《The Darulan Academy》 Prelude Toby was frozen in place staring at the monster in front of him. How did this happen? All he wanted to do was pet the small wolf pup. But now, the claws and teeth dripping with blood. He was going to die. Even though he couldn''t move his eyes started to take it all in. It was bigger than anything Toby had seen before and unnatural, with 6 limbs, and covered in what looked like a slimy black skin. Nothing he could see helped him feel better, and its red eyes seemed to hold him there. The monster took a step towards him just as his world went black. ¡°You are safe now.¡± Toby opened his eyes to see a man, dressed all in black standing in front of him. As the man started to turn Toby could see the monster wasn¡¯t moving. It looked dead. That¡¯s not possible. His dad told him that big monsters take an entire group of town guardsman to kill. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It will all be ok now.¡± The man slowly took a knee to look Toby in the eyes. ¡°You were brave little man. What is the name of such a brave man like you?¡± Toby couldn¡¯t bring himself to respond. His eyes were glued to the hole in the man¡¯s chest. ¡°I see you noticed my problem.¡± The man coughed a little blood dribbling from his lips and placed a hand on Toby¡¯s shoulder ¡°Everything will be just fine. In fact, I have a small present just for you. Will you except the present?¡± Toby did the only thing he could and nodded.
Consent Given Class Arcane Knight obtained! Chapter One Fear Resistance Level 3 Toby woke up breathing hard and soaked in sweat. He always hated that dream; it¡¯s been so long since the last one. Not surprised though, as today makes it 10 years exactly since that day. Climbing off his bed roll Toby did his best to conceal a hiss. The burning coming from the mark on his shoulder was as bad as he remembered it being on that day. But he needed to ignore it, he didn¡¯t want to wake any of the other kids. Today was not supposed to start this way. He was legally a man, 15 years old and leaving the orphanage. Instead of celebrating he is packing up his bed roll and grabbing his only set of spare clothes. How could he have wet the bed? Yes, he wet the bed every time he had that dream, but he was only eight the last time. It¡¯s just not fair. He quickly made his way to the washroom to get cleaned up and changed as best he could with a bar of hard soap and a pail of water. It wasn¡¯t bathing day at the orphanage, so he was stuck using the itchy laundering soap, but he was in a hurry. Still naked he looked down at his left shoulder to inspect his mark. It still burned but nothing looked to have changed. Everyone else thought it was a birth mark, but Toby knew better. It looked exactly like an outline of a hand. Peeling his eyes away he almost swore he saw a faint light coming from the mark, but looking back there was nothing. Waiting no longer Toby grabbed his shirt. The plain grey, thin cotton clothes clearly marked him as an orphan. New clothes were a must as soon as he had more than one or two coppers. Toby wasn''t upset, he knew the town had done their best to help those orphaned ten years ago. There were just so many, and the local Lord didn''t care about one small town, he couldn''t. Lord Dritis protected his people. The Lord had led the defense and later was the spearhead to drive back all the monsters. According to the stories Lord Dritis was a great Hero who had spent nearly every moment of the last ten years fighting to rescue the Barony from certain destruction. Coudal the Baron''s capital was going to take years to recover. The Dritis Barony was on the eastern border of the Empire. It was a newer Barony only founded about 200 years ago on the edge of the Untamed Lands and Toby knew the only reason his small town of Koerin had survived the invasion was because they were located west of Coudal and only saw a small force. Freshly changed Toby took a moment to look at the small, polished piece of metal that served as a mirror, and he was surprised to see the bright purple eyes looking back at him. Shaking himself, he looked away from his reflection to get his brain working again. This just had to be another change from back then. Returning to the water to work on the bed roll, Toby let his mind drift back to that day.
Market day with his mom was always his favorite day of the week, but today was better. It was his birthday and now that he was five, he was an official member of the town. The two of them were a little late getting to the market that morning. Their first stop being the church to register Toby with the class stone. Dad went to the class stone, but he had to go back to work at the wall. Everyone registered at five years old to allow them to get access to their status screen. Then from the ages of five and until they received their class at fifteen all children were able to earn experience for completing quests. The quests were always simple, like completing chores or doing their studies, but it was important to help motivate the future class holders of the Empire. Unfortunately, if a normal quest rewarded 100 experience points non classed individuals were only ever given 10 experience points or 10%. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Status Name: Tobias Guardson Race: Human Age: 5 Class: None expand Level: 0 Experience (XP): 0/100 Health: 30/30 Mana: Locked Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Endurance: 3 Perception: 3 Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 3 Luck: 5 Skills: None Toby was excited because today was the day he got to start going to school with all the other kids and was going to be able to help outside the house. Big kids got to do all the fun stuff. Just as his mom had started to haggle with one of the food vendors Toby spotted a blue and white wolf pup at the entrance to the alley right in front of them. With a quick look towards his mom Toby ran for the alley for a chance to pet the puppy. Following him into the alley and almost to the little guy, Toby saw it. A night lizard. He could faintly hear the screaming from behind him.
¡°You had the dream again, didn¡¯t you?¡± Toby startled from his thoughts turned to find Miss Vicky. No sooner than Toby had turned Miss Vicky was taking the bed roll from him. ¡°Miss Vicky I can clean up my own mess. You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± A flush of embarrassment showing on his cheeks. Vicky was a young widower, not even 30 years old. Pretty with blond hair and golden eyes the mayor''s daughter had made saving and protecting the orphans of the town her job. ¡°Nonsense. Today is a special day. It¡¯s not every day a boy becomes a man.¡± Ignoring the obvious blush, Miss Vicky began to vigorously scrub the bed roll but just as she got started, she stopped. Adopting a much more serious tone. ¡°Tobias, are you ready for today? Don¡¯t just start nodding your head either. And stop looking so surprised, I know all of my kids, I don''t need high perception to see you instantly agree just to make me feel better. Everything will happen quickly this morning and you need to be ready. After you go to the church and get your class you will need to make decisions on what you will do next. There will be people that will want to make the decision for you, but just remember that the decision is yours. If it is too much come back here, and I will do my best to help you. And Tobias, you are no longer one of the orphans. You will need to start calling me Director Victoria.¡± Toby adopted a wry smile ¡°I am ready, Miss Vicky.¡± "Tobias, you will show me proper respect." With false severity she was unable to hide a smile of her own. "I can''t believe that I actually believe you are ready. None of your peers ever did as much for the orphanage as you have. We are going to miss you." There was a small pause as neither wanted to acknowledge the tear slowly running down Vicky''s cheek. "Uh umm, you should go down to the kitchen and get a meal in you. You won''t want to still be here when the little ones wake up. They won''t let you leave." "Miss Vicky," Toby paused unsure of what to say, "Thank you, for everything." Legacy - Chapter 2 Toby arrived at the kitchen to find Simon yelling at a couple of the smaller children. He couldn''t tell who as they appeared to be cleaning up a spill on the other side of the counter. Of course, Simon would be in charge of Breakfast for the orphanage on his last morning there. With Simon, a skinny dark-haired freckle faced twelve-year-old with no appreciation for food, running the kitchen plain boiled oats was guaranteed. Toby hated gruel, but he needed to eat something. He had no idea when his next meal would be. "Simon, give them a break would you. Accidents happen." Lowering his voice so only Simon could hear he continued. "They were probably just too excited as it''s my last meal here. I''ll be leaving soon. Also, if you keep scaring them like you are they are going to make a lot more mistakes. I know you hate kitchen duty; more mistakes mean more time in the kitchen to get it clean." Simon shot a vicious glare at Toby. "Keep your opinions to yourself, Tobias. What do you want anyway? It''s my day to run the kitchen and you aren''t needed here." "I''m here to grab breakfast, Director Victoria sent me so that I could be gone before all the littles woke up." Toby continued to smile at Simon. He knew better than to rise to any of Simon''s provocations. Simon not getting the response he wanted spun around grabbed a wooden bowl and slammed it down onto the counter. Every one of his actions were completed with a jerky sense of hostility as he scooped a spoonful of gruel into the bowl. He didn''t even stop to look at Toby before walking around the counter and helping with the mess. Toby''s smile grew and became genuine as he picked up his bowl. Walking out of the kitchen he could hear Simon speaking gently, encouraging the kids he had just been yelling at. Simon came to the orphanage off the street only a year ago. His defensive walls were slowly crumbling, and if given time Toby was sure he would be able to help care for the littles. So many of the older kids never learned how and it worried him. Who was going to step up and take over for him, protecting, and teaching them. There were so many things the younger kids didn''t know or understand. They didn''t have anyone there for them to instruct them on the importance of XP. The more XP an orphan earned before gaining their class the more likely they were not going to end up on the street barely getting by. These kids didn''t have a family to help them for a couple extra years until they had the XP to succeed in life. They needed to get as much as they could right away. Toby took a seat in the dining room the smile wiped off his face by his recent thoughts. Lifting his spoon out of the bowl he had to gawk. How did they manage to mess up gruel so badly that it was clumpy, watery, and cold all at once. With a grimace he took his first bite and opened his status screen.
Status Name: Tobias Guardson Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Arcane Knight (Hidden) expand Class: None Level: 0 Experience (XP): 470,400/100 Health: 300/300 Mana: 600/600 Attributes: Strength: 15 Agility: 11 Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Endurance: 12 Perception: 13 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 Luck: 18 (Locked) Spells: Heal 2 / Arcane Haste 1 General Skills: Hide Cooking 3 / Leadership 2 / Firebuilding 3 / Reading 5 / Writing 4 / Math 2 / Acting 1 / Lifting 7 / Running 9 / Climb 1 / Haggling 2 / Detect Lie 3 / Tracking 2 / First Aid 1 / Sewing 1 / Identify 5 / Poison Resist 1 Combat Skills: Hide Unarmed Combat 4 / Daggers 1 / Medium Sword Proficiency 1 / Shields 1 Armor Stats: Weapon Stats:
With a thought Toby Expanded the Arcane Knight Class to reread its description.
Arcane Knight: The Arcane Knight is a unique class. This unique class is a legendary evolved version of the Knight Class. Only five may exist at one time. Class can be passed from its previous holder to a new holder by a combination of both consent and contact between two parties. This type of class is known as a Legacy Class. When this class is passed on some of the attributes and skills may carry over. Attributes and Skills levels will reduce upon progressing to a new holder. This class allows a Knight to have access to mana. This access includes but is not necessarily limited to basic elemental branches, and heightened perception-based spells. Every level a holder will receive one attribute point in each Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Holder will also receive 3 attribute points to assign.
His bowl empty, Toby dismissed his status screen. According to his teachers, most kids should work hard to achieve between thirty and forty thousand XP by the time they reach their Class Day. Thirty thousand XP was enough for a respectable level five entering a potential apprenticeship. Toby on the other hand already had more than 470,000 XP. Regrettably he hadn''t realized that having a class allowed him to earn 100% of all quest XP rewards until a couple years after he entered the orphanage. He tried to talk to his teachers and Miss Vicky about already having a class and earning so much XP, and every time they would smile and tell him he had such a good imagination. Eventually Toby just gave up and embraced the secret nature of his class. He threw himself into his minor quests and began to earn as much XP as he could. Finished with his status review and gruel he stood to leave. Grabbing the empty bowl to return it to the kitchen, Toby turned around and ran straight into Miss Vicky. "Gah." Even with his decent perception, attributes for an average new class holder were typically a ten, he could never sense her like he could the kids that got close to him. "Miss Vicky, I''m so sorry. Did I hurt you?" Not looking at all out of sorts Miss Vicky held a small satchel out to Toby. "I''m fine Toby. I didn''t mean to surprise you. I was hoping to catch you before you left. A few of the teachers and I did our best to put together something for you. We went with a satchel to carry your spare clothes and whatever else you might need." Her brow was furrowed, but smile genuine, and all signs of her earlier tears were gone. "Now, no more waiting here. You need to get going, the other kids will be waking soon." Making his way out the front door of the dining hall and the orphanage Toby paused but didn''t look back. He had to look forward, and not towards his past. The sun was cresting the wall meaning he had a bit of time before he needed to be present for his class selection. The smell of the tannery accosted his senses. The town did its best to support the orphanage and the mayor''s daughter, but no one really wanted orphans in the living near their homes. Deciding to put distance between himself and the smell he didn''t wait and made his way from the south wall for the center of town and the church. Toby pulled the satchel from his back to get a better look at it. A nicely crafted bag made of obviously cheap leather. Opening the single buckle flap, he took a quick look inside, and then another look. There was more in the bag then just a single set of grey clothes. Resolved to inspect the contents of the bag later he buckled the flap. "Toby!" Toby glanced up from the satchel in response to a voice he easily recognized. He had already made it to the market square. "Good morning, Marlin. How''s business been this morning?" Toby asked a stocky youth only a couple of years older than himself. "Morning Tobes. Business is good, but I don''t want to talk about business. It''s your class day. Isn''t it exciting. Any idea what you''ll get. Of course, you know, I knew I was going to be a baker. Only thing I ever wanted to do. Just like my dad. Here have a roll on me." Marlin tossed Toby a roll only now taking the time to breath. Marlin was always excitable, even as a kid at the orphanage. It got worse after Marlin received the Baker Class and his apprenticeship. His Master was the only person who could slow the never-ending stream of words. "Oh, don''t let me stop you. Get to the Church, hurry, or you will be late." Smiling at Marlin, Toby took a bite from the roll, nodded and kept walking. Slowly chewing he savored every bite; the roll helped him completely forget about the horrible gruel from earlier. Chewing the last bite, he stopped outside the nicest building in the town. The church loomed overhead. One of only a few stone buildings they had, the church was taller than everything else. It stood even taller than the walls surrounding the town. Doubt entered Toby''s mind. Chapter 3 Every stone shined a pearly white and each, both large and small fit together seamlessly. More than two stories tall, the entrance was larger than the dining hall at the orphanage. Through the open doors a bell pull could be seen. Its purpose clear to all who heard it ring so many years ago. Everything within eyesight was perfect as if the church itself was repelling the very dirt around it. This building was plainly built using a skill. Many skills and spells in fact. It was beautiful but terrifying. Maybe not terrifying for everyone, but to Toby, who could vaguely see people coming and going from the church, it was. The daze he was in most likely caused by him refusing to come near this building and deal with his feelings for ten years. How could he walk back into a place tied so closely to his pain. The last time he had seen his dad was right there on the steps. The last time his family had been whole was inside those doors. "Tobias, Tobias" A gentle tone and a hand on his shoulder broke through his fog. Toby''s focus pulled from painful memories and the building in front of him, he was able to clearly see the middle-aged man standing before him. Somewhere in his fifties with grey hair and beard, five and a half foot tall on a good day, a thin kind face, and wearing an expensive clean white robe. "There you are Tobias. I know today can''t be easy. Many of your friends and peers have struggled to walk through these doors the last few years and I can only imagine how much harder it can be for you on the anniversary of such a tragic day. But please follow me and I will do my best to help you too. Once you step inside, we can help you feel the true blessings of Lodes, The God of Light. Come, we will lift the burden from your heart and then we can join the others at the Gods Stone." "The Gods Stone?" Toby asked before he could stop himself. The man gazed at Toby with a knowing look. "Yes, the Gods Stone. It is how we of the faith refer to what you call the class stone. My name is Father Gregory, I am the Keeper of this church and Priest of the Supreme God of Light, Lodes. He who grants us the strength to both heal and defend others. Now come, everyone else is already here and waiting. We don''t want to be late, do we?" Late? Toby took a moment to look around. This time focusing on the sky above. It was no longer sunrise. He must have been standing in front of the church for at least an hour. Not for the first time he found the hours had escaped him do to his focus on the past. Before getting caught up in thoughts and feelings again Toby felt himself take a step forward, and then another. Looking to his right he saw Father Gregory walking with him, silently guiding him with his hand never having left his shoulder. But Father Gregory''s wasn''t the only guiding hand he felt, Toby could feel that same comforting hand on his other shoulder as well. Glancing to his left he abruptly stopped, causing Father Gregory to stumble at the unexpected change. There was no one there, no guiding presence, but instead it was his mark. His mark wasn''t guiding him like Father Gregory had been. It was being drawn toward the church. "I''m sorry Father, I thought I saw something. It''s fine now, should we continue?" Unsure of what else to do Toby began to walk forward again. This time he did so with his head up and shoulders back. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to the mark on his shoulder. The people at the orphanage thought it was just a birth mark or a souvenir from that day, but someone here might know what is really was. What would it mean for him if others knew about his mark? He wasn''t ready to find out. If Father Gregory was fazed at all by Toby''s change in demeanor, he didn''t show it. He fell back into step with him and once again placed that reassuring hand on his shoulder. Letting his newfound confidence guide him Toby took no time at all to make it up the steps and into the church. Toby wasn''t sure where to go next, so he relinquished himself to Father Gregory''s guidance. They walked right to the middle of the room, a large metal shield held aloft by a stone hand coming right out of the ground. Embossed on the shield was a shining star and nothing else. That plain metal shield with its single star seemed to carry with is an immense weight. "This shield is the symbol of my God. It is not as grand as the ones you may see in the larger cities or the capitol. It is only made from pure steel with a touch of paint applied using a craftsman''s magic. There is no gold, silver, or mithril here. But I believe it speaks true to Lodes'' expectations for us. To be a stout defender and healing light for any in need of our help." For a humble man, the pride in Father Gregory''s voice was clear. He was truly a believer in both his God and mission in life. "If ever you are in need of help you need only ask, and I will do my best to provide. Now come we must get you to the Gods Stone. The others are waiting." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Toby found himself being led to the far back of the church where a less auspicious door stood open. Murmuring could be heard from the other side when one voice rose up above the others. "Dad are we really going to be stuck waiting here all day? I mean what is taking them so long?" Toby knew that voice and he cringed remembering they shared a birthday. Father Gregory gently nudged him into the room first and then made his own way through the small crowd and up to the Class Stone. "Naturally, another urchin who doesn''t seem to know the importance of time. Some of us have important business to attend to. Do you have a reason for making your betters wait?" A large burly bear of a man said. Making his way toward Toby he was brought up short by a pointed cough behind him. Father Gregory hadn''t moved, and he didn''t raise his voice, but he made himself and his feelings known. "Guards Captain Bahil please stand down. I meant no disrespect by being late, but I felt it prudent I give young Tobias here a tour of the church." Extra emphasis was placed on the word church. "My apologies Father." Bahil snapped to attention, answering Father Gregory with sincerity. The respect for him and the church on full display. "Dad why is an orphan being allowed to be here why I receive my class. Make him leave." That spoiled voice rang out above all else again. There was no question being asked. Only a demand. "Jasum Dirsk, you will show respect for all in my church or find yourself removed from my presence." All kindness was gone from Father Gregory''s voice. "Smith Dirsk I ask that young Jasum follow the edicts of Lobes, or he may find himself the first to not receive a class in the history of Koerin." Toby just stood there watching as the man who was obviously Smith Dirsk placed a large hand on his son''s shoulders. That hand may have been the only thing stopping Jasum, who was red and vibrating with anger. "Let us begin. Lodes, God of Light, and Torchbearer to the Alliance of five, watch over these two young men as they receive your blessings. Jasum Dirsk please step forward and place your right hand on the God''s Stone." Jasum stepped forward touched the stone and within only a few seconds he stepped away with a large smile on his face. Toby barely had the chance to think something went wrong before Father Gregory started to speak again. "Congratulations, let us welcome Mage Jasum, level 5. Jasum, you have been blessed with an uncommon class. It comes with a responsibility to protect. Please carry this burden and prove you are worthy of the Blessings of Irtuna, Goddess of magic." As applause and congratulations started Toby''s stomach twisted. He already had a class, but he still couldn''t help but be afraid. He wasn''t afraid of the stone or the ceremony, but of what would come next. What would happen next? "Tobias Guardson please step forward and place your right hand on the God''s Stone." Toby placed his right hand on the stone and the world went black. A resounding yet gentle voice spoke. "Class Arcane Knight found. Presented class Knight unlocked. Level up, Level up, Level up...... Level up. Level 11 reached. Attributes earned: 11 Strength, 11 Intelligence, 11 Wisdom, 11 Unallocated."
Status Name: Tobias Guardson Race: Human Age: 15 Class: Arcane Knight (Hidden) expand Class: Knight Level: 11 Experience (XP): 48,200/210,000 Health: 300/300 Mana: 1600/1600 Attributes: Strength: 26 Agility: 11 Endurance: 12 Perception: 13 Intelligence: 26 Wisdom: 26 Luck: 18 (Locked) Spells: Heal 2 / Arcane Haste 1 General Skills: Expand Combat Skills: Expand Armor Stats: Weapon Stats: