Preparation and consolidation.

I read over the Quest again, making sure I have the details right before I refuse or accept. Honestly? I have to admit that I am a little miffed at this lust god. They had nudged me towards uncertain and conflicting feelings, feelings that I certainly wasn’t ready to tackle just yet. But this Quest… I was impressed.

The contents were par for the course for a lust god, and I certainly wasn’t thrilled by the notion that this unknown deity possessed information regarding my sexual experience (or almost complete lack thereof), but I begrudgingly respected this god for the way this quest was presented.

I appreciated the fact that I was being offered decent rewards for stuff I probably wanted to do anyway, and I especially liked that I had the option to either accept the Profession, or gain other rewards. Not only that, but a small part of me was extremely curious what a Profession like Hedonist would entail, ‘if the Quest description is anything to go by…’

I shake my head, clearing the thought. There’d be time to study it later, in detail. For now, in so far as I could see, there was no downside for accepting this Quest. That being said, the System had cautioned me to read up on Professions before I accepted, and I fully intended on taking that advice. Clearly reading my intent, a System window opens to a new section of my interface labelled ‘Codex’. Most of the options are greyed out, but a section listed as ‘Progression’ glowed slightly, catching my attention.

Opening the tab brought up two entries, Classes, and Professions. As I was here for the information on Professions, I selected that first.

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

Professions: The Profession system is the non-combat equivalent of the Class system, and allows for you to specialise in various non-combat related fields. Professions, like classes, level up separately from your main character level from relevant experience, and provide Attribute points, Perks, and Abilities based on the Profession in question. There are many ways to earn a Profession, but the most common method is completing Quests where the Profession plays a role. As a traveller, you initially have two profession slots available, and don’t receive an experience penalty for filling both. Unlock a Profession to learn more.

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

That was interesting, and I would definitely keep the information in mind, but it changed little at this point. Yes, I apparently had limited slots for Professions, but I always had the option of turning the profession down if I decided I didn’t want it. I made my decision. I decided that I would decide later. Chuckling at myself, I accept the quest. I am about to close out of the Index section when the ‘Class Information’ option caught my eye. ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’ With a shrug, I select the section, then read through the information.

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

Classes: The Class system is unlocked at Character level 10 and allows you to specialise in various combat roles more easily. As a traveller, you will have a choice of five distinct classes to choose from upon reaching level ten, based upon how you’ve fought during combat up to that point, and the Skills, Perks, and Abilities you have learnt. Once selected, your Class will level separately from your main level, only taking EXP earned during combat into account. Levelling your Class will earn you Attribute points, Perks, Abilities, and Spells based upon the Class you chose. Be aware that you will only ever have access to one class, but you will have the opportunity improve upon your choice in the future.

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

Again, useful information to have, but not all that relevant for the moment. Next on the agenda was the free Attribute points I had earned with my last level. I open my character sheet and consider where to spend the points. I had enough points to boost any one of my physical stats over the first threshold, but which? ‘Or, should I forgo dumping all of my points into one stat, and pick a more balanced approach?’ I hithered and dithered for a while, before finally deciding to split the difference. I put 2 to Strength, 2 to Agility, and the last 1 in Constitution, then confirmed my decision. I smiled in pleasure as the subtle feeling of power pouring into my body flowed through me, sculpting and improving my physique.

I took a moment when the process finished, marvelling at the changes those few points had made, then got my brain back into gear. Old me would have been aghast that I had yet to open my Skill window and see what all my new Skills did, I had always been the type to spend inordinate amounts of time studying character sheets, but in my defence, things had been rather hectic. Ah well, no time like the present.

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------0

‘Note to self, track this shit as I go. I love perks and bonuses as much as the next man, but this is a little overwhelming.’ I follow up on the thought, fiddling with my notification settings again. Satisfied that I’d now receive all the relevant information with my Skill prompts, I continue reading through the Skills I had unlocked, and the bonuses they provided. Overall, I was pleased. Yes, some of the Perks were a little situational, but I hadn't been expecting much, anyway.

As cool as this all was to me, I still had shit to do. I would spend some time later reading over everything, especially that Fluid Casting Talent, but for now, my attention was needed elsewhere. Clambering to my feet, I make my way over to the centre of the camp, where mum stands watching over everything like some heavily armoured mother hen. Waving to get her attention, I say, “Hey ma, I was just about to use that new Mana Sight ability I got, mind keeping an eye on me whilst I figure it out?”

She smiles and nods, saying, “I’d be happy to.” She smirks at me then, and adds, “Glad to see you learnt your lesson.” I smile back sheepishly and shrug. “Yeah, no more jumping headfirst into god knows what.” My smile turns into a grin as I can’t help but add, “At least, not without adult supervision.” she rolls her eyes at my joke, then says, “You’ve been spending too much time with your twin, she’s rubbing off on you.”

I laugh at the notion, then put on my best expression of doey eyed innocence as I say, “Yes mother, Ash is cowwupting me with her evil ways!” She mock-glares at me, then her expression shifts to one of amusement as she swats me on the arm affectionately. At least I think that's what she was going for? What actually happens is I am sent staggering sideways a couple of steps by the surprisingly powerful blow, my arm throbbing.

I steady myself, then look back at her, more confused than actually hurt. She gawps at me, her face a picture of mortified embarrassment, then speaks in a rush. “Oh sweety, I'm so sorry! The Quest I got for keeping watch this morning got me enough experience to get to level three, and I am still getting used to my new strength!”

I am about to reply when we hear a snort of amusement behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ash has re-emerged from the tent. She has that gleam in her eye that foretells impending mischief, a prediction that is proven correct a moment later as she says, “Don’t apologise mum, he sorta deserved it.”

I glance back at her, already wearing my ‘I can’t believe you said something so hurtful and yet so accurate’ face, but can’t help grinning as she adds, “Plus, strong women are sexy!” Mum splutters, her face turning pink. She turns to me, looking to me for moral support. Unfortunately for her, saying shit for the express purpose of making her flustered is an ancient and time-honoured family tradition, so I merely shrug, then say, “She’s not wrong.” Once her sputtering is under control and she no longer looks like a tomato, she levels a glare at the pair of us. “If you two are quite done, weren’t you supposed to be using this new Ability of yours?”

“I was, but this is fun too.”