Anti-Mage

Caitlyn had been watching over Felix since Anton brought them back together. Whatever had happened, wherever she was, she knew who Felix was and what type of leader he was. President Cruiger didn’t seem to be too bad; he’d just tried to control someone who, as far as she could tell, couldn’t be controlled. She was also surprised by the training and ability of the Marines and Secret Service Agents she’d encountered. They had all been competent and focused on trying to keep the President safe. As for the other people in the room. Politicians, one and all. She didn’t consider any of them a threat, at least not physically. If they had a weapon she hadn’t seen, they might be an issue, but as far as she could tell, they were mostly harmless.

Everyone, that is, except for Mrs. Ellison. She carried herself as a politician, and from what she’d overheard, she seemed to be like Felix, a leader from another version of Earth. Even so, there was something about her that didn’t sit well with Caitlyn. Something that she couldn’t pin down, but her gut told her not to trust the woman. So, she’d stuck next to Felix and, for the most part, ignored Anton when he’d tried to start up a conversation because she didn’t want Mrs. Ellison picking up that she didn’t trust her.

When the latest SYSTEM Message appeared right after Anton returned, there was an uproar in the room as various people tried to talk at the same time. Caitlynn watched as Anton recommended that the President begin preparing the nation and maybe even letting others around the world know what they thought was going to happen; when Anton was asked why, his response was classic.

Anton looked at the President steadily as he said, “If monsters start appearing all over the world, there will be panic. Additionally, the world is going to have a food shortage, and millions, if not billions, will die. That doesn’t include those who will try to take advantage of the situation for personal power and gain. People are most likely going to die as it is. You should do everything in your power to help prevent that because the more humans that survive, the better for the overall survival of everyone else on this planet.”

Caitlyn wasn’t too sure about Anton’s claim, but she could agree that if monsters started appearing all over the place, having more people to fight them was better than not having enough. She watched as Felix participated in the conversation in the most unobtrusive way while Mrs. Ellison neither offered nor shot down any ideas.

The group moved from the Oval Office into the subbasement, where the primary command center for the White House was on the surface. The leading group moved into the first meeting room while aids and additional personnel came and went at a rapid pace. Felix had her coordinate with the people from her Earth who had checked in and made sure that they were working hand in hand with the personnel from the Earth.

While Caitlyn coordinated with the people under Felix’s command, she also watched Mrs. Ellison, who was making calls to her personnel and speaking in a language she didn’t immediately recognize. She hadn’t done anything that seemed suspect, but Caitlyn had a bad feeling every time she saw the woman.

As for Anton, the President had him coordinate with the Secretary of Defense and the Navy to reach some of the submarines that were out of accessible communication range. Most were in the Pacific near the poles. Caitlyn wasn’t sure how his new quick travel ability of his worked, but she knew his flight speed was estimated at 1,400 miles per hour, which meant he would be out of pocket for a little while.

Just after 7 a.m., Anton reappeared, and the Admiral stepped through a portal that had just appeared. The President saw the Admiral and addressed him first, “Admiral, what have you discovered?”

“Mr. President, we have moved a contingent of Navy Intelligence and support personnel to the facility to ensure the area's security. Once they were trained, the intelligence personnel began utilizing what is most likely an exploration function of the Node device to check on our friends and allies around the globe, without their knowledge, of course.”

“And,” The President asked.

“And it doesn’t look good, Sir. I brought some of the intelligence personnel to the facility and had them use the device Anton showed us to look in on our primary adversaries.”

“How bad is it?”

The Admiral took a breath before he spoke to settle himself and then began, “As you know, Sir, we estimate the population of the Earth increased by at least 3.5 billion people in the space of a few minutes. For the United States, Canada, Alaska, and remote areas of the former USSR and China, the increase, while noticeable, was well within each area’s ability to tolerate. Congested areas like eastern China, Japan, and Europe are not fairing so well. Additionally, there is a definite difference between the people who appeared and the people indigenous to this Earth. Felix and Mrs. Ellison appear to be only two representatives of at least nine different origins we’ve been able to identify.”

“What is happening over there,” The Secretary of Defense asked.

“It’s Anarchy everywhere over there. One of the reasons our allies haven’t reached out is that they were overrun in the first hour. Sir, no one believed the initial reports and requests for help, and now those lines are dead.”

“But you were able to check on what’s going on?”

“Yes, Sir. It’s not good. There is a group in China that appears to be descendants of the Mongols. They have been able to organize and take over the local militaries as well as overthrow any governments in the local area.”

“How is that possible? It hasn’t been a full day yet?” The President asked.

“There are a lot of them, and they were spread out throughout Southeast Asia, India, Thailand, and India. We even believe some of the Mongol types appeared in Japan and the Philippines as well. The only thing that is slowing them down is the additional people that have appeared and the crowding. It has only been one day, and they’re asserting their dominance. We expect to see an escalation of unrest over the next 48 hours as food and water in the area become scarce.”

Caitlyn listened as the Admiral gave a quick overview of the various nation-states and the issues they were having. It sounded like the other side of the world was being hit a lot harder than the United States and Canada. Most of the people from her world who had called in were being transported to the middle of the United States, predominantly Nebraska, but also into South Dakota and Kansas to spread out the impact and reduce potential shortages. She’d been trying to keep an eye on where Mrs. Ellison was putting her people, but one of Mrs. Ellison’s aides had handled those details.

As the clock on the wall indicated that it was 8:00 a.m., another Notification appeared in her vision.

SYSTEM Message!

Magical Density has reached 4%

It had been just over two hours since the last notification. Had the rate at which Magical Density accelerated increased again? Just then, the power in the White House flickered.

“That shouldn’t happen,” The Secretary of Defense said.

“Anton, didn’t you say something about the return of magic having a deleterious effect on electrical equipment?” The President asked.

“It does, and I did,” Anton said. “Also, it’s not localized; when I popped back into this area, I looked down on the East Coast and saw lights flickering up and down the coast. I don’t know if the electricity will ultimately fail at 5%, but I would definitely put out a warning and try to prepare as many as you can.”

“Have you been able to reach all of the Submarines?” The Navy Admiral asked.

“There are only two left. I should be able to get to them, no problem.”

“Please, Anton, and thank you,” The President said. As for everyone else, I need to address the nation in five minutes. Let's make it happen.”

Caitlyn was led out of the Oval Office and into a meeting room just down the hall, which held a monitor. Five minutes later, the President addressed the nation. Caitlyn watched as the President explained the upcoming possible emergency, the steps being taken, and why he was grounding all non-essential aircraft flights. He ended the broadcast and then went to work coordinating with the local government. It was pretty interesting to watch a President, someone from her past, make an address in real-time to the United States.

The President ended his address to the nation just after 8:30 a.m. Everyone in the room went back to work, taking phone calls, passing on information, and coordinating their efforts. For the next 30 minutes, things proceeded ‘normally,’ if normally was meant to be rapid-fire phone calls, texts, and snippets of information followed by answers that were only snippets of information. At 9:01 a.m., everything changed.

***

Brandon J Parker had been at work for one hour when the world went crazy. He didn’t think about the fact that he worked only two blocks from the White House along New York Ave NW. Nor did he worry about the Treasury Building being just down the street. He came to CVS, oversaw the self-checkouts, answered questions, and restocked the shelves as needed.

The messages that had started appearing in his vision at around 9 p.m. last night had him worried. Still, since everyone else was seeing them, he figured it was some ultra-secret government program someone accidentally tested on the public. Seriously, there was a conspiracy theory for everything. Then again, maybe there was some SYSTEM that could access his brain. Regardless, he still woke up at 6 a.m., reviewed the latest SYSTEM Message, showered, dressed, and then walked from his apartment at The Apartments at City Center, just down H street, three blocks away. He had a job to do.

At 8:01, the SYSTEM message stated that the magic density had increased to 4%, which Brandon ignored. An hour later, the Magical Density increased to 5%. Fifteen minutes after that, Everyone’s reality changed forever. There was a loud pop in the middle of the street outside the store. Brandon looked through the glass window and saw a large group of darkly clad people who had just appeared at the intersection. Some had what looked like ranged handheld weapons, but most were armed with swords. Swords? Some of the people in cars honked. The group ignored the vehicles near them and spread out in all directions from the intersection as they began moving toward the nearby buildings, including the CVS store Brandon worked in.

Brandon moved out of sight of the entrance and watched as six of the at least 50 unknown individuals moved out of the intersection. Brandon wasn’t too worried about himself. He’d served in the military for eight years and pursued hand-to-hand and martial arts training as a way to keep himself fit. Like everyone else, he’d known that a lot of people had suddenly appeared on the planet. That’s why he was at work. Most of the newcomers in Washington D.C. had been routed out west near the river where space was available. The local news had said they were trying to move people even further west to get them out of the metro because they were taxing local resources.

Brandon watched as the six men entered his store and split up as they headed toward the back wall of the store. Brandon shadowed one of the men as he made his way toward the hallway with the bathrooms and the office. He followed the man unobtrusively and grabbed a mop and bucket, which he rolled in front of him and toward the same hallway. If the man wasn’t up to no good, Brandon was taking a mop bucket back to the closet in the hallway. If the man was up to no good, at least the mop could be used as a makeshift weapon.

The man walked into the hallway, looked through the glass window into the office and breakroom for the employees, and then turned into the men’s bathroom. Brandon walked past the two bathrooms and opened the mop closet. He rolled the bucket in and then disengaged the mop head from the mop handle and held it out of sight in the closet as the man exited the men’s bathroom, pushed open the female bathroom, and checked it quickly. Brandon was sure the man had noticed him since he wasn’t trying to hide. His assumption was verified when the man reached into the light jacket he was wearing and turned toward Brandon.

Without a smile or any other signal Brandon could determine, the man drew a short blade and launched himself at Brandon. Luckily, one of the martial arts Brandon had picked up and continued to practice was Jujutsu. His attacker’s strike was hard but sloppy, and Brandon countered by side-stepping the attack as he countered with the mop handle. With a thrust and a clockwise twist, Brandon forced his opponent's elbow to twist and bend. His opponent tried to toss the knife to his other hand to continue the attack, which left Brandon with no choice but to break the locked arm by applying pressure with the mop handle. The lower arm snapped, and his attacker's elbow was dislocated as he dropped the short sword.

With five other criminals in the store, Brandon wasted no time and jammed the end of the mop handle into this opponent's throat, whacked him across the temple, and, with his final attack, brought the stick down on the base of his attacker's neck and back. None of which should have been a killing blow but should stun and incapacitate him for a bit. His opponent dropped to the ground, unconscious. Brandon reached over and picked up his attacker's short sword as two more men stepped into the hallway, each holding a similar but bloodied sword. Brandon had seen a couple of customers in the store, including Mrs. Evans and a random homeless guy.

“What do we have here, a would-be hero,” the man on the left said with contempt.

“He must have some skill if he took out Clark,” The second said.

Brandon held the staff in his right hand and the short sword in his left as he moved the sword to get a feel for its weight.

The man on the left looked amused, “I do believe he thinks he has a chance.”

“The score is one to one. We’ll have to take a half for this kill,” the man on the right said as they both rushed forward.

Brandon didn’t like using blades primarily because it was hard not to do permanent damage to an opponent. He used the Mop Handle and the short blade to parry the two attacks as he pivoted through them and made it to the edge of the hallway, where he saw Mrs. Evans's head lying on the floor a foot from her body in a growing pool of blood. At that moment, his mind became hyper-focused as he went to that place within himself. There was no wrong or right anymore. There was him and the Enemy, and those enemies were going to die now. Brandon dropped the mop handle. There was no longer any reason to worry about NOT permanently harming these monsters.

Brandon took a moment to locate the other three robbers. They were not close enough to be a threat. The attacker on Brandon's left swung high and overhead while the one on his right made a thrusting attack. While the counter was not easy, he had training and was moving quicker than the two who were attacking him.

Brandon spun and pivoted to his left. This move allowed him to dodge the downward slash and also use the first attacker's downward slash to block the thrust from the second man. Brandon came around the left side of the two attackers and thrust his blade across the back of the attacker next to him, into the armpit, and through the heart of the second attacker. The first attacker was turning and trying to follow his movement.

The second attacker, already dead, staggered and threw off the balance of the first attacker, which caused him to stagger with his blade still pointing to the ground. Brandon immediately followed up on his first strike. His training taught him to disengage and prepare, but the setup was too perfect. Instead of disengaging, Brandon withdrew the thrust and stepped forward as the first attacker spun to keep his eyes on Brandon. Brandon transferred the first blade to his left hand as he reached forward and yanked the sword out of the second attacker's hand as he crashed to the ground.

Brandon stepped past the second attacker and turned with both blades, ready for the first attacker. His attacker didn’t hesitate and leaped at Brandon over the dead man between them, which was a mistake. Without a thought, Brandon allowed the training he’d received to guide him. He parried the first attack with the blade in his left hand as he sidestepped the leap and decapitated the man with the sword in his right hand, which he quickly followed with a kick to his upper body to cause it to fall away from him so the blood spurting from his neck didn’t get all over him.

Brandon’s training saved his life again when, instead of standing there and looking at what he’d done in shock, he dove for cover so he could assess the situation. A bullet crashed into the wall behind him, followed by a gunshot from the far side of the store. Brandon bolted down the hallway and into the office toward his locker. Unlike most people who counted on the government and the police to keep them safe, Brandon had the training to keep himself safe and had taken the time to get a concealed carry license. When he’d taken this job, he’d verified that he could bring a weapon into the store as long as it had its own special storage container and it was stored in his locker while he was working.

Brandon reached his locker, grabbed the case out of it, and opened it with his key. He pulled out his locked-and-loaded Glock 45X just as the next attacker rushed into the doorway. Brandon dived for cover as he rolled sideways, aimed, and fired. Anyone will tell you that firing while flying through the air is stupid. There’s no time to check your target background. Your aim is probably going to be off, and you’ll need to recover when you hit the ground. If he was being honest, it was a stupid move. While it was an idiotic thing to do, luck was on his side as he dodged the shot that had been aimed at him while his opponent dodged into the path of the bullet and took a round right through his forehead, killing him instantly.

Brandon slammed into the ground and slid a foot before he scrambled behind the boss’s desk and listened. The desk he was behind didn’t have a bottom, and he was able to see the open door with the dead attacker lying half in and half out of the door. He couldn’t see anyone moving in the hallway, but he could hear movement, so one or both of the final attackers had come to deal with him.

If he were in the hallway, he’d be watching for movement through the glass window, which, while askew, still gave a good view of the whole room on the side with the desk he was behind. In fact, the only dead spot was on the opposite side of the door along the wall adjacent to the hallway. That meant that when they came into the room, they’d have to clear that side if they knew what they were doing or possibly get shot in the back. That gave Brandon a chance.

Brandon aimed under the desk and waited. He heard words in a language he didn’t understand as two bodies stepped into the room; one turned toward the blind spot, and the other turned toward the desk he was hiding behind. He knew this because of the direction the feet were pointing. The person closest to him was facing his direction, while the one behind him was facing the other direction. Brandon calmed his breathing and waited for the perfect shot. When one foot from each target lined up, he fired. His round went through the front of the left ankle of the attacker facing his direction and the back of the 2nd attacker's left ankle as he was turning to face the desk.

The first attacker was able to reach out and stabilize himself on the doorway while the man who was turning fell to the ground as the ankle he was pivoting on shattered and could no longer support his weight. When that attacker hit the ground, Brandon put a round through his forehead, and just as the first shot rang out from the attacker who was still standing, Brandon targeted the only good ankle of his final attacker and put a round through it as well.

Brandon vaulted off the ground as a shot rang out from his last attacker as he fell to the ground. His last attacker was trying to catch himself as he fell while also bringing the gun in line to fire under the desk. It was too bad for him that Brandon was now above him and moving toward him. As Brandon's feet came to rest on the desk, he calmly brought his gun in line with the final attacker and put a round through his forehead just as his eyes glanced up.

A flashing gold star appeared in his vision, which Brandon ignored. He needed to figure out what was going on right now. Brandon reloaded his weapon and then picked up the guns from the three dead men in the office. The firearms looked familiar, but they were just different enough that he wouldn’t feel comfortable using them, so he picked them up and threw them into his locker. Otherwise, there was nothing else on the bodies.

Staying low, Brandon moved into the hallway and then to where the two bodies of his attackers in the store lay. They only had short swords, which he picked up and brought back to his locker. Finally, he moved to his first attacker, who was still unconscious. This man had a dagger on a sheath at his waist, which Brandon picked up and added to his own. He drew the dagger, which flared brightly and actually hurt to hold. It felt like it was burning and cold at the same time.

Before Brandon could think about what to do next, he heard the bell that meant someone had entered the store, followed by a call in a language he couldn’t understand. Whatever was going on, intel about who had done this would be bad for him, so he gripped the dagger, which seemed to make the pain worse, and plunged it up through the jaw of his unconscious attacker through his tongue and the roof of his mouth into his brain. A quick twist, he drew the blade out. Suddenly, the pain was gone. Brandon quickly wiped both sides of the blade on the dead man’s jacket and moved toward the exit at the back of the store.

There was an alley directly behind the store, and across the alley was the bottom entrance to a parking garage. Brandon disabled the alarm, opened the door, and made his way outside. He kept moving as he looked around, crossed to the parking garage, and climbed over the low wall next to a white SUV. Brandon kept near the wall as he made his way south along the wall. When he was 10 feet long, he stepped away from the wall and behind the rear tire of a Nissan Rogue with a tinted window, which he looked through back toward where he’d entered the garage.

Another soldier jumped over the wall and crouched as he looked around and under the cars. Brandon didn’t move while the man looked around. A moment later, the soldier hopped back over the wall and ran back into the store. Brandon made his way to the stairway to the upper levels of the parking garage and moved up to the second level. He quietly made his way East to the other side of the garage and took a different stairway back down to ground level.

Brandon moved into the Church of Epiphany, a shortcut he’d used to get to and from work when it was raining. He entered another parking garage and continued on to 13th St NW. As he looked around, Brandon realized that whatever was happening a block away had not reached this far yet. He moved up to the alley that ran along the back of Macy's and continued east.

Fifteen minutes later, he stepped into his apartment, barricaded the door, and took stock of the situation. Brandon tried to turn on the news but the internet was out. He went over to his alarm clock and turned on his radio.

“Residents are encouraged to stay home. The Mayor of Washington D.C. has declared Martial Law while the attack from unknown entities on the White House, The Pentagon, and other government facilities is underway. Multiple deaths and injuries have been reported. If you are in the vicinity of a government installation, remove yourself from that location.”

Brandon turned the radio down but kept it on in case the information was updated. He walked into his bedroom and pulled out his military gear. He changed into his BDUs and grabbed his go bag, which contained enough food for two weeks and a kit to sanitize water if necessary. He also removed the silencer for his Glock from its hidden storage place and attached it to his weapon. He might need it later.

He made sure he had everything ready to go if he needed to bail while he listened to the announcers as they went over some of what they’d learned about the SYSTEM. It seemed that when the Magical Density had reached 5%, a new functionality had been unlocked or primed. Unconfirmed reports were coming in that the SYSTEM became fully available when an action of note to the SYSTEM was registered. The most common of which seemed to be killing another creature, though unsubstantiated reports of individuals unlocking the SYSTEM while just doing their jobs had also been reported.

Brandon took special note when the report mentioned a gold star noted in the vision of those who had claimed to have unlocked a class. The announcer had been informed that Individuals should try to focus on the star in their vision and think or say “open.”

Brandon was taken aback for a second. What, his life was a video game character with attributes and classes and such? How the hell could this be real? Then again, he had seen people teleported into the middle of a street, which, as far as he knew, wasn’t possible. So, what did he have to lose? Brandon focused his attention on the gold star and thought, “Open.”

Congratulations!

You have Unlocked the SYSTEM

XP Earned: 63,000 (10,500 x 6) for Combat with 6 level 6 soldiers.

Congratulations! New Title Gained.

Luck of the Draw – Dexterity and Agility increased by 3. Luck increased by 5. Additionally, the Efficiency of Dexterity and Agility is increased by 50%

NOTE: This is the first time you have unlocked the SYSTEM during this Reincarnation Cycle. Please review the following information carefully.

Initial Ability “Complex Soul” is automatically granted to all sentient members of the primary species present on the current planetary body that unlock the SYSTEM.

Complex Soul – A combination of the Animae, Will, and memories of a being. Complex souls persist after death and may enter the higher and lower planes as well as enter the cycle of reincarnation. Memories of one's previous incarnations are not automatically forgotten upon reincarnation.

All beings that participate in the Reincarnation Cycle obtain the Ability “Complex Soul” automatically. Additional ability may be earned if warranted. Additional abilities are determined when the SYSTEM is unlocked. When unlocked, all actions prior to unlocking the SYSTEM since entering the Reincarnation Cycle are tallied and help determine new Abilities, if any, are earned. All earned Titles, Perks, Skills, Significant Actions, as well as any XP earned before unlocking the SYSTEM help0 determine the rank of a new random Ability.

NOTE: You may only have one ability of each Rank.

Additionally, during each Reincarnation Cycle, a being will be given one opportunity to earn and swap out an old ability with a new ability that has been randomly selected. If no previous ability of the same rank is present, the Ability is added automatically.

As can be deduced, abilities will be unlocked and available during the individual's lifespan and at the beginning of the next reincarnation. This will make unlocking the SYSTEM progressively easier as one participates in the Reincarnation Cycle. As individuals are reincarnated, the odds of obtaining high-rank abilities increase. In rare instances, significant actions can unlock the SYSTEM and provide the individual with access to high-rank Abilities. These are the exceptions, not the rule.

There are 10 Ability Ranks, they are as follows: Common, Scarce, Rare, Advanced, Master, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, Unique, Divine.

Calculating Rank of Initial Ability.

Six SYSTEM active combatants with a level 600% higher than yourself were defeated.

Multiple types of attack noted.

New Title “Luck of the Draw” Gained.

You have earned the Divine-ranked Abilit, “Divine Luck.”

Divine Luck – The SYSTEM has determined that you are lucky. You are so lucky, in fact, that this ability may only be possessed by one being. Unless or Until this ability is swapped out, no other being in the SYSTEM may receive this Ability. You are Unique, your luck, Divine.

Luck Attribute +100

Efficiency bonus of all attributes except Luck +100%

Efficiency Bonus of Luck +1,000%

Ability Cost: 55,000 XP

Class Section

A single class can have multiple rarities, which improve Attribute Bonuses per level and offer unique skills unavailable to individuals with a lower rarity. Additional class rarity can be increased, but doing so will often weaken those who increase the rarity of their class.

The class rarity available when unlocking the SYSTEM is based on the same metric by which abilities are randomly chosen. Please note that classes do have a maximum Rarity. For instance, a Fighter will only ever have a rarity of Basic, Scarce, or Rare. In contrast, a Soldier can increase in Rarity. In addition to Basic, Scarce, and Rare, Soldiers may also be Advanced or Master rarity.

Below, you will find a list of Classes and the Rarity for which you have qualified.

You may choose only one.

Available Classes are listed in Alphabetical order with Rarity qualified for and maximum rarity given.

Brandon was surprised at how long the list of classes was, but his attention was drawn to classes he recognized from Role-Playing and Video Games. While the list was long, his attention was drawn to the following list, which he summarized for further review.

Acrobat – Rare/Rare

Adept – Rare/Master

Assassin – Master/Master

Barbarian – Rare/Master

Bureaucrat – Rare/Master

Cleric - Rare/Master

Demi-God – Divine/Divine

Diplomat – Rare/Master

Doctor – Rare/Master

Druid – Rare/Master

Fighter – Rare/Rare

Entertainer – Rare/Master

Healer – Rare/Master

Hunter – Master/Master

Mage – Rare/Legendary

Marine - Master/Master

Merchant – Rare/Rare

Monk – Master/Master

Paladin- Rare/Epic

Pilot (Vehicle Specific) – Rare/Master

Ranger – Master/Master

Research Scientist – Rare/Master

Researcher – Rare/Master

Rogue – Master/Master

Scout – Rare/Rare

Scientist – Rare/Master

Soldier – Master/Master

Sorcerer – Rare/Legendary

Spy – Master/Master

Tech – Rare/Mythic

You may focus on any class to learn more information.

Brandon zeroed in on the Demi-God Class. It was the only Class that listed its rank as Divine with a maximum rank of Divine. It also looked like whatever metric the SYSTEM used, his actions made the SYSTEM recommend more physical classes for him. While he could pick a magic-using class, they would start at a lower rarity, unlike every physical or stealth-based class offered.

Brandon focused on the Class Demi-God and pulled up its information.

Demi-God

Prerequisite – At least one Divine Ranked Ability

Demi-Gods are those beings noted by action or deed to have performed a unique or unheard-of display of physical or mental prowess prior to unlocking the SYSTEM. While Demi-God is a class, you will be required to choose another Class as the Principal Class to indicate what type of Demi-God you wish to be. Do you want to focus on Magic, maybe Smithing or even Healing?

Once a Principal Class is chosen, The Demi-God will gain the benefits of the Demi-God class and must pay the increased experience to level. The Demi-God will receive attributes and resource levels for the Class Demi-God and receive the special perks and skills of the Principal Class they have chosen.

Finally, skills, perks, or abilities not of Divine Rank will not be able to discern the Demi-God aspect of your Principal Class. To all non-divine attempts to discern the class of a Demi-God (Fighter), Only Fighter would be discerned.

Demi-Gods receive 200 attributes per level.

Demi-Gods must decide when accepting this class how they wish for 400 points to be allocated between their Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, and Psychic Energy at each level. For reference, Basic rarity classes receive 15 resource pool points to be distributed between the four categories.

Demi-Gods also receive 50 Spell Points to distribute between Spell Points and Psychic Ability Points at each level. Like Hit Points, Stamina, Mana, and Psychic Energy, this distribution is determined upon accepting this class and cannot be changed once decided.

Demi-Gods receive specialized Skills and Perks upon reaching the appropriate levels of their Principal Class.

Demi-gods require the next level multiplied by 10,000 to reach the next level. 10,000 XP to reach level 1. 20,000 XP (30,000 XP Total) to reach level 2, and so on

Would you like to choose Demi-God as your 1st Class, Yes or No?

That was a no-brainer; Brandon chose “Yes.”

Please choose another class to be the Principal Demi-God Class.

Brandon looked over the previous list. He was leaning toward one of the Soldier classes or maybe even a Monk, which might be very powerful with as many attributes as he would earn. Of course, he could choose the Hunter class or even the Rogue Class, but what he really wanted was an Assassin Sorcerer hybrid of some sort. He wanted to take advantage of his military background and be able to use magic. If this was really happening, why wouldn’t he want to be able to cast spells?

Immediately, the list in his mind scrolled up through the various classes he’d skipped until one of the classes on the list was highlighted, “Magcarius.” Brandon focused on the word and pulled up the class's description.

Magcarius

The Magcarius is a hybrid combination of an Assassin and Mage. This class offers the benefits of being stealthy and learning how to utilize magic to strike from stealth or cover without giving away your position. The class also provides benefits and skills that empower hand-to-hand combat and quick melee weapons against vital areas of their target. Ranged weapons are usually discounted for long-range magical attacks.

Typical Resource allocation for an Epic Ranked Magcarius are

Hit Points: 15/Level

Stamina: 15/Level

Mana: 20/Level

Psychic Energy: 0/Level

Spell Points: 6/Level

Psionic Ability Slots: 0/Level

As the Principal Class for a Demi-God, this choice will allow you to allocate the 400 points resource pool points you earn each level as you wish. You will also need to decide how 50 points are allocated between Spell Points and Psionic Ability Slots.

NOTE: The Magcarius is a magic assassin hybrid, not a Psionic assassin hybrid. While you can choose to gain Psionic Ability Slots and learn psionic powers, there is no inherent class skill or perk that will empower those Psionic Abilities.

The following skills are automatically gained at level 1 proficiency: Stealth, Melee Weapons: Short Blades, Tracking, Dark Magic, Earth Magic, and Death Magic.

Would you like to choose Magcarius as your Demi-God Principal Class, Yes or No?

Brandon chose “Yes.”

Brandon didn’t feel any different and was about to be severely disappointed when the door to his apartment exploded inward. Brandon would think about what happened next over the next few days and come to realize that Divine Luck was an outstanding ability to have.

Without a thought, the dagger Brandon had taken off one of his attackers at CVS was in his hand and then flying toward the man in a flowing black robe who was walking through his smashed-in front door as Brandon dove for cover through the doorway to his bedroom. There was a THUNK and then a thud followed by a male yelp of surprise. While he listened, he moved to the door jam, brought his Glock up, and aimed toward the doorway into his apartment. A quick glance showed that the man who had stepped through the door jam was on his back. His upper body was in the hallway, with his feet resting inside his apartment.

Another one of the attackers was barely visible as Brandon aimed the Glock and lined up where he thought the person’s head would have to be if he leaned back to look into the apartment. A moment later, the attacker leaned back and brought his arm up with a stick; no, a wand when Brandon fired. The man’s head exploded and sprayed brain matter all over the wall across the hallway behind him.

Brandon tried to remain as silent as he could as he moved out of the bedroom and up to the wall. The door opened toward him, allowing him to move up and behind the door so he couldn’t be seen from the hallway. Breathing very slowly, he waited. He heard movement from the hallway as someone dived into his room and came up behind his couch, aiming one of their weird-looking firearms at the door to his room.

Brandon was in the attacker's blind spot as he dove into the room and came up against the back of his couch. He even took his time to aim and then pulled the trigger just as the attacker caught Brandon’s movement out of the corner of his eye and shifted to look toward him. Brandon saw the man’s eyes go wide as a bullet entered through his temple and exited the other side of his skull near his ear.

A notification popped into Brandon’s vision.

Congratulations! You have defeated two Level 10 soldiers. Total XP Earned: 115,500 XP

Congratulations! You have defeated 1 Level 12 Mage. Total XP Earned: 35,100 XP

Congratulations! You have earned Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Please designate Resource pool and Skill Point allotments per level. When finished, you have 1,000 attributes to distribute.

Brandon had 1,000 attributes to distribute in addition to designating his resource pools and Spell Points. First things first, though. Brandon went over to the man he’d killed with the knife and withdrew it from his eye socket.

Congratulations! You have discovered the Mage Killer. While this dagger does not provide any bonuses to attack or damage, it is impervious to magic. The perfect weapon for killing mages, no matter what level they are.

Base Damage: 1 – 4

Durability: 21 of 21

Soul Bound to Brandon J. Parker.

That had been an extremely lucky throw into and through the right eye into the brain. It was immune to magic, and it was also fortunate because Brandon was pretty sure the guy in the robes had been a mage of some sort. He put the dagger out of his mind for now and quickly searched the bodies. Every time he picked up and moved something into a pile inside his apartment, a small square appeared on the bottom left of his vision.

Once he was done moving everything, he concentrated on the square. An Inventory Panel expanded into his vision. Anton picked up one of the attacker's guns, and it disappeared. Immediately, an image of the weapon appeared in the inventory.

Okay then, he had an inventory. He’d figure that out in a moment. He put everything he found into the inventory. He went back into his bedroom, grabbed his go bag, which he also added to his inventory, and made his way down to the basement laundry room, where he stepped into the mop closet and closed the door behind him. It was a very small room, but it should give him a little bit of privacy to review what he’d just learned.