[392] 5.16 The Third Ascension I

“Right this way,” the sergeant says as we head deeper into the fortress.

Officially, this is a base of the European Defense Force, a sort of quasi-successor organization to NATO after the System made transatlantic communication and coordination far more difficult and time consuming.  As a matter of practice, it feels far like a castle built to defend far more than just military personnel.  There’s everything from artificial groweries and large granaries to spatially-expanded rooms to barrier and offensive glyphs currently deactivated but which could be turned on at a moment’s notice.

All the while, security is at the highest level.  Even with our escorts— now plural— leading us to this basement chamber for my ascension, there are multiple guards who point weapons of various types at us before standing down just as quickly.  It makes me wonder if this isn’t just a fortress, but that maybe something else is being kept here.  A resource, or maybe a captive.

We head down another passageway before arriving at a small room that looks more like a prison cell than any sort of conference room or any other suite suitable for esteemed foreign dignitaries.  Chloe notices as well, and though she is about to raise her voice in discontent, I ask her to stop.

“But why?”

“Because if they think we are no threat, they will not bother us for the several hours it will take me to cross the Level 96 threshold.  Once I do, I’m confident that whatever safety measures they placed on this facility will not be sufficient to bind me.”

“Oh?  You actually did it, Sera?  Congratulations!  But I’m worried that someone is going to try something while you’re incapacitated.”

“I expect there’s a chance that they might as well.  But I have a few precautions in place for that as well.  Plus, I’ve been keeping track of the paths we’ve been following.  I’m confident in my ability to teleport us out of here if worse comes to worst.”

“Alright, Sera.  I trust you.”

The door opens and we’re led inside to the small holding chamber.  It is at least a bit nicer than the cell I was held up in back that one time when I thought I was dealing with a hostage situation.  There’s a closed off area with a toilet, the bed has some padding and even a single pillow, the temperature is adequate, and the room is sequestered from outside noises.  Absolutely wonderful.

Once we step inside, the door closes and automatically locks behind.  The detention was very much not unexpected in the slightest.  I do look forward to seeing General Souire again in short order.  Just need a few hours to properly greet him, first.

I immediately get to work with proper preparations.  I am not a master illusionist, I have no Skills related to the profession, let alone a Class, and I do not have the mindset or the experiences to go down that path.  I do, however, have a life-sized photo of myself in my [Inventory] for just this situation, after my experiences the last time around.  Coupled with a few [Light]-based glyphs, I am able to construct an illusory form that will at least pass cursory inspection.  Maybe.  I hope.

“Are you going to be okay for the next several hours?” I ask Chloe.

“I’ll be fine.  Just sucks that I’m less than a full level away, myself.  And no, before you ask, I’m not going to go on a one-woman rampage while you’re ascending.”  She pauses and her gaze narrows.  “That’s your thing, not mine.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort, Chloe!”

She rolls her eyes.  “You were still thinking about it, Seraphina Mortensen!  And don’t lie to me and tell me that you weren’t; I can see it all over your eyes and face.”

“Okay, fine, you got me.  But I was only doing so because it’s hot, Chloe!”

She kisses me.

“You certainly took your sweet-ass time getting here.”  Those are the words I hear as I enter my mindscape to undertake my class changes.  “You were making me wonder if you were ever going to show up again.”

I just roll my eyes.  “Don’t give me that bullshit, Phina.  You were enjoying the peace as much as I was.”

“Oh, yes.  Lots of peace.  It was definitely lots of peace on all those sleepless nights that just went on and on and on, Sera.  I know that the song says that love is a battlefield and all, but you and Chloe really do take it to an extreme!”

“Yeah, and we love her for it, Phina.”  I glare at my duplicate.  “Or was all that shit about ‘I am thou and thou art I’ you said those last two times just a bunch of bullshit after all?”

“Aww.  Sera!  I’m touched that you remembered that.”

“Well, much as I would love to stick around and chat, I do think we’ve got some business to attend to and not an infinite amount of time in which to do so.  So, shall we go ahead and get started?”

“All business and no fun!  I see how it is!  Eager to get rid of me and get back to your little wife-to-be!  Okay, fine, fine, I completely understand, Sera!  Anyway, it’s time to show you all the goodies.  And dang it, do we have some good ones for you today.  First on the docket!”

[[Angelic Avenger]: Some angels stay back to heal and protect the weak.  Others seek out evil and smite it whenever it appears.  Whenever the forces of darkness rise to plague the world, the [Angelic Avenger] flies out from the vanguard, the first to charge and the last to retreat.  In addition to powerful offensive Skills, the [Angelic Avenger] also wields a suite of both [Light] and [Healing] magic.]

First and foremost, getting access to a healing spell, even if that’s not the primary focus of the class, is a huge boon.  Three years later and going over all the notes and work Hank and I have done between then and now, the two of us are nowhere close to replicating healing spells beyond the absolute bare-bones of ‘slightly increasing natural regeneration’.  And considering my… proclivities, I can see a lot of situations in which this would be a literal lifesaver.

The problem is that all of those situations are ones in which Chloe is either incapacitated or worse.  I don’t want to completely revamp my class choices around the prospect that I will ever be separated from her for any prolonged period.  On the other hand, the idea of being able to heal her from the brink of death is something that fills my worry-laden mind with no small amount of comfort.  Chloe doesn’t need that much.  She has that completely bullshit Skill [Divine Regeneration].  Still, it’s not an option that I can dismiss out of hand.

I also note, as I pore over the details, that I’ll lose access to [Infernal] element manipulation, even if gained from a different class.  I’ll gain equivalent levels in [Celestial] element instead.  Another notch against the class; doubling down on our elemental strengths leaves us that much more vulnerable to monsters who are resistant or immune to that particular element.

Finally, I take a look at the stat growths, just to take stock of what I can expect.  As this class alone gives nine points per level, I’m looking at getting around eighteen points in my primary stats total, in contrast to the thirteen per level I had been getting before.

“Alright, Phina,” I say after shelving that option toward the back of the prospective choices.  “That was decent, but I’m sure there’s a couple more in here that are even better.”

“Maybe.”  Phina gives a coy smile that screams ‘Yes, but I’m going to be a total smart aleck about it.’  She beckons me forward, show-hostess style, and, with a flourish of her arms and wings, presents another option of me standing on a battlefield wearing an outfit that is more than a bit more revealing than I would be entirely comfortable with.  I’m still wielding my swordstaff, though I notice it carries a long ribbon on it, as if doubling as a standard.

“And why would I want to go fight in a bikini?” I ask Phina.

“Because we’re hot and we know it?”

“Okay, first of all, that’s not exactly wrong.  But have you forgotten that Chloe will absolutely murder us!”

“I don’t think the System considers that to be a bar from offering us the class.  We apparently meet the qualifications.”

For the sake of at least surveying my options, I take a look at the description.”

[[Battle Dancer]: The [Battle Dancer] is a master of close-quarters combat, deftly combining swift movements in an elegant movement of metal and flesh–]]

“Okay, so why are we getting a dancer class?  I don’t think I’ve tried to dance once since I was like… five.”

“Third grade, Sera,” Phina says.  “I know you haven’t forgotten.”

“Oh goddesses, why did you have to remind me of Mrs. Kelley’s class?”

“I thought we were in the stage of processing traumatic and humiliating times.”

“Let’s keep it to one a week or so, alright?”  I give Phina The Look.  “Also you didn’t answer the question.”

“It actually does say if you go looking for it in the fine print.  We have an evasion Skill in our [Valkyrion’s Perception], we have demonstrated martial proficiency with at least one polearm, we have the requisite [Strength] and [Speed] stats, if only by the skin of our teeth, and we have a, as the System puts it, sufficient charisma.”

“Charisma, you say?  Of what kind, exactly?”

“You do realize that there’s plenty of Rule 34 of us out there, right?”

“Oh goddess, Phina, I do not want to hear about it!”  I pantomime a gagging posture.

Phina delights in my discomfort.  I throw a small spark at her from my fingertips.  She catches it in her mouth and grins as she swallows it.

“Thanks for the snack, Sera.  Anyway, I suppose this is a no go?”

“Okay, Phina.  Fine.  We can at least consider it.  But we should really consider what Chloe will do to us when she sees us strutting around in that.”

“That doesn’t sound like it’s my problem!  But fine, we’ll move on.  Here’s something that might appeal a bit more to more reserved sensibilities, even if I think we really should show off a little more while we’re still in our early twenties.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I say.  She knows she’s not wrong and that there’s a part of us who really does feel this way.  Even if I don’t really care to take the class.

Another version of me stands dressed in the sorts of robes I have to wear during graduation and other such ceremonial events.  I carry at my side a heavy tome and watch as the elements dance around me, eager to serve.  I throw around fire and wind, lightning and ice, all with the same ease as breathing.

[[Scholar of Glyphs]: Don’t just be the jack of all elements, master them too.  While some spellcasters devote themselves to the specialization of one small discipline, sacrificing flexibility for power, the [Scholar of Glyphs] takes the opposite approach.  She is an advanced practitioner of magic who has dedicated herself to the study of magic and magitech at its most fundamental levels, and can use all types of magic without hardship.]

I find myself intrigued enough to at least look at the stat gains in more detail, though I don’t care too much for what I see.

[[Strength] -5, [Speed] -5, [Vitality] -8, [Mind] +25, Maximum [Health] -750, Maximum [Ether] +2,500 when choosing this Class.  [Mind] +6, 3 Free Stat Points per level.]

As expected, this is pretty much the pure [Glyphcaster] Class.  I meet the qualifications, I have the requisite [Mind] of 250, I have demonstrated ‘intermediate’ knowledge of the discipline— not an insult; I know there’s a lot more for me and for humanity to learn.  What I don’t like is how heavily magic-focused the class is.  Worse, it lacks the same respec potential that I currently have.  All in all, it falls firmly into the category of ‘a solid maybe… if I have nothing better’.  And even though I have three years of peace behind me, I feel I can do better.

“Next choice, Phina,” I finally say.