The Concept of Crafting

As we stepped inside the guildmaster's office, a massive oak desk drew my attention, along with the figure behind it. The guildmaster was not what I expected, having envisioned a heavyset muscular man, and instead being a tall, willowy elf woman with a crooked smile and leaning back in her chair.

“So, you're the aurisal noble Allysa's team has been talking about.” She stood up, stepping around the desk. The guildmaster glanced at my missing paw and grimaced before her smile returned, though slightly shaky.

“Nasty wound there, must be awkward missing a part of yourself. Name's Vanhara, pleasure to meet you. Allysa has informed me that you don't care much for the title of your parents and all the politics it comes with, so I'll get right to the point. You were in the slavers camp for over a year, and as of now the only person who was there that can speak coherently.”

Vanhara sat on the edge of her desk, her smile falling away.

“I need to know any and all important names you can remember. We have reason to believe that these slavers have noble backing, however we cannot do much without a name for the money.”

I nod in understanding before closing my eyes to think back. I feel my Disassociation skill flare to life, cutting most of my negative emotions as I replay all that I remember from the mining camp. I look back through my memories before landing on one, a conversation between two slavers. They had been arguing about whether or not their ‘backer’ would ship in some better alcohol, and one of them had mentioned a name.

I open my eyes, [Disassociation] falling dormant once more. I look up at the expectant face of the guildmaster and grin. Vanhara seems taken aback by my smile, but returns it all the same.

“Tarinos. That was the name of their backer.” I tell her, and she nods. Vanhara hops off her desk and walks back around, dropping back into her chair as she waves for us to leave. Allysa helps guide me back to my room, as I still need help moving even though I have become more confident with my unsteady gait.

I sit down on the bed with a sigh, folding my legs underneath my body as the tension from meeting the guildmaster fades. Allysa chuckles at my reaction, sitting down next to me.

“So Lycara, have you checked your classes yet?” Allysa asks. I shake my head.

“Not yet, but thanks for reminding me. I might as well look, see what I have available.” I say, calling up my status and focusing on the class.

-==÷==-

Welcome to class selection. The classes will be shown in order of rarity, from least to greatest. Only the top five classes will be shown.

The rarities are as follows:

I - Inferior

C -Common

U - Uncommon

R - Rare

E - Epic

L - Legendary

M - Mythic

-==÷==-

I read through the rarities and nod to myself, noting to look out for any Legendary or Mythic rarities, and to ignore the Inferior ratings. I continue on to the next menu that appears, and begin looking through the actual classes.

-==÷==-

Siegebreaker - R: Requires training in lances or rams, as well as a fearless nature. You are the vanguard, leading the charge in an unstoppable rush and breaking the gates for the siege.

+2 Body per level.

Executioner - E: Requires Disassociation skill, Pain Resistance skill, and at least 20 Mind. You are the judge, the jury, and the executioner. You pass impartial judgment, and act upon your own will.

+2 Mind and +1 Body per level.

Dreamwalker - E: Requires Disassociation skill, Recovery skill, and at least 20 Soul. You walk as others sleep, stepping between dreams and thoughts to find what you seek.

+2 Soul and +1 Mind per level.

Berserker - L: Requires Pain Resistance skill, weapon skill, strength increasing trait, and at least 20 base Body. You are that which the battlefield fears. Rip and tear, until it is done.

+3 Body and +1 Soul per level.

Aethersmith - M: Requires understanding of a concept, training as at least three different crafting professions, Disassociation skill, 15 Body, 20 Mind, 20 Soul, and the Recovery skill. You understand the concepts that hold the world together, and can draw them into the physical realm briefly to create anew.

+2 to all stats per level.

-==÷==-

I blink at the classes. One rare, two epic, one legendary and one mythic! The chances of it are astronomically low, and yet here we are. I must have had quite the expression as Allysa chuckled, patting me on the shoulder.

“Overwhelmed, eh? I was the same when I first got my class. Don't worry if there are no good options, every twenty levels you can upgrade your class or choose a subclass for your current one. Do keep in mind that only uncommon classes and below will commonly be able to gain rarity when upgraded, so if you choose an epic then that's usually that, and you can only really change the focus of the class, such as a mage to a magic archer or a rogue to a magekiller.” She explained.

I could only stutter, my mind attempting to catch up with what was happening after seeing a mythic class. I finally managed to make a single coherent word: “M-mythic…”

I could feel Allysa freeze next to me, and looked over to see several different emotions warring on her face. Surprise, worry, excitement, envy, and most prominently, pride. For what? I have no idea. Eventually, she gathered herself and broke the silence.

“You unlocked a Mythic class?” She asked. At my nod, she continued, “Before I give any advice, select it. It does not matter what it is, as long as it is Mythic that means that you can shape it to what you want as you level.” I nod in response, immediately choosing the class as it is already what I wanted, a crafting class

I was rewarded by a system notification seconds later.

-==÷==-

Class Selected: Aethersmith - Mythic

Skills Granted: Strip Concept, Crystallize, Essentia Forging, Sense Concepts, Essentia Storage

Level Updated: N/A → 1

-==÷==-

I read through the notifications, and glance over at Allysa before reading through the skill descriptions for the five new ones.

-==÷==-

Strip Concept

Drag a concept from an object, turning it tangible temporarily and forming essentia.

Crystallize

Transform essentia into a gemstone that can be used later.

Essentia Forging

Grants increased proficiency when imparting intent into essentia.

Sense Concepts

Grants knowledge of the concepts within an object.

Essentia Storage

Allows limited storage of crystallized essentia.

-==÷==-

I froze, re-reading the descriptions again. I could craft… with the concept of something? I was vaguely aware of Allysa tapping me on the shoulder and I fell backwards, laying on top of my body as I passed out from the shock.