Chương 12

Confused voices surrounded me as I moved with urgency, despite the limited visibility. I practically jumped the stairs, almost crashing into someone, and reached the longhouse entrance in record time. I looked out and could see… mostly nothing. Vague shapes moved about in the clearing, and I could make out the general outlines of the other longhouses in the dim light, but that was about as far as visibility went. Taking a shot in the dark, literally, I called out, "Lucas?" Luckily, a voice answered.

"Alex?" Yes! I moved toward the general direction of the voice, as his familiar frame became a bit clearer with every step.

"Alex, shouldn't you be resting?" he said as soon as he saw me. I could see Sara and Ben behind him, too. Sara watched me with an intensity that hadn't been there before, but I couldn't quite focus on that right now.

"Where were you when you and Ben rescued Natalie from a goblin earlier today?" I asked Lucas. No use beating about the bush, we need to act urgently if I'm right.

"What? Why?" he asked, clearly not expecting the question.

"Just answer me" I said hurriedly. He must have noticed the urgency in my face as he turned around and pointed "There somewhere, isn't that right?" he asked Ben, who confirmed with a nod. The same direction we went to in our group!

"We need light, and we need lookouts, urgently" I said.

"Get archers and mages up on the second and third floor rooms of the longhouses, looking out the windows. Anyone here know how to start a fire? Or have a spell that can start a fire?" Lucas searched my eyes, and must have seen my desperation. I noticed the moment he accepted that I noticed something he didn't, but trusted in me enough to get things going.

"Okay… I'll get to it" answered Lucas as he called out in a loud voice "Everyone! Gather up! It's an emergency!" then, in a quieter voice, he continued, "Ben, start gathering everyone here immediately. You guys, can you help us please? Gather everyone here as soon as possible. It's an emergency." He started moving about and urging people to move. As Lucas and Ben worked on gathering everyone, I noticed Sara was looking at the direction Lucas pointed at earlier, trying to see if there was someone there.

"What is it that has you panicked?" she asked, finally looking at me with a calculative gaze. I need to explain before she'll move. People follow her too; I need her help.

"There has to be a reason the System suddenly issued a Clarification. It must be because everyone here subconsciously thought of a 'safe area' as being absolutely safe. But the System just shot that down. Why? It's because I think something, most probably goblins, have noticed our presence here and are about to attack. They must have tracked us here somehow, our footsteps, or perhaps our smell.

The goblin that attacked Natalie right at the edge of the clearing is an indication that they can enter this safe area if they want to" I explained my entire thought process as quickly and as briefly as I could. Thankfully, it worked. Sara's eyes widened in realization and she immediately turned around and started gathering everyone up as well. I was left temporarily alone, confused shouts and panicked voices reaching me. I moved toward the longhouse I was at earlier, uneasy to be staying out in the open, exposed.

I reached the entrance as I thought about what else I could do to prepare, people starting to stream out and into the clearing, herded by Lucas, Ben, and Sara. I pushed against the flow of people and headed inside, opening the door of the first room to the left of the hall. Luckily, it was empty. I sat down and opened my Class Selection list. I can't delay it any longer. The Class screen stared at me, unmoving, unfeeling. The same list, two green names and the rest gray.

I had wracked my brain earlier, but hadn't been able to decide between choosing Mage or Assassin. Now, the choice was much clearer. The possibly imminent attack by goblins, at night, made Assassin the smarter choice right now. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Moreover, the way Omar's class upgraded earlier made me think of the Class choice as a stepping stone instead of a set path forward.

The question now is what I can become, instead of what do I choose right now. By that logic, an Assassin may survive longer when compared to a mage. I remembered how Omar had been the central focus of the goblins earlier, and I didn't want such a huge target on my back when I was at my weakest. Perhaps most importantly, I feel as if Assassin resonates with me, much more than any other class. Maybe I just like being out of the spotlight?

I could hear the chaos outside growing louder as everyone started gathering in the square. With a deep breath, I mentally accepted Assassin. Instantly, I felt something fundamental shift inside me. It felt like something dormant had finally been released. It was… electrifying. Ding! You have chosen Assassin (Uncommon - Combat) as your Class. You shall now receive +2 Agility, and +1 Dexterity upon levelling up as Class Stats. You have been granted the following Skills: Stealth Critical Sense Finally, I have a Class.

That was a funny thought, as although it felt like ages, I believe it has been less than twelve hours since I got up in that clearing. I went over the message, committing it to memory to analyze later. What matters right now are the skills. Stealth and Critical Sense? Just the name again, this System really doesn't like explaining much. Stealth is good and very useful right now. Critical Sense? Probably giving me an idea about the target's weak points? I'll have to try both out as soon as possible.

Before that though, there was something more important I had to do. I opened my inventory and took out the Uncommon Skill Stone I got as a reward for my assessment. It's now the ideal time to use this. How do I use it, though? I realized I had no idea on how to use it. I thought about it for a second and decided that maybe wanting to use the Skill Stone might work. Which is exactly what I did. Ding! Would you like to use Skill Stone (Uncommon)? This System does really run on intent.

Maybe I could try and influence what skill comes up? I thought about my earlier dilemma. Mage or Assassin. Ideally, having the strengths of both would be awesome. With that thought, I focused on wanting a mana related skill while holding the stone. Hope this works. Yes, I'd like to use the Stone now. Ding! You have used up Skill Stone (Uncommon). You have gained the Skill: Quick Step Quick Step? A movement Skill? I guess influencing a Skill Stone was wishful thinking.

On the other hand, choosing to wait on using the stone till after I had my Class worked out well. This Skill, if it works how I think it does, should pair really well with my Class. Next, I should have received something to wear. I opened my Inventory again and this time, instead of just taking out the stone as I had earlier, I took note of what was inside.

Apart from the club, there was now a dagger in one slot, one slot had pants, one had shoes, there was a shirt in one, and the last occupied slot had some kind of vest. I thought of taking everything apart from the club out as suddenly a bunch of things materialized in front of me. I closed the Inventory to see what I had gotten. The pants, shirt, and vest, were all a mix of dark brown and dark green in colour. The pants and shirt felt like a soft, comfortable fabric, whereas the vest was made of hard leather.

I was expecting everything to be black… but I guess this would blend in better in the forest. The shoes were dark brown and very soft. They were simple slip-ons, and much better than my current footwear. I took off my rough shoes and was about to put the new ones on when I thought of something. Excitedly, I thought of equipping the new shoes… though nothing happened. Maybe I need to be touching them? I held both in my hands, admiring their softness again, and tried once more. Same result.

I was puzzled, but then I remembered how my club appeared in my hand in a perfect grip whenever I take it out of the Inventory. I put the new shoes back in my inventory, and thought about equipping them with anticipation. Immediately, I felt softness envelop both my feet as the shoes materialized on them. Nice! I then put the new trousers, shirt, and vest back into the inventory as well and did the same as earlier, though this time I felt wrongness for a split second before it went away. Nothing else happened.

Puzzled, I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. Maybe… I thought about putting my shirt and torn trousers into the inventory and instantly the clothes vanished, leaving me naked as the day I was born, wearing some comfy shoes. Not doing that in front of everyone. I thought about equipping my new outfit on, and this time it worked, everything appearing in a snug fit perfectly on my body.

The difference between my old clothes and my new ones was like the difference between the smell of raw meat and a perfectly cooked cheeseburger. I could really go for a burger right now, I thought as my stomach reminded me that I hadn't had anything to eat in a long time. Putting the thought of burgers, fries, and dipping sauces out of my mind, I focused on the next item on my agenda. I picked up the dagger. It had a black hilt, a small guard, and a straight, polished edge that looked and felt extremely sharp.

The blade was about eight inches long, with the dagger being about a foot long in total. It felt a bit larger than what I thought a dagger should be, but then again, I had never held a dagger in my hand before. I mimed slashing with the dagger in the air, and it felt, natural, in my hand. Like the weight of a dagger belonged in it. Next, time to see what my Skills do!