The local wildlife were heavy hitters, and a class that couldn¡¯t take a blow, or be supportive of those that could, would find themselves dead in short order. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate, to say the least,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Well, there''s nothing we can do about it now. We''ll just have to wait and see what class you evolve into.¡± ¡°Will the guard still take me out? Even as a yellow? I know the wildlife here is not, accommodating for early dexterity-based classes, to say the least,¡± Hailey asked. ¡°That''s the deal for everyone, even the yellows, few that you are,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Don''t think that being specialized in dexterity means that you are worthless. The world is much wider than this small village in the mountains. Even the world is small compared to whats out there in the universe,¡± Meave said. She had closed the record books and was standing to leave. ¡°It would do many here some good to go see the wider world. There''s more than mines and lumber out there. Good night, everyone,¡± Meave said. She left before anyone could reply in turn. ¡°Meave is right, you know,¡± Sarah said. Sarah coughed once, then launched herself into a coughing fit. It took a moment, but she pulled through, taking a long drink from her mug. ¡°I can''t leave you, not like this. You need someone to take care of you,¡± ¡°You can, love. I''ll be fine on my own.¡± Sarah said. ¡°I know you''re trying to be brave for me and trying to do the right thing, but I know just how many times you''ve managed to leave the house this past month. There''s no way that you can make enough money to keep yourself fed, let alone take care of everything else in the house.¡± ¡°I''ll manage somehow, now, it''s getting late, and if I don''t leave now, I won''t be getting home tonight,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Let me walk back with you.¡± ¡°No dear, stay and enjoy the party. It''s your birthday after all.¡± Without much more fanfare Sarah made her exit. A few of the remaining villagers offered goodnight and well wishes, hoping that tomorrow the village¡¯s resident water mage would be able to help their fields. Hailey''s night continued to improve as the drinks started to flow. And soon, before she knew it, it was morning. She awoke with a start in a somewhat unfamiliar room. Her eyes shot open as she realized she was in one of the rooms at the inn. The aged linens were almost too warm now that the morning sun was shining through the room''s only window, and the mattress, while softer than her own, left a lot to be desired. Fuck. I don''t think there is room in the budget for a stay at the inn. It was hard enough already scraping enough money together to drink last night. She sighed. I can already feel my hands peeling from all of the dishes Mrs. Filch is going to make me wash. Fuck it, I might as well get started. But first, lets see if this works¡­ Status. *Ding* Intoxication Resistance Acquired. After a night out on the town your body has been left with an assortment of toxins to clean up. Intoxication resistance lessens the impact and duration of this class of poison. Now you can party harder than ever before.
Name Hailey
Race Human
Health Points 30/30
Mana Points 70/70
Stats
Endurance 3/3
Strength 3/3
Dexterity (Specialized) 10/10
Intelligence 7/7
Perception 8/8
Class 1 Awaiting Discovery
Resistances
Intoxication Level 1
Well, that''s something noteworthy, I guess. Wait, does that mean that it''s going to be harder for me to get drunk? Ugh, that just makes it more expensive, and I already can''t afford it. But, I feel fine, so, no hangovers? That''s definitely a bonus. Hailey got to her feet, finding herself still dressed in her finer set of clothes. A plain white blouse with minimal flair along the edges, and a nice pair of black dress pants that had been refitted to fit her shorter form. Hailey stood at an overwhelming height of 5¡¯2¡±. She was dwarfed by most of the villagers. It turns out that an isolated mining town seemed to attract people who were conventionally strong, even without the system in place. With the system the difference between men and women, and even those of different sizes was minimal. Men typically had a slight advantage when it came to base strength stats, but in the long run it didn¡¯t make that much of a difference. It¡¯s almost insulting giving me only 3 strength. I¡¯ve been lifting and hauling shit just as hard as all the other kids. I thought all of that training was supposed to pay off. Intelligence and Perception have come in big though. No surprise there, I¡¯ve always had an easy time in school. I think I have my mother to thank for that one. She made her way across the upper floor of the inn, padding her way across the worn carpet, and down the stairs into the common room. To her surprise, the room looked to be back in perfect order, even after the late night of partying. There was nothing fancy about the common room itself, everything from the chairs and tables to the hearth and wooden support beams had remained the same as they always had. Mrs. Filch, the innkeeper, had always said they would be getting new furniture soon, which seemed to be code for some time in the upcoming century, maybe. She was busy working the broom over the well-loved wooden floors when she spotted Hailey. ¡°Ah, there you are dear. How did you sleep? You had quite a night last night,¡± Mrs. Filch said with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Filch. I¡¯m not sure how I ended upstairs, but I had a wonderful sleep. I haven¡¯t felt this good in a long time,¡± Mrs. Filch let out a small laugh. ¡°Tends to happen that way, dear. It takes a bit adjusting to the System, but thankfully all of that new power and potential somehow makes your body rest better. Well, maybe more effectively. Once you get settled, you¡¯ll be back to having some groggy mornings, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Ah, well that¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll enjoy it while it lasts. So¡­ How much do I owe you for everything?¡± Mrs. Filch laughed again. ¡°I see you had a really good night then. You must have forgotten our conversation later in the night. The village, as a gift for your System Awakening day, collectively covers the costs of your celebration, which include, but are mostly limited to, food and drink during your party, a night at the inn, and breakfast the following morning. We just don¡¯t tell you about it ahead of time since it''s somewhat of a surprise.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you! And here I was panicking about paying you back for everything. That¡¯s a load off of my back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, dear. Now, let¡¯s get some breakfast into you. You have a busy day ahead of you. Tennison should be here around 9 o¡¯clock to collect you for your first day of training. Upon hearing Tennison¡¯s name Hailey¡¯s stomach dropped. Chapter 2 Hailey picked at her breakfast, while her stomach was busy tying itself into knots. The thought of spending all day alone in the forest with Tennison was, to put it mildly, worrisome. Of all the young watchers to place her with, it had to be the one that she had rejected last year when he had asked her to join him at the harvest festival. And when he had asked at the mid-summer festival, and the thawing festival in the spring, and, well, every major celebration that had happened for a while now. After that fated harvest festival, Tennison had his own awakening. He ended up with an endurance-based specialization. His class discovery must have been ideal for becoming a watcher, as it didn¡¯t take long for him to leave the village for watcher training. It had honestly been a godsend for Hailey, as she was no longer being hounded for dates, but now, now it looked like Tennison was finally getting that private date he had wanted. I could just decline the offer and not go out with the Watchers. But that wouldn¡¯t end too well. I need to discover my class and start leveling. I could always ask my friends for help, but I don¡¯t think they are quite up for the task quite yet. A few are within the first month or two of awakening, while the rest are still waiting for their own turn. I need this, even if its uncomfortable for a day. Hailey finished her breakfast and returned her plate and cutlery to the barkeep¡¯s counter with all of the other patron¡¯s returned plates. Every plate had been scraped clean of anything food like. It was disrespectful to leave food uneaten, after all. Not that the village was hurting for food, but every calorie counted. Just then the inn¡¯s door opened, and the man of the hour walked in. The first thing Hailey noticed were his broad shoulders. He had grown quite a bit since the last time she had seen him. A bit taller too, by the looks of it. He easily broke the six-foot height barrier with some height to spare. The shining metal of his watcher-issued armor caught the morning light and, in turn, Hailey¡¯s eye. To say the last year had been kind to Tennison, was an understatement. The boy had become a man. A man who was now just steps away from Hailey, who had been obviously staring at him since had entered. ¡°So, uhm, I guess I¡¯ve drawn the lucky card today,¡± Tennison said. ¡°It¡¯s been a bit since I saw you last.¡± ¡°That it has been. I trust it won¡¯t be a problem?¡± Hailey said. ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯m here for work. You¡¯ll get the same professional watcher experience as anyone else would. No more, no less,¡± Tennison said. ¡°What did you end up choosing last night. Wait, don¡¯t tell me.¡± Tennison focused his gaze at Hailey, squinting as he began to focus a little harder. ¡°Yellow? Tennison asked. There was confusion in his voice. ¡°Why did you choose dexterity?¡± ¡°Was that an identify skill you just used?¡± Hailey asked. ¡°And yes, dexterity, it was my only choice.¡± ¡°I used an identify skill that¡¯s specific to watchers. I got it quite recently and I¡¯m trying to practise with it. Turns out people don¡¯t like being stared at all too much, but it¡¯s an important skill for me to have as a watcher.¡± Tennison said. ¡°But yellow? I would have thought you would have ended up with blue, like your mother.¡± He smiled, then caught himself and replaced it with a more neutral facial expression. ¡°We¡¯re wasting daylight. Go grab your gear and we will head out. I¡¯ll meet you by the southern gate,¡± Tennison said. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Hailey said, with a half-hearted salute. At least this won¡¯t be too awkward, she thought. Hailey walked home, passing through the nearly empty market square. The village was definitely on the smaller side, but it was just large enough for there to be an active market, or at least one that was periodically open throughout the day. The smell of fresh bread cut through the morning air, further enticing Hailey¡¯s appetite. If she hadn¡¯t just finished eating, she would have been hard pressed to avoid purchasing a loaf or two. The lightening weight of her purse would have persuade her otherwise. I need to figure out how to make some money. Hopefully I¡¯ll discover a useful class today. I we don¡¯t have long before we are completely out of money. Mom¡¯s out of savings and I¡¯ve never had much to begin with. Hopefully I can turn things around. And that all starts today. Hailey walked into her family home. There were no signs of life within it. Mom must still be asleep, she thought. She sighed and picked up her leather belt from the armoury wall in the entranceway. There wasn¡¯t much to left in the racking to speak of. Anything that had been extra had been sold to make ends meet. Hailey could remember when the wall was filled with the spoils of her mother¡¯s youthful adventures. But now, all that was left was her mom¡¯s staff. The magnificent blue orb that topped the staff had since accumulated a thin layer of dust. She changed out of her fancy party clothes and decided to go with one of her tried and weathered sets of work clothes. A long pair of formerly blue pants that had washed out into something greyer in colour and green-coloured shirt that was already beginning to fray towards the ends. She cinched the belt around her waist. Tentatively Hailey pulled out the two daggers that were sheathed over the small of her back. The daggers, or, hunting knives, if one wanted to be more specific, were beginning to show their age. They had been Hailey¡¯s constant companions any time she had stepped outside of the village¡¯s protective walls. The weight felt familiar in her hands as she turned them over. I wonder if they¡¯ll be happy today. It¡¯ll be a nice change of pace for the daggers. Instead of the blood of small, snared game, it¡¯ll be real monster blood staining their steel. Hailey, who had been turning the blades over, stopped suddenly as she felt, something. Like a murmur or gentle vibration coming from the blade. It was faint, and the longer she stared, the more she began to wonder if she had felt anything at all. Hmm, maybe it¡¯s just nerves. I should get going. I don¡¯t want to keep Tennison waiting any longer needed. We have some monsters to slay. The walk to the southern gate had been quick. The village only had two exits. One leading north and to the mountains, the other to the south, leading towards the forest and valley. As Hailey approached the gate, she could see that Tennison was busy chatting with the watcher on duty at the entrance, but as soon as she got within earshot, the conversation stopped, and both men turned their attention her way. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Ah, Hailey, there you are. Sorry about your luck last night. Yellow is...¡± Johnathon, the other watcher trailed off as it was clear he was looking to find the right words to say. ¡°Well, stat specialization isn¡¯t everything. With the system, there are endless possibilities. The world is a much bigger place than you can possibly imagine. It takes all types to make things go, you know.¡± ¡°Thanks, Johnathon. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind,¡± Hailey said. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any other preparations to make, we should get underway,¡± Tennison said. Hailey nodded and they made their way through the gate, and out into the open world. The first lungful of air was always a bit jarring to Hailey. The air was fresh and clean. Despite the village wall only being three meters tall, the air outside of it always felt better. Tennison chuckled, as he watched Hailey adapt to the change in the air. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to that with the system now working with you. Travelling through domains will start to feel less, burdensome.¡± ¡°I thought only monsters had domains?¡± Hailey asked. ¡°No, humans do too. It gets a bit complicated, but you don¡¯t usually feel it because you are a part of it. Each village has its own feel to it. If you¡¯re welcomed, you¡¯ll feel safe and secure. If you aren¡¯t, then you¡¯ll feel an oppressive weight in the air. Then there¡¯s the strength of individuals, the number of people, and whole lot of other factors that contribute to a domain.¡± ¡°Did they teach you that in Watcher school?¡± ¡°Yes. Being able to feel a domain and discern information from it is an important skill. It gets all muddled when dealing with humans, but with monsters, things are pretty cut and dry. Being able to tell that there is a dangerous monster around, and how aggressive it is, can be life saving, especially when you¡¯re guiding people who are less equipped to deal with such a threat.¡± ¡°Like with me today?¡± ¡°Exactly. Not that I don¡¯t think you don¡¯t know how to use those knives, but I don¡¯t think either of us wants to fight a scythe bear today. Maybe a regular-assed bear, but not one of those sharp-armed fuckers.¡± Tennison visible shivered in his armor. ¡°Bad experience with them?¡± ¡°Somewhat. I find it hard to be aggressive with them. I can defend against them all day, but it takes a lot of my focus to do so. If you slip up, then you are lucky if you just lose a limb. If you have a ranged ability, or some magic, they are a lot easier to deal with. If we run into one of those today, we are hightailing it out of there.¡± ¡°Understood. What else have you been up to, other than Watcher school. Anything interesting happening in your life?¡± ¡°Not really, no. Watcher school was my life for the last year. They like to keep us busy. Since we are all newly awakened, there is a lot of core skill building that happens. Strength training, agility course, mandatory distance running. Actually, the running skill is way more useful than you think it would be.¡± ¡°What does it do other than make you run- ¡° Tennison put his fist up in the air in the universal stop, motion. Hailey stopped dead in her tracks. The sound of the forest came to the forefront. She looked around. This was by far the deepest she had ever been into the wilderness. The trunks of tall trees surrounded her, the canopy being several meters above her head. Smaller bushes and other foliage populated the forest floor, hiding little pops of colour within their depths. Holding his index finger over his mouth Tennison gestured for her to come closer. She closed the gap, taking two quiet steps and then she felt it. The air became oppressive. It was still clean and fresh, but it seemed to have a heaviness to it. This feels like¡­ Like I¡¯m being watched. Like there is someone¡­ something hiding in the bushes staring at me, and it¡¯s wondering what I am going to do. Am I friend or foe? And there¡¯s the threat of violence? Hailey shuddered. The two of them stood still, until the cracking of dry underbrush snapped their attention to a small rabbit as it hopped out of a bush into the open. Hailey breathed a sign of relief which was cut short. The rabbit suddenly vanished and in its place was a streak of blood on the ground. ¡°Fuck,¡± Tennison said under his breath. ¡°Did you manage to catch any of that?¡± ¡°No? The rabbit was there one moment, the next it was gone.¡± ¡°Mmm, you either need more perception or you need to get used to it having it.¡± ¡°It helps one keep up with the pace of battle, right?¡± ¡°Correct, to you have to be expecting combat, otherwise your mind will move at normal speed. Always expect trouble. If your knives aren¡¯t out already, they should be.¡± Hailey took a moment to unsheathe her knives and brought them up to defend herself, as she looked around, things slowed down slightly. ¡°There, that¡¯s better,¡± Tennison said, his words moving at a normal speed compared to the sluggish word around her. ¡°Now, look up at that tree, can you see it?¡± Following his finger Hailey looked towards the canopy. There, on a barren branch just below the forest ceiling was a huge white owl-like monster. Other than its much larger size the beast could have easily been confused for its smaller non-monster variety. The owl monster was busy chowing down on the rabbit. The head had already been devoured, and with each bite, it¡¯s sharp beak made neat incisions into the corpse. I definitely do not want that taking a bite out of me, Hailey thought as she kept staring at the bird, her daggers up and ready in case it tried to take a pass at her. Tennison bend down and picked up a pebble in his free hand. Hailey hadn¡¯t noticed, but the young watcher had already drawn his sword. ¡°Here, take this,¡± Tennison tossed the stone over. Hailey without thinking about it reached out and grabbed it. She looked at the rock and saw that it was now being held against the handle of her knife with her three non-index fingers. Is this Dexterity at work? She wondered. Transferring the knife in her dominate hand to join the other knife in her left hand she held the pebble ready. She had an idea of what the plan was. When she looked at Tennison he nodded. Hailey turned and threw the rock with all of her might, her muscles twitching oddly as she went through the motion and the projectile flew through the air and hit the branch the bird was standing on. A shriek filled the air as the predator dropped its meal, the lump of no longer distinguishable meat tumbled down. The owl monster beat it¡¯s wings once, twice then dived straight towards them. Hailey meanwhile had shifted the extra knife back into her hand and stood poised to receive the threat. This time the bird wasn¡¯t a blur to her, but it was still accelerating at a rapid rate. She lined herself up and struck out with her right knife, the bird reoriented itself in the last moment, bringing its talons forward. It was too quick for Hailey to react to. Pain tore into her forearm as the owl screeched past, her arm was pushed back, twisting her torso in the process. She tried to strike at the bird with her other hand, but she was too slow as the bird carried on past her, it¡¯s wings extending to generate lift. That is, until Tennison stepped in and slashed at the bird. His sword cut clean through most of a wing and the bird crashed into the ground, unable to recover. The bird tumbled across the ground and came to a stop against the raised roots of a tree. The pain, while sharp and present was pushed to the side of Hailey¡¯s mind as a shot of adrenaline coursed through her body masking the pain. Her instincts took over, decisively choosing the next action for her. Her mind focused in on one thought, one idea. Kill She took a step, then found herself positioned within striking range of the bird. Her hunting knife moved without thought as it slammed into the bird¡¯s chest, twisted, then was pulled back out and jammed in once more. Hailey stabbed and stabbed at the bird until it stopped moving, the sound of a small bell reverberate through her mind, interrupting her assault. *Ding* New class discovered. ¡®Assassin¡¯ Class 1 updated.