《Miracle in Erinthee》 Upheaval in Sarasoor Ruventha idly hummed the tune to one of her favourite songs as she watched the sky. The spirit bubble taking her home wasn''t a higher end model. It knew her usual routes perfectly, but it couldn''t talk to her or do anything to keep her company. Her dad had always been somewhat stingy, with both money and Mana, but he had bought her her first personal transporter to celebrate graduation. She closed her eyes and recalled her favourite snip of the event. In her mind''s eye, she was looking at herself, three years ago, dressed in the special white and gold themed graduation dress. Her arms were around her proud parents, smiling brightly. As a celebratory tune played, the spirit given proof of her efforts was displayed above her head in bright silver letters.
Congratulations!
Class Upgrade: Level 10 [Student of Water] -> Level 1 [Adult]
That was one of her favourite memories. That was when she was officially no longer a child. The next day, she was gifted her own personal spirit bubble, bought for a whopping 5000 gems. It was quite basic, but she''d insisted on controllable noise cancellation, opacity and seating options. She liked to dance sometimes when on a trip and didn''t want her Unskilled steps to be observed by travellers. It took an hour to travel from the paper making business she worked at to her house and at her current speed, she was just over halfway home. Sarasoor was just a Level 4 [Town], not even specialised yet. There were only a few thousand people, most of whom were Untethered who couldn''t use Mana. Even most big businesses didn''t have teleporters. Though her workplace had one, the huge Mana cost meant that only a few uses were allowed per day, which of course went to the higher ups. Ruventha grimaced when she recalled the smarmy office manager offering to let her teleport home at his expense. It was one of the first things the other women had warned her about when she''d started working there. Any girl who gave that guy an inch had to spend the next month fending off simpering offers to hang out at the arena his family managed. She brought up the interface for her spirit bubble. Like any spirit item, it didn''t have levels but it could be upgraded by taking it to the maker. The next upgrade would double it''s speed, increase the size enough to allow three people to ride, and unlock a bunch of customisation options. ''Toggle-able undersea cosmetic aura? That sounds great!'' Unfortuantely, there were a couple of issues. One, it would increase the Mana upkeep cost from 100 to 150. She winced when she brought up her current Mana.
Mana: 230/230 [510]
Yeah, her usable Mana would go down to 180. It was manageable. She could unlink some the stuff from her Equipspace. Maybe a couple of dresses and shoes? Yeah no, she''s not doing that. 180 would have to do. Getting to Level 5 would increase her max by another 100, so she''d just have to wait. The bigger problem was the 2000 gem upgrade cost. She''d only managed to save around 2500 gems from the two years at her job and she didn''t want to blown most of it on a single item upgrade. ''Maybe I can convince mum to get it for me. After all, she''s been nagging me to find a guy, and a better ride would help.'' She was startled as she got a live chat request from her mum at that exact moment. She smiled wryly as she accepted and the live window opened up at eye level. "Hey amma! I was just thinking about you." The chat window displayed an older woman in her fifties, with nut brown skin showing a few wrinkles and greying black hair tied back with a simple band. The view angle was too close, as usual, with her face taking to the whole window. "Amma! You''re too close. No, no, moving back won''t fix it. Think about the viewpoint showing you like a picture frame." Ruventha smiled as her mum adjusted the angle once more. Her family had become spirit touched only one generation back, so most of her family were still not that great at all the nuances of using Mana. Her mother used to call her from an unlinked handheld device till a few years back. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I think it''s ok now. You''ve left the office right? You''ll have to show me how to make this view thing default when you get home, Ruvi. You know the town was only Level 3 when I went to school. They didn''t teach us all the things you kids know nowadays." Ruventha, affectionately nicknamed Ruvi, laughed. "Yeah, yeah. In great-grandma''s time, this whole town was Untethered and she''d have to go past the cloud wall to even find anyone who knew about Mana. I''ve heard it all before.¡± Her mother scowled. ¡±Hmph, well, I''ll laugh at you when, one day soon, you see your children doing things with Mana you don''t understand.¡± Ruventha groaned. "Come on! Why are you bringing every conversation to the topic of marriage and kids? I just hit twenty. You know, people in high level cities live longer and don''t think about this stuff till they''re forty years old." "Sarasoor isn''t one of those, sorry. Anyway, I didn''t just bring this up just to annoy you. My cousin got us in touch with a family he knows. They''re looking for someone for their son. He told me their family worked as spirit appointed guardians to Untethered towns!" Ruventha controlled her expression. It''s not like she was never going to settle down, but ever since she got her class shifted to [Flow Shaper] a year back, her parents had started pressuring her to find someone. She was a bit shy, and her family didn''t approve of dating anyway. In their eyes, it was their duty to find a good match and apparently, as a girl, she had a best-before age that was rapidly approaching. Some things, not even Mana solve. "Ugh, fine, but like I told you, I have my own expectations, so don''t go fixing everything before I''ve had a look at the guy''s info myself." Her mother beamed, accepting her silent capitulation. "Oh don''t worry. Nothing is confirmed yet. You come home and freshen up. The guy''s mother wants to live chat with us after you''re home." Ruventha frowned. "Is this some weird power play? Like, they get to see me, but their son is too precious to be paraded about willy-nilly? They sound like those old fashioned traditional families where the men are everything great and the women are second place." Her mum just literally handwaved her concerns away. "No it''s nothing like that. The guy and his father are working in some other city and are out of contact. It''s just a basic info exchange so she didn''t see a reason to wait for them to be available. You don''t have to meet her today. I just said I''ll call after you''re home in case they have some questions about your class and things like that. Ok get here soon. Your father is making coffee and I''m going to go have some." Her mother ended the call and Ruventha say back, thinking. No one knew what came first, but long ago, before people even started writing things down, spirits appeared. Along came Mana, classes, skills, attributes and everything else associated with the spirits. However, not everyone got to enjoy these new benefits. Spiritholme, the only place in the world with the [World''s Sanctuary] designation, was the place the spirits first appeared. From there, people chosen by the spirits travelled, some settling in Untethered places people already lived in and making them spirit touched. This gave those places a designation, similar to a class, and spread Mana and all it''s benefits to the population. Others went even further and gathered scattered people living at the edge of the Wilds and created new spirit touched places. These people, with rare exceptions, were men, as the pre-Mana world was one in which men were better placed to travel. Only as Mana spread further, and classes and attributes got better understood, did people learn how Mana helped people break past their Untethered limits. Afterwards, women too took up exploring and combat in the wild. But in places where like Sarasoor, which became spirit touched only a few decades back, the old attitudes of men being better suited for the outside world still lingered. Even today, people with classes which excelled as guardians as explorers were seen as high status, as they were the ones who brought the miracles of Mana to the Untethered world. ''Ugh. This [Guardian] family would probably be something my parents would only be too happy to snap up as future relatives. There are no women like Maya here to change the people''s attitudes.'' Ruventha, like most girls of her generation, idolized figures like the Scylla, the [Zenith of Wind] and Maya, the [Scorching Mirage], legendary women who travelled to arid deserts and ash-choked valleys and established safe zones for both people and wild plants and animals that were much rarer to find. Level 8 and 9 [Sanctuaries] today, which supported hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of domesticated plants and animals were once fledgling Level 1 [Settlements] named after these pioneers. Ruventha knew that she probably wouldn''t ever do things like that, but a girl could dream. ''Even if I have to get married, I need to move away to a higher tier place. Didn''t the local town chapter of Upgrade Studies say Sarasoor would take a couple of generations to reach Level 10 and upgrade to [City]? Yeah, there''s no way I''m willing to wait that long to experience that life.'' As her spirit bubble took her home, Ruventha wondered what this guy would be like. She had live chatted with potential suitors before, but those times had been a bust. ''I swear, if this one turns out to be anything like that oh-so-successful Level 6 [Soothing Breeze] guy who turned out to be a balding thirty year old, I''m going to run for the hills.'' She looked at the towering kilometres high wall of clouds visible to the far north, mirrored by another cloud wall to the far south. These two bands of clouds stretched horizon-to-horizon and were unbroken throughout the known world. [Explorers] had brought images of mountain chains beyond the clouds, separating the civilized world from the unlivable and cataclysmic lands beyond. ''Yup, going there wouldn''t be worse than ending up with a guy like that.¡¯ The spirit bubble rippled, making minute adjustments to it''s transparency and filtration levels while steadfastly rolling under the glaring sun. Inside, a young woman was moving towards the next step of her exciting future. Weaponsmith Woe Hundreds of kilometers from the small town of Sarasoor, a proper city sprawled. Named Erinthee, it was a prospering Level 7 [Border City] with roughly forty thousand people making a living there. True to its designation, it was at the southern edge of the Preserved Band. Erinthee, after becoming spirit touched nearly two centuries ago, had developed is own unique quirks and traditions over the years. Twenty five year old Nykosh could be seen lying on the grass outside the Armoury, his entire vision filled with the grand southern clouds. They were tinted a brilliant orange by the sunset. To Nykosh, it almost felt like starting up into a sea of fire from unfathomable depths. ¡±Oi! Brooding brat! Get off the lawn and come join us for a bite!" That was Kriten, out after finishing up his minor parts quota for the day. Nykosh made no effort to get up, knowing that the burly Level 7 [Bulk Forger] would haul him up in short order. Kriten''s face then blocked out the glorious view as he leaned over him. "That''s a downgrade in view" Nykosh muttered, sighing up at his coworker''s broad face, with a bushy blond beard covering the entire lower half of his face and extending down his neck. Those beady brown eyes narrowed at him behind think protective goggles. With a grunt, Kriten lifted him clean off his feet, making him dangle off his thick arms. It was a funny sight, and there was a short of amusement from the onlookers as Kriten held him up like a life size plush toy, one that was leaner and taller than himself. Nykosh remained stoic as he was let down in a moment. The senior workers at the Armoury loved to show off their Strength, which was a bit past the limits of an Untethered person. Truthfully, Nykosh didn''t mind all that much these days. Strength was a very prickly topic when he refused to Quest for the [Guardian] class and left Sarasoor to take up advanced studies here in Erinthee six years ago, but his family was slowly coming around to his choices. Nykosh tuned out the talk of tasks done and evening hobbies being discussed by the group as they walked to the nearby eatery. This group, like a lot of a spirit touched people working for the city administration, came from elsewhere. Being a loner by nature, Nykosh was at the outer fringes of the young and single crowd. Kriten had become a proper friend solely due to working next door to him, sliding past his aloof attitude after months of casual greetings. The other three in the group seating themselves at a free table were all from the Small Equips research team. Stygia quickly moved to dominate the conversation, enjoying the fawning adoration of her assistants, Lothor and Erika. "I just love the stew here. It beats boring old bread and gravy at home any day, don''t you think?" Erika nodded in agreement. "Yeah, obviously Unskilled meals can''t beat the Level 4 [Mellow Cook] here.¡± She then took her time going through the huge menu on her personal screen. People mostly didn''t make any screens visible unless they wanted to share some particular info, but that focused gaze was something anyone would recognise. Lothor chipped in. ¡±I think she''s Level 5 now. There was a offer day to celebrate it last week. I kept my discount token. I''m thinking of using it in case you want to celebrate your recent success, Stygia." Kriten waggled his eyebrows at me, unnoticed by the others. Of course, everyone at the Armoury knew of Lothor''s crush. Stygia had quite a few admirers. Most of those dreamed of landing a date with stunning redhead, but some, like Kriten and himself, liked her sharp mind. "Oh, that''s right! Congrats on your class. [Jeweller] to [Crystalline Enchantress] is quite a big deal!" Nykosh beamed. "So... Tell us! What''re the upgrades?" The others looked on in eagerness as Stygia made a show of reluctance. Generally, the details of a person''s class, skills, and everything else wasn''t something broadcasted to anyone and everyone. But as more and more people became spirit touched, sharing some things with friends was seen as no bigger deal than tell them your favourite food. "Oh fine! If you must know, [Jewelcraft] got updated to [Studded Manacraft]. It makes it much easier to make jewellery with embedded gems and I can enchant them with better boosts." Stygia didn''t hold back on a smug smile. Kriten whistled. ¡±Yup. That sounds like quite an improvement. I guess the Armoury will be getting a lot better rings and necklaces soon. The [Sentinels] will be quite pleased." Erika sighed ¡±That''s amazing. I just got my first integration last month. I''m so far from any specialization.¡± She finished her schooling a year back and started at the Armoury six months ago. It took her a while to move from the generic [Adult] to [Crafter] and was a bit embarrassed that the step was quite minor. Nykosh soothed her. ¡±Hey, it''s not a race. Class transitions are basically an affirmation of your life choices. You are not even twenty yet. Nobody expects you to know exactly want you want. I spent a while getting my attributes up after getting [Adult].¡± Kriten snorted. ¡±What? You took time to increase attributes? You''re still a limp noodle I can toss around.¡± Lothor and Erika looked a bit uncomfortable. They were younger than the others. Kirten was nearly thirty and didn''t mind ribbing the others, but there was some awkwardness with teasing an older person. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Nykosh threw a friendly punch at Kriten''s shoulder, putting just enough Strength to knock him a bit. ¡±Letting you pick me up is only me not using my Strength. Its just pity, you know. Can''t have you looking weak in front of the others." He ignored the fake offended comeback and chose his favourite item from his menu. It was a noodle and vegetable dish with a subtle savoury flavour. The building was a proper [Eatery] linked to the cook and had a lot of features intended to polish the whole dining experience. [Cook] and its variants could even store a number of their own finished dishes in their Equipspace, keeping them fresh and ready to eat for much longer than other classes. Nykosh quite liked the fact that the orders at their table were grouped up and appeared together after everyone made their selections. This place even put takeout orders in a single use Itemspace made from the Mana stored by the [Eatery]. Sometime later, everyone had finished their meal and Nykosh headed for the [Hostel] he stayed at. Somewhere between an [Inn] and a [Home], it catered to long time residents working at nearby places in Erinthee. Nykosh focused on the door to his suite, bringing up the public status display.
Suite 27
Status: Locked
Mana: 233/300
Unlock - 1 Mana
He unlocked the door and walked into his modest abode. Material locks like those used in Untethered places were vastly inferior. Here, there was no way for anyone to use the suite''s Mana or just see the unlocking option. Even the owner of the entire building had to start an Emergency Quest at the Domain Manager office to get access to this suite, which could only be completed by proving his unavailability. Like most places catering to the unattached worker crowd, it was a tiny place, with the entrance serving as both the area for entertaining guests and his bedroom. For just 60 gems a month, both the kitchen and the bathroom were extremely basic. If he actually had multiple guests over, the Mana capacity wouldn''t suffice to let them stay more than a day. Nykosh used 10 Mana to summon the bed from the suite''s Storage. The mental flexing to ensure that the Mana was taken from the suite''s pool was automatic by this point. He flopped into the soft mattress with a sigh, transferring his takeout dinner straight to the suite Storage, The Itemspace packaging wouldn''t vanish till he summoned it out, after all. There weren''t any important messages that needed an immediate response, so Nykosh switched his live contacting status to available. He could call his mother himself, but she was always peeved if he happened to interrupt her socialising. She kept her availability open by default and refused to switch it off when engaged in other activities. She was set in her ways and whenever he argued that she could set up a list of people who could prompt a urgent call if she was statused as unavailable, she insisted that that would make people see her as arrogant. A bit later, he got his mother''s live chat request, right when he was in the middle of experiencing a [Seabed Explorer]''s trip off the western coast. He pulled himself out of the frozen undersea surroundings and accepted the call. The illusion of a graceful middle aged lady appeared in his room. She was dressed in a deep blue sari today, showing off a stylised pattern depicting dancing peacocks in the borders. The matching set of earrings, necklace, bangles and anklets made of corals were enchanted to be a soft orange today. The more permanent chutti designed as a five-leafed palm frond adorning her forehead and the nose stud shaped like a blooming jasmine were symbols of her achievements in her class and its levels. Overall, the image was that of an accomplished and sophisticated woman. Nykosh was glad that the illusion didn''t show either person''s seating arrangements or the surroundings. He didn''t want her reminded of his frugal living condition. "Good evening, mum. I just got home an hour back." Nymesha, Nimma to her friends, frowned at her son as though she could see every line on his Status that didn''t match up with her expectations. "Nykosh. I''m assuming you still haven''t crossed the next integration of your class? More than a year has passed since your last one. You wouldn''t want the others at your work racing ahead, dear." Nykosh scowled at her. "So I guess we''re jumping right into it. What, did one of your element shaping group brag about their grown up kid or something? Besides, you know that there is no set number of class integrations or any meaning to the intervals. It''s not like a class upgrade." "Of course I know that. What I''m trying to make you understand is that if you''re properly ambitious, there is no reason for your class to remain stagnant. An integration isn''t a completely lateral step either. Have you at least formed your sixth skill yet?" Nykosh resisted the urge to just drop the call. "Amma! I''m not going to let you micromanage my progression. If we didn''t have those stupid Spiritual Ascension functions I am forced to participate in, no one would know any details of my class." Nymesha rolled her eyes. "It''s not like you''re sharing your status screen. Besides, celebrating major milestones are necessary for motivating oneself and others. It also brings the community together and helps progress [Family Leader] and the other domestic guidance classes. Everyone has a duty to contribute." Nykosh scoffed. "Please... It''s not like everyone attends those functions out of the goodness of their own hearts. To me, it''s an annual gauntlet of father''s uncles and cousins pressuring me to transition to a combat focused class. You and father won''t tell them to stop, either." His mother didn''t deny his words. He could see her prepare to forcibly steer the conversation to where she wanted. "I don''t think you''ll be worried about it next year." It was a proclamation. Nykosh''s mind raced. His family, especially his parents, knew when and how much they could push him. He couldn''t think of way his mother could get him to agree to change his class. "What are you taking about?" Despite his confidence, he was wary. Wordlessly, the view angle switched to focus slightly above his mother''s head. Then, the words that would forever change the course of his life appeared.
Nymesha
Level 60 [Graceful Azure Gale]
Advancement Quest (5/9): The strong wind has proven its power and precision. The next step is to provide impetus to the stubborn eddy trailing in your wake. As the gale guides the eddy to rise, it moves on the path to becoming a wind of storms. Advancement Quest provided to a sprit touched lineal descendant (0/1) Provided Quest completed by the recipient (0/1)
Whos the lucky guy? Sarasoor was a middling [Town] with just a few thousand people. If someone was civically inclined enough to watch the [Steward of Sarasoor]''s annual growth videolog, they would know that the [Town]''s level growth mostly came from its small scale papermaking, clothing and alloy shaping industries. The total citizen level of 50,000 that was reached last year, touted as a major milestone for completing Sarasoor''s Level 6 Town Advancement Quest, was helped along by a mix of more adults becoming spirit touched and more spirit touched babies being born. There was a complicated formula to compare the different tiers of the classes, with spirit touched babies, known simply as spiritborn, counting as overall Level 20 by the time they become Level 1 [Adults]. Adults who became sprit touched and directly got the [Adult] class had a lower overall level in the formula due to not having gone through the [Child] and [Teenager] stages. The Level 5 [Arena Entrepreneur], Roki, didn''t think too much on such heavy issues. He was quite content overseeing the running of his Level 4 [Dream Leisure Arena], known as PoteSpot to its customers. It was a place to experience virtual reality immersions imported from the repositories of a dozen nearby towns, along with some local contributors. He never expected most of his customers to be from the teenage and young adult crowd, but quickly adapted by employing a [Snack Cook] to cater to the ever present demand for fried pastries and fizzy fruit drinks. The evenings always brought quite a few people looking to relax after training or work. Some just found his arena a convenient place to meet up with their friends. ''Maybe I should expand the eatery portion? Less people are going for the immersion booths these days, what with the spirits offering similar extensions to most proper spirit touched buildings as a part of the communication features.'' Ruventha idly waved at Roki as she got into an immersion booth. Today, she wasn''t here to try experiencing the Dance of Spiritholme, though she certainly loved the intricate movements that only high level [Dancer] classes could perform. Instead, she was meeting up with her two best friends, Zivany and Mayli. She was primed with info on her latest potential suitor and was bursting with eagerness to get feedback from the other two. Sure enough, after a couple of minutes, a pair of women walked into PoteSpot and moved to her booth after spotting her. Ruventha impatiently waited for them to choose their drinks, as she''d already decided to go for a mango smoothie. Zivany leaned back into the soft velvet sofa after making her selection. "Hey Ruventha! What''s going on? You kinda insisted to meet up in person instead of just live chatting." Mayli chipped in. "Is it a level up? You know, you still haven''t celebrated with us for hitting Level 5 in [Flow Shaper]. Don''t skimp out on treating us with a nice dinner." Ruventha snorted. "Yeah that''s never going to happen. I haven''t hit it yet and besides, not everyone goes crazy for every level up like you two." Privately, she thought their attitude was fuelled due their unique looks, though she didn''t think of them differently. Zivany and Mayli were cousins and shared their light brown hair and fair colouring with their family, who had moved here from far off wilds a few years before Sarasoor became spirit touched. Midnight black hair dusky skin tones like her own was the norm here, and outsiders had been warily held at a distance back when the place had less than a couple of thousand people. Ruventha continued before the conversation could veer to class related topics. "Anyway, my folks have dropped the latest prospective husband on my head. The guy''s family is apparently a big deal." Mayli put down her apple fizz and leaned forward in excitement. "Oh ho? Is he rich? Maybe you can pass me his info in case you aren''t interested." Zivany played along. "Hey! You''re a year younger than me and two levels behind. It''s only right that I get the first pick." Ruventha shook her head in mock despair. "I pity whomever you two set your sights on. I haven''t seen him or anyone from his family, but his mother live chatted with my parents and exchanged some details." She then brought out a small gemstone from her Itemspace. It was the size of her thumb and was shaped like a teardrop. Its bright blue surface gleamed with a pearlescent sheen. Zivany whistled. "That''s quite fancy for an Infogem. It isn''t at the standard of the filigreed ones used by first settler families, but it is definitely custom made by a good [Jeweler]." Ruventha was taken aback. "Are Infogems available in luxury versions? I only thought that they are basic items made to store information in a way that is verifiable as coming from the spirits. So that people can trust the contents to be truthful." Zivany nodded. "My family were into mining before they got here and unlocked Mana. We''ve branched out a bit after classes and levels made all that hard labour much easier. I''d say this one would cost around 50 gems here. Definitely not something to be passed out unless someone''s trying to make an impression." Mayli interrupted. "Enough about that! Show us the juicy details, Ruvi!" Ruventha quickly brought up the screen linked to the Infogem.
Azurecoral Infogem Mana: 83/100
Owner: Nykosh Status: Pristine
View Being Class (limited) - 2 Mana View Being Attributes (limited) - 1 Mana
Glimpse - Hidden Bind - Hidden
Transform - Hidden Summon Being Avatar - 5 Mana / 1 Hour
Ruventha had waited to examine the Infogem with her friends for a reason. The whole courting process felt different to her this time. She couldn''t explain why it felt so in words, but even at this early stage, the other family''s overture was more formal than what she''d previously experienced. There was a heavier expectation of proceeding to full on marriage. She wanted the opinion of her friends as a counterbalance and to reaffirm her expectations. Mayli exclaimed. "Well? What are you waiting for? Pull up his avatar! Let''s take a good look." She rubbed her hands together gleefully like a kid waiting to be served their favourite sweet. Zivany shushed her cousin. "Hush! There''s a process to this! We have to see his class and stats first. No allowing the looks to distract us before evaluating his potential." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ruventha would have preferred to see the guy first, but she decided to trust Zivany''s process. "We''ll see the class stuff first, then? My mum was telling me his family has [Gaurdian] classes in their ancestry. She was really stoked about it."
Being Class Information (limited)
Class name: ~ [Weaponsmith]
Class Level (integrated): ~ 36
Class description: Every society has risks and dangers, internal and external. There will always be a group that chooses to take up the duty of protecting the rest from the darkness of the world. So too will people be needed to ensure that these brave Guardians have all the tools they need to fulfil their sacred purpose. This being has put himself on such a path. For those who will bear the burden of fighting, he will, in his turn, bear the burden of creating that which further separates his patrons from those they keep safe.
The table was silent for a moment. Ruventha remarked. "This... It''s grimmer than I expected. Is this Nykosh trying to impress girls or put them off?" Mayli frowned. "Yeah. Also, what''s with that symbol in front of the class name and level?" Zivany demonstrated her family knowledge once more. "That indicates that you''re not seeing the same thing the originator, in this case Nykosh himself, would see in his status. It''s still true, but it is somewhat approximate. Wait, haven''t either of you seen this sort of thing before? When you gave your details to your workplace?" Mayli shrugged. "I''m working with my father. I just shared my status screen. He then inscribed the Infogem for the shop records. I don''t know what that contains." "Hmmm, I guess that safety wasn''t an issue in your case, but if you saw that Infogem, you''ll realise uncle hasn''t put down the exact details. What about you, Ruventha? Didn''t you have to provide your class details and stuff to the papermakers?" Ruventha thought back to when she''d gotten her job. "I remember recording my class info with the [Town Administration] building as part of my Job Quest. I was a Level 3 [Adult] then, I think. The ''Potential employer found'' part was completed in a few days and then I went to the [Whitecloud Papermakers] to start my training. I answered some questions about what I knew of the whole paper making process and learned to equip and use the various Job Skills as required. But now that I think about it, I''m not sure exactly how much of my information is available at my workplace." Mayli asked. "What happened after you got your [Flow Shaper] class transition? Dad asked me to share my screen after I got [Earthen Nurser] to update the records." "Hmmm? My cousins came over and we had a small party at the riverside inn. Then, oh yeah, my uncle Madro who works at the [Town Hall] linked me to his official message carrier. My dad said it saved some hassle with getting stuff updated without going the [Town Hall] itself. A lot of the [Town Scribes] are snobby when recently spirit touched people go there to make use of their services. He was saying they always make a show of meticulously ensuring that no mistakes were made, as though people who directly got the [Adult] class were barely capable of reading and writing." Ruventha had been upset when she''d first realised that people treated her family like lessers for such stupid reasons. Her parents had made sure to teach her that even the spirits couldn''t solve all the problems of people. She had gotten 1 Wisdom out of learning that hard truth. Zivany gently hugged her in commiseration. "Yeah, my grandparents have stories like that too. Okay, let''s not go off on a tangent like usual. This class description is basically the sprits'' perspective of what the guys is willing to tell others about his class purpose. He comes across as broody. Also, Level 36 confirms he was spiritborn, but how old is he? I became [Adult] one year before you two and I just hit overall Level 29 even after some nice Advancement Quests and two class transitions." Ruventha replied. "He''s twenty six, so he''s six years older than me. Does that mean he''s gifted or something? I always thought you''re ahead of Sarasoor''s standards, Zivany. Won''t you be able to reach the mid-thirties in five years?" Zivany smiled. "I knew I liked you better than May for a reason." She ignored the offended "Hey!" from Mayli and continued. "For a noncombat class, maxing out your first tier [Adult] class by the time you are around twenty five is great, at least by the standards outside [Sanctuaries]. But, getting a class upgarde after hitting the max is considered a major bottleneck that you may not ever pass. People at that limit tend to focus on maxing their stats and skill levels, and then try to increase their Mana cap, but that becomes its own trap. Then, of course getting levels is itself tougher the higher you go." Ruventha asked. "Then how did he do it? I think even my dad is just two tiers higher, having a High Journeyman tier class. He thinks it''s not even possible to reach a Low Expert tier class in Sarasoor, since the [Steward] is stuck at the Journeyman peak." Zivany held up a hand. "Hey I''m just one year older than you. It''s not like I hold all the secrets of the sprits. But if I had to guess, I''d say this Nykosh fundamentally changed his life''s purpose when maxed his first tier [Adult] class. Gah, I guess it is easier to call it Level 30 like city people do. All this Low-Mid-High Journeyman-Expert-Whatever stuff is a mouthful. Anyway, I think the elders in my family have mentioned that classes are a reflection of how one views their goals and interest. Therefore, they say, finding a higher purpose than what you thought you knew makes the sprits reward you with an Advancement Quest at Level 30. But then, one of my grandmother''s sisters insists that advancing by deepening your purpose is inherently superior, somehow validated by how much harder it is by getting an Advancement Quest that way." Mayli smiled impishly at Ruventha. "Do you think dear Nykosh rejected the [Guardian] path? If so, Ruventha is going to chuck his Infogem straight into the dump. I know you like your guys all brawny and moustachy." Ruventha pouted. "I''m not that bad! I do appreciate a nice moustache, but I''ll have you know that I am perfectly willing to get hitched to a guy who brings in the gems with perfectly safe work while I can focus on getting the best class, like, a [Dancing Swordmistress]." Zivany chuckled. "Well let''s hope he doesn''t disappoint. I don''t expect much insight from his stats alone, but one thing would be useful to know." Ruventha used the Infogem''s (View Being''s Stats) skill, bringing the item''s Mana down to 80. Since she didn''t own it, she couldn''t refill its Mana reservoir from her own or her that of her house. It was probably intended to prevent thieves from endlessly making use of their stolen spirit items, though of course, they would have their own skills to deal with that.
Being Attributes (limited) Name: Nykosh Mana: ~ 800
~ Strength: ~ Mid ~ Intelligence: ~ High ~ Versatility: ~ Low
~ Agility: ~ Mid ~ Wit: ~ Mid ~ Confidence: ~ Low
~ Endurance: ~ Mid ~ Wisdom: ~ High ~ Resilience: ~ Mid
Realised Potential: ~ 42%
Ziivany pumped a fist in victory. "I knew it! His highest stats are Wisdom and Intelligence rather than Strength. He never had a [Guardian] type class." A first look Ruventha was taken aback at Zivany''s exclamation. "How did you predict that? If anything, shifting away from a combat class like [Guardian] could have triggered an Advancement Quest to reach Level 31 more easily, like you said." Zivany smiled smugly. "It''s his class description. It is broody, but there isn''t anything mentioned about shifting his path. When uncle Borlis, May''s dad, upgraded from his mining focused class to his current farming focused one, our grandpa didn''t accept it very gracefully. My mum finally got him to realise that there was no use wishing for things to be different by quoting part of his new class description. ''From breaking the bedrock to gently nurturing the soil, this being''s path reflects his species'' step forward. Merely taking what they need cannot compare to sustaining the cycle of life.'' She still loves bringing that up when grandpa is winning in arguments." Mayli frowned. "How come I haven''t heard of any of this? Dad and grandpa get along well enough as far as I know." Zivany silently apologised to Ruventha for yet again diverting the conversation. The latter didn''t mind all that much. Her own cousins didn''t live close and she only saw them on special occasions. She wouldn''t begrudge these two for their closeness. They were basically sisters, and even counted herself as a chosen third sister. "You know how grandpa stays with either of our parents alternatively? He likes to complain about your dad to my mum when he''s at our place. I guess he wanted his firstborn to follow in his path." Mayli caught her cousin''s look and quickly postponed the topic for later. "Okay, so Zivany thinks he couldn''t have been a [Guardian] variant in his Level 20s, otherwise his Strength or Endurance would have been the high stats. I guess I agree. But, whoa, what''s with the same symbol in front of the Attribute names? Are those approximate?" Neither Ruventha nor Zivany had seen something like that before. Ruventha offered her theory. "You know how other cultures from far away might see the nature of the attributes differently? We learnt that spiritual screens do some hidden translation to ease communication. It could be something to do with that. I know that his mother was born and raised here in Sarasoor, but she moved to her husband''s settlement because it''s a proper [Sanctuary]." Mayli shrugged. "That''s something you must remember to follow up later. That ''Realised Potential'' has something to do with maximum possible stats right?" Ruventha nodded. "Everyone is supposed to have a maximum total attribute limit based on their tier. No one is ever close to hitting their limits, though. Even proper class upgrades are easier to get." Zivany agreed. "Spiritborn [Child] and [Teenager] classes get lots of attribute points every level up because they are physically growing. Eating, studying and playing is pretty much enough to keep their potential above 85% or so. I think a fitness obsessed Level 1 [Adult] can have their potential at 70%, but practically no one is able to maintain that, let alone improve it, as they rise in tiers." Mayli chipped in "I don''t know how good 42% is at his tier. How do I get my current potential evaluated? Something like that would be nice to brag about." Ruventha offered. "I think someone with a [Healer] type class might be able to evaluate you? Don''t quote me on that, though." Zivany brought them back on track. "We''ll research it later. His stats look good, though. Obviously no one in the Level 30s have good numbers in the Third Column stats. Those are mystical in nature. I''m surprised that he has Mid range Resilience." Ruventha had a flash of inspiration. "Bottom Row indicates resistance, right? Some people think mystical can be interpreted as esoteric or even soul related. His family has traditional ideas on the superiority of [Guardian], [Explorer] and other such classes that aid in the spread of Mana to the wilds. But he didn''t go for those kind of classes. Does this mean you can get points in Resilience by not bowing to family pressures?" Mayli gasped. "By the spirits! You may have hit upon a nice training method." She piped down after she thought more on the possibilities. "It would really suck to manufacture those sort of situations. I''m sorry, Ruvi, I don''t think that''s going to be a popular idea." Ruventha snorted. "I''ll survive with this failure somehow, so don''t worry about it. Okay, let''s get to the heart of the matter." She then activated the privacy feature that made the booth opaque and soundproof from the outside. PoteSpot needed that feature to let people experience immersions without disturbing the other customers, but it served well enough for their purposes. Having finished their drinks by now, the three glasses were banished to the Arena''s Storage. The table went next, opening a space at the center of the circular sofa. The Azurecoral Infogem''s Mana went down to 75. Summoning an Avatar or any sort of three dimensional image from an item was an involved process, though simple for the item user to execute. First, Ruventha placed the Infogem on the floor, roughly equidistant from the three observers. She then indicated the other two as additional viewers with a quick look combined with a flex of will. Next, the item itself sent out a pulse only she could feel. A cylindrical space obtained a slight bluish tint that was generally thought of as the default spirit colour, which faded once the volume was tagged. In a moment, the solid-looking three dimensional image of a man appeared. Ruventha''s first though was ''Intense''. Nykosh had a tall but lean build, with the same dusky brown skin and black hair common to this region of the Preserved Band. His hair was cut in a generic close-cropped style most guys preferred to deal with the prevalent heat and humidity. He had a well proportioned oval face, with flat eyebrows complimenting deep black eyes slightly on the smaller side. His straight nose and bow shaped lips were styled with a pyramid moustache and a light chin-dusting beard that she found quite pleasing to the eyes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. She turned to see Zivany politely clearing her throat. "I see that most of our analysts just got thrown out. He''s not a bad looking guy, but you look positively enthralled." Mayli smirked."It must be the moustache. Nice and triangular." Ruventha sighed. "Suddenly the looming threat of marriage doesn''t feel so threatening. He''s even wearing a properly formal outfit. So unfair." Zivany laughed. "Oh yeah! Our modern little village girl has a weakness for crisp city style shirts and pants. You are a walking stereotype." Mayli gestured for Ruventha to step up to the Avatar. "All that''s left is for you to stand next to him. Go on, there''s no use delaying it now." Ruventha honestly felt her heart beating a little faster as she complied. The Avatar didn''t simulate that mixture of warmth and scents that marked a real person, despite exhibiting breathing and other small movements. She already knew what to expect, but couldn''t hold in her little gasp. "He''s a full head taller than me." It was more correct to say that the fact of his height was more of a relief than an actual preference. Ruventha''s [Child] and [Teenager] class levels had steadily granted her enough height to be one of the tallest people around, but she had suddenly beat out both her parents and all of her family after getting to Level 1 [Adult]. Afterwards, furtive glances at guys her age were more often met with eyes that would shy away in embarrassment after needing to glance up to meet hers. That was still better than the ones who''d abuse that fact to stare... Elsewhere. Her musing on the simple nature of men was interrupted by Mayli. "Okay, turn around. I want to see how you two match." Ruventha acquiesced, making sure to keep a respectable distance, in case... Just as she''d expected, Mayli blinked in a slow and deliberate fashion which gave away to anyone in the know that her eyes'' image was being picturised. That whirring click designed to mimic the operation of the original Untethered camera was obvious in purpose. Ruventha groaned. "Oh come on! Did you really need a picture of that?" Mayli grinned. "If you end up with this guy, with that not being a big if, I think he''d like to see how badly you''ve fallen for him." The gentle teasing stepped up from that point, and Ruventha had no choice but to endure. Some time later, the three had discussed everything from Ruventha''s impression of her future mother in law to what weird hoops she might have to jump through in the name of tradition. When Ruventha went back home, she was feeling excitement rather than trepidation at the idea of getting hitched. That night, dinnertime at Ruventha''s house was the usual quiet affair. She found herself looking at everything around her with new perspective. The familiar rooms filled with picture frames and the sturdy but well used rosewood furniture suddenly looked like a jumble of antique and contemporary that any visitor would find strange. The lack of a proper dining table felt like the house had a glaring hole. Her mum had detected her turmoil. "You look anxious, Ruvi. Did the meetup with your friends not go well?" Jalia was a steadfast and opinionated woman who had quickly moved on from an initial [Tailor] class by focusing on home management skills. Ruventha sometimes wondered if her mother had an actual Skill to suss out her mental state. "No no it went well. I finally saw the guy''s details. He''s okay, I guess." Ruventha sneaked a look at her father as she said it. Rousikan was a calm and soft spoken man who had largely let his wife handle the child rearing duties. He was focused on his [Alloywork Manager] path and bringing in the gems to support his family. Her parents exchanged a silent look before her father spoke up. "So, you''re okay with us arranging a proper meeting, then?" Ruventha passed the Azurecoral Infogem to her father. "You''ve seen this, right? What do you think about him?" Her father looked pensive."He seems like a good prospect. Well educated, good class and levels, good family and all that. Of course, I''ll be travelling with Madro to see the boy and verify his details in person before we invite his family to visit us. His mother has been informed and she''s given her go ahead." Ruventha responded. "I see. He''s working in Erinthee, right? I think I''ve heard of the place." She prudently didn''t mention that Erinthee was known among her friends and colleagues for its many fighting arenas. Her mother offered her thoughts. "It''s a Level 7 [Border City], so there are lots of opportunities for people in the business of expanding the reach of Mana. We''ve been informed that there''s a good chance of him settling down in the city itself if his career goes well. I know you''ve always wanted to settle in a big city." Ruventha rolled her eyes. "You don''t have to still sell marriage to me. I hope you aren''t too devastated that he isn''t a [Sentinel] himself." Her mother narrowed her eyes at her cheek. "Well, [Weaponsmith] is quite respectable. I''m just glad you had the sense to understand that life won''t wait forever for you to be ready to commit." Rousikan took his wife''s arm to stave off the argument. His daughter had inherited his wife''s strong character, which led to them clashing on some matters of opinion. "Let''s not talk as if everything is set in stone. Their family seems serious in their approach, but things could still fall through." Jalia smoothed her expression. "Yes. You''re quite right. Ruvi, is there anything you''d like your father to look out for when he goes to Erinthee?" Ruventha perked up. "I heard there''s this really delicious wine made with grapes from a levelled vineyard sold over there." Her mother smacked her over the head. "I meant things about Nykosh, which I know that you knew as what I meant. Don''t be impertinent." Ruventha grumbled about the unfairness of it all before switching tracks. "Actually, there is something. Dad, you don''t record the exact class details of the people working under you at the factory, right? Isn''t there a symbol to indicate approximation?" Rousikan nodded. "Yes. Since these kinds of records need to be properly spirit linked for truthfulness, there is a balance between the preserving the privacy of people while ensuring any organisation has enough information to ensure smooth operation. Minimising the Mana reserved to maintain the whole thing also goes into it." Ruventha continued. "So my friends and I found it weird that his Attribute names had that approximation symbol in front of them. Neither of them had seen anything like it." Rousikan frowned after checking the Infogem himself. "I can''t say that I''ve seen this before. I''ll make sure to ask about it. It can''t be false information, but maybe there''s some nuance we''re missing." The discussion then switched to the various preparations needed. By the time Ruventha went to bed, she hadn''t convinced her parents that an upgrade to her spirit bubble was necessary, but she''d made some progress in other areas. Her parents would be letting her get a new dress for the when the time came to meet the in laws.