THE ASCENDANCY -- The Den - Day 2

  Kyle sat by the fire, phasing small stone balls into his hand, tossing them to his other hand, pulling them into his inventory, pulling them back out to repeat the process. The rest of us watched, still processing everything that had happened.

  ARi stood up and walked over to me. "You guys, Gavin's level five. That means he's gonna have some attribute points to assign and two new skills to choose, it also means he's gonna be the first of us to receive an official class."

  She paused, looking around at everyone. "I thought we should probably take a second before he pulls this window up, though, so I can explain how the class system works."

  Kyle stopped juggling his stones, paying attention. Tim shifted on his bench to face her better.

  "Some classes will come with inherited skills," ARi continued, "and other classes will offer or assign additional attribute points or affect secondary attributes and derived stats. Classes will also open up additional abilities, and these abilities can work a lot like skills, but unlike skills you don't get to select them and choose the ones that you like or don't like. They're assigned automatically based on your level and the class itself."

  Tanya nodded, following along. Yumi leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

  "All of the classes that are gonna be available to you are Earth based," ARi said. "Back at the research facility Gavin made a joke about learning Kung Fu, and I told him that wasn't far from the truth, and it wasn't."

  She started pacing slowly. "I don't understand how, but this system has scanned pretty much every concept ever created on our world. Everything from martial arts, skills, trades, sports, everything. In fact, Gavin and I were talking earlier about how we're pretty sure that when a civilization, well, a Tier Two civilization, I should say, strip mines a Tier Three civilization, they're not only taking their resources. They're absorbing everything, their technology, their culture, everything. Even the people."

  She looked down for a moment, quickly gathered herself and rallied, taking a deep breath.

  "Anyway, like everything else, you're gonna get presented with an initial three options to choose from. I don't quite understand the reasoning why yet, but it seems like the framework's always gonna be some type of offensive option, some type of defensive option, and some type of utility. I don't know how that's gonna play out as far as the class system goes, but it's safe to say we can probably expect to see something familiar."

  ARi gestured as she spoke. "I've noticed, though, once you start moving a certain direction down the skill tree that can change. But so far, every time we've been hit with an initial choice this has been the case. There are a lot of variables here, a lot more than I'm honestly even capable of fully understanding."

  "What I do know is that it's gonna give you three options that best represent your individual affinities. These affinities are basically an endless list of things that make you who you are. It could be your tolerance for the cold, your favorite type of foods, there's literally an affinity for everything. It's able to calculate all of these numbers and, using variables outside my comprehension, selects your class choices."

  She sat back down on the bench. "Some of these affinities can change through experience as well, and I have a feeling that all of that ties into your experience points, the ones you see on your character sheets, to determine when you level up. That means after you choose an initial class, later when you get to choose from available subclasses there's a possibility that the subclass might not directly correlate with your initial choice."

  Kyle was nodding along, clearly connecting the dots to his tabletop gaming experience.

  "Rules are pretty simple," ARi continued. "Once you've reached level five you'll choose your initial class. After that, every five levels, you'll get the option to choose an additional subclass. It doesn't seem like there's any type of hard limit, although, as you guys have probably already noticed, the amount of experience points you need to achieve to level up seems to be on a sliding scale, and at some point it's gonna start to be a real grind to reach the next level."

  She looked at me and smiled. "Anyway, I think you guys all get what I'm trying to explain at this point, so I think it's time we let Gavin throw his window up."

  I took a deep breath and stood up, waving my hand to project a window above the fire.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] CLASS SELECTION

  Congratulations, Gavin Daniels! You can now select one primary class from the options below:

  Vanguard, Combat Specialization.

  A martial path focused on polearms and battlefield control through precision, reach, and momentum. Unlocks the Vanguard Skill Tree and Class Skill: Momentum Surge 1.

  Systems Engineer, Technical Specialization.

  An engineering path emphasizing field fabrication, repair, and adaptive use of technology under pressure. Unlocks the Systems Engineering Skill Tree and Class Skill: Field Reconstruction 1.

  Architect, Territory, System Specialist.

  Command-focused path for territory control and cohort leadership. Place Control-Nodes, build infrastructure, and field cohorts that learn and level over time. Unlocks the Architect Skill Tree and Class Skill: Territory Anchor.

  System Notes:

  Primary classes evolve automatically every five levels, expanding their skill trees and bonuses.

  "Alright, guys, so here it is. This is what I have for class selection. That Vanguard looks pretty good, and I do like the idea of moving down a path that'd make me a better fighter."

  I narrowed my focus on the last option. "What's this, Architect, Territory and System Specialist? This one seems suspiciously inserted by the system." I expanded the window.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] CLASS DETAILS

  Architect, Territory, System Specialist.

  Command-focused path for territorial control and cohort leadership. Place Control-Nodes, develop infrastructure, and field cohorts that learn from combat and advance over time. Cohorts spawn at one level below the Architect unless a lower level is chosen. Resource and time costs scale with cohort complexity. Command effectiveness is strongest within owned territory and reduced in the field.

  Attribute Bonuses:

  Willpower: +2.

  Intelligence: +2.

  Perception: +1.

  Secondary and Derived Bonuses:

  Speed: +10.

  Detection: +10.

  Energy Reserve: +10.

  Detection Radius: +15.

  Cognitive Processing: +10.

  Class Skill: Territory-Anchor 1.

  Places a control anchor within owned territory that stabilizes command and supports local operations. Within the anchor radius, command range increases, cohorts respond more quickly to orders, defensive structures gain minor reinforcement, and phasing reliability improves.

  Activation Cost:

  Reduces Energy Reserve to 0 on use. Drains Stamina to within 5 points of its maximum value.

  If Stamina is already below the 5-point threshold at activation, the deficit is drawn directly from Health. Should Stamina fall below 0, the user is rendered unconscious and receives the associated debuffs.

  Requirements and Limits:

  Requires valid materials for placement. Cooldown applies. Does not grant additional control points.

  "Yeah, it does," ARi said as she got up from the bench, studying the window intently.

  "I don't get it," I said. "What's the difference between someone with this class and what you do here?"

  "Honestly, Gav, it actually makes sense," ARi said quietly. "I'm an interface, a way for you to interact with the system and for the system to interact with you. But it isn't my role to decide how we set up the territory, what we do for defenses, or how we attack other teams or complete objectives. Thanks to Bishop, I have a means to participate, but that's an outlier. The whole system's built to keep me within our territory, like some kind of flag to be captured."

  I put a hand on ARi's shoulder. "You're not our flag. You're a member of this team. Whatever the system intended, that's not what you are now."

  "I don't understand," Tanya said. "What's the difference between one of these cohorts and our constructs?"

  Tim shifted, glancing down. "Tanya, I think the answer's pretty simple. Look."

  At Tanya's feet, curled beside the fire like a large dog, Bishop lay completely oblivious. He looked up at us all staring at him and plopped back down. Pressed against him, the little water drake lifted its head, chirped at Yumi, turned two tight circles, and nuzzled back into Bishop's side.

  "It's true," ARi said. "You don't see our utility constructs doing anything like that. They're machines running whatever program I give them. Bishop, on the other hand's more autonomous, and I think that's what these cohorts will be like, too. Maybe they start as engineered, golem like creations, but their designs can be based on any concept from Earth. They'll grow and learn, and if I understand the rules, can even be created with martial knowledge and skills that mirror what Gavin knows. Not retroactively, but going forward."

  "So you're saying if he learns how to use a hula hoop," Kyle said, grinning, "we can spawn a bunch of hula hooping cohorts?"

  "That's oversimplified," ARi said, smiling, "but yeah."

  "I think the bottom line is, Gav," Kyle added, "you're gonna have to take this class. If other teams get something similar, and I bet they will, we're not taking on an army by ourselves. This is clearly part of how the Ascendancy expects things to progress."

  "I want to point something out before I accept this," I said. "If we can spawn cohorts, we've been assuming they'll be mechanical, some kind of mechanism. But all you have to do is look at ARi to remember the system can create living beings. Are we prepared for that? And it's clear that arming them, armoring them, feeding them, that all depends on us as much as we'll depend on them. This might be my class choice, but it needs to be a team decision."

  Kyle looked around as everyone nodded.

  "Gav," he said, "we're with you. I think you should choose it."

  I selected Architect.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] CLASS SELECTION CONFIRMED

  Congratulations! You are now Gavin Daniels, the Architect, Territory System Specialist.

  All attribute bonuses have been applied, and your new Class Skill has been unlocked.

  Territory-Anchor 1.

  Places a Control-Node that enables building, upgrades, defenses, and cohort spawning within range at a significant energy and stamina cost.

  System Note:

  Control-Node and AI influence range scale with level. Baseline radius is 100 yards at Level 1, 200 yards at Level 2, and doubles again with each additional level. These values apply to both team Control-Nodes and AI influence range. Class skills and attribute bonuses are now active.

  My attention immediately snapped to ARi. "Shit, ARi!"

  "I'm on it, Gavin."

  The others jolted. "Gavin, what's going on, man?" Kyle asked.

  Without a word, Tim and Tanya were already back at their cots, grabbing armor.

  "ARi, what do you see?"

  "I'm still scanning, Gavin. It's not instant. Give me a minute."

  I looked back to Kyle. "Read the window, man. As soon as I accepted that class, ARi's area of influence tripled. ARi's influence isn't like a Control-Node, so it's not gonna be fifty yards from the center, it literally tripled. She went from basically fifty yards all around us to one hundred fifty."

  "I don't understand," Yumi said as she ran to join the others, tugging on her armor. "I thought Control-Nodes have to be put down in our territory and can only extend a max of fifty yards out from the node itself."

  "They do, or at least they did. That part's changing too."

  "But we don't have a Control-Node."

  "I established this territory, and it basically set our boundary fifty yards in every direction from where I was standing when I did it. There's no Control-Node."

  "Oh, shit," Yumi said, the realization hitting. "Gavin, I know it's not exact, but I'm pretty sure that puts our area of influence into the tree line. I don't know how far, though."

  "Okay, so our area expands. That's a good thing, right? We were planning to do that." Yumi slid her arms through padded bracers. ""Is it that big a deal if we can tell there are more creatures out there, creatures we need to be ready for?"

  "It's not that, Yumi. Remember, other AIs and other constructs can't operate inside another group's territory. If someone else's construct is within our new expanded area they're gonna know we're here."

  "Still, wouldn't it shut that construct down or something?"

  "We don't know, Yumi. That's the problem. And what if it's not a construct at all? What if it's a member from one of the other teams out scouting? Is it gonna pop a system window and let them know they're in a hostile area of influence or another team's controlled territory? I'm pretty sure it will."

  ARi cut in. "It's okay, guys. You should still put your armor on and be prepared for anything for at least a little while, but it looks clear. I'm only seeing natural wildlife in the territory we expanded into."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  We all let out a collective breath.

  "We should probably finish the rest of this then," I said, and we drifted back to the benches around the hearth. "Alright, to be safe, ARi, send Bishop to run the new perimeter. Fast and stealthy."

  "Do you want me to take direct control, Gav?"

  "No, let him do it on his own. He can gain some experience, and I can keep your focus here."

  Bishop had already jumped to his feet during the commotion. He glanced at ARi, padded across the door, lifted the bar, and slipped outside. Perched on his shoulder, the little water drake clung on, clearly along for the ride.

  Yumi's face flashed with panic, but she didn't have a chance to stop him. Before she could even react, both were out the door and heading toward the new boundary line.

  "I'm sure he'll be fine, Yumi," I said. "Remember, he lives here. Nothing out there's new to him."

  She smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders.

  "What?" I asked ARi, who was giving me another annoyed look.

  "Yumi's little water drake, she's a she."

  "Really? Are you sure?"

  ARi stared at me, her expression flat.

  My system window still hung above the fire. I went back to reading the details. "Alright, we have to assume the other teams' AIs, however they interpret the rules, are gonna offer something similar to at least one of them. I think it's safe to say territory expansion's gonna move a lot faster than we thought."

  "That new skill your class gave you, Territory Anchor, actually lets you place Control-Nodes," Tanya said. "It doesn't say anything about a material requirement either."

  "Yeah, I noticed. But you know what else I noticed? It takes a lot of stamina and energy. I'm sure as we level and tune our attributes that energy reserve won't feel so brutal later. But read the skill, it says regardless of how high it is, it drops me to zero."

  "What happens if your stamina and energy reserve hit zero?" Tanya asked herself aloud. "Nothing good. If any of us push stamina that low there's gonna be some kind of torpor effect. It'll probably knock you out. At a minimum you'll be out of commission until you recover."

  "Alright, so it's not something we take lightly. But it's a big deal. Think about it, if we build a Control-Node and place it we gain one hundred yards in every direction from that node. After I can go to the edge and double down on it. Potentially one node plus my skill gets us another two hundred yards in a given direction if we're pushing territory one way."

  "It does say standard Control-Node rules apply, though," I added. "So I don't think I'll be able to drop a Control-Node in contested territory or outside our boundary."

  We continued discussing the implications until Tanya noticed Tim hobbling back toward the fire.

  "Tim, you dumbass, you shouldn't even be on that leg in the first place. Here, sit down and put it up on the bench," Tanya said.

  Tim looked at the rest of us, obviously in pain, and complied.

  "Tanya, can you fix it? Is your skill ready again yet?"

  "It is."

  "Are you gonna go all spastic like a goddamn cat when you try to put it in a bathtub again?"

  Tim smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that. It was unexpected. But I know exactly what's gonna happen now, and I want you to do it. Please."

  Tanya unwrapped the bandage from his leg, surprised to see that although the wound was still there it was no longer bleeding. "It looks like you've recovered a little on your own, or maybe my healing effect still had some residual work going after I wrapped it. Are you sure you're ready?"

  "I am. Please do it."

  Tim looked like he was bracing for the same intense pain as before, but as Tanya activated her skill and as her hand and Tim's leg began to glow.

  "It's not hurting like it was before. I mean, it's not comfortable. It feels like there's a million ants crawling around inside my leg, and my leg's aching, but it's not overwhelming."

  A short time later the glow from Tanya's hand faded, and Tim rubbed the thin, fresh scar on his leg.

  "Tanya, that was incredible," Tim said. "Thank you."

  Yumi brought Tanya and Tim cups of water as ARi, Kyle, and I watched, astonished at the wonders of this place.

  "Alright, guys," I said. "It looks like I have control points and now have access to my energy reserves and recharge rate stats like the rest of you. Also when I selected the class I got the bonuses and the skill. But I can't see how anything else works yet. Also, even though it says I have access to control points, I don't actually have any yet."

  I waved my hand and changed the system window to bring up my new skill choices. "Sorry, guys. I know my stuff's taking a little longer. It's because of the class thing, you know? But I should have three skill points."

  Everyone stopped and looked up to read the first window.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] SKILL SELECTION

  Congratulations, Gavin Daniels!

  You have 3 unassigned skill points to spend. Please select one of the following:

  Kobaloi-Skirmishers 1.

  Lean, fast-moving reptilian imps specialized in flanking, pursuit, and harassment. Control point conversion: 1 point spawns 5 Kobaloi Skirmishers. Energy: 20. Cooldown: 90 seconds.

  Kobold-Shieldbearers 1.

  Compact, resilient reptilians built to anchor defensive lines with shields and short spears. Control point conversion: 1 point spawns 3 Kobold Shieldbearers. Energy: 20. Cooldown: 90 seconds.

  Kappa-Slingers 1.

  Short, amphibious reptilians with shell plating and steady stances, engaging at short to mid-range with slings or light javelins. Control point conversion: 1 point spawns 2 Kappa Slingers. Energy: 22. Cooldown: 90 seconds.

  System Note:

  All cohorts spawn with basic instincts and learn tactics through assigned doctrine and user training. Equipment is drawn from available stores. Cohort level cap scales with Cognitive Processing, to a maximum of one level below the class.

  Yumi finally broke the silence. "Gavin, these, these are real creatures, I think."

  "I think so too," I said, "but not real as in they existed here before. I recognize some of the names. For example, Kobold, that's basically entry level mob one oh one in a lot of games. And did you notice this first set of cohorts are all reptiles? Given the kind of life on this planet that can't be a coincidence."

  "It's not, Gavin," ARi cut in. "This is something I've been worried about, but I didn't have enough evidence to say yet. I think a lot of the life out here's gonna be more familiar than we expected. Myths and legends usually hide a grain of truth. With so much life everywhere and with what we've heard about countless civilizations I'm fairly certain some of these species have been to Earth before."

  "ARi, are you sure it isn't s coincidence?" I asked. "With so many myths on Earth there's bound to be overlap."

  She kept her eyes on the window. "Well, since I'm literally staring at 'kobold' in this world's bestiary appendix, I'm fairly sure about my assumptions."

  Kyle winced, not wanting to ask but unable to stop himself. "Are you saying there are kobolds on this world already?"

  "Based on what I'm reading," ARi said, "not only are there kobolds on this world, but I'm pretty sure they were the original civilization here. But anything you spawn, even if it looks similar, won't be native kobolds. Anything you bring in will be of Earth. Even if that means giving Earth myths and legends a physical form, it'll still be Earth derived."

  Yumi sat down, staring at the screen in a kind of defeated shock. "So you're telling me some ancient alien race of turtle headed river monsters visited old Japan and drowned children?"

  "I can't speak to what they did on Earth," ARi said. "But for them to be called now their genetic pattern, if you will, has to be available to you. So whether they'd like it or not you can spawn an Earth version."

  Yumi looked up at me, resolve in her eyes. "Good. If those bastards came to Earth and hurt kids, Screw them. As far as I'm concerned their pattern, whatever you call it, is forfeit. I hope our Kappa get the chance to kick the originals' asses. My grandmother used to scare us with those stories."

  "Okay, can we address a couple things?" I said. "First, ARi was a willing partner when she came here as a living human. Am I making life out of nothing? I don't even know where I stand on that."

  "Gavin, I don't fully understand this," ARi said. "What I can tell you, from vague system rules, is that anything sentient we spawn or build has to come willingly, and I don't know what that means yet. It also has to be of the Earth. To make it more confusing, living beings have to use a cradle system to participate voluntarily."

  "Living things," Tanya said cautiously. "Are you saying there are spirits, ghosts, things that are of the Earth but not living, volunteering to participate?"

  "Tanya, I'm not saying that," ARi replied. "I'm telling you the little bit I can barely grasp. The concepts are foreign and vague, but it appears anything sentient we bring into the Ascendancy comes willingly."

  "Let's call this a gray area for now," I said. "We don't have a choice. If these are living creatures this is like adding people to the party. They'll need food and shelter. They're not machines."

  "No, they're not," ARi said. "And we need to be conscious of that as we spawn additional forces."

  "So when I spawn cohorts," I said, "they'll arrive as adults with basic instincts. I don't know how much knowledge they'll have or whether they can communicate directly. It sounds like their skills and abilities either come from me or they earn them through experience."

  Tim stepped over and put a hand on my shoulder. "This is a lot to process. Why don't we pull up your other skill windows while we think this through?"

  "I'd love to," I said, "but I forgot the thing we figured out while you were unconscious. Tanya learned we can't skip screens. If you add attribute points you have to add all of them. And I can't skip this first, well second, skill choice to see what's next. I have to choose one to get to the next screen."

  "So choose, Gav," Kyle chimed in. "Isn't the choice obvious?"

  "No, Kyle. No, the choice's not obvious."

  "Really? Nobody else is--" Kyle started, and cut himself off.

  He stood up and started gesturing as he spoke. "Alright, look. We're basically stuck in the Bronze Age on this planet. Even with some advanced individual skills and abilities our base assets, armor and weapons for these cohorts, are Bronze Age."

  Kyle paced as he talked. "That means the most effective tactics and weapons are gonna be stuff like Mycenaean hoplites. Phalanx. Shields and spears. Or Persian Empire tactics from that same era."

  He caught himself getting worked up and paused. "Look, I've seen the same movie as you guys. I know what you guys are thinking. The Persians were the bad guys but honestly as far as history's concerned that's a matter of perspective anyway. The Persians had a massive empire and they forged it with spear and shield and their composite bows were pretty powerful. That's what those armies used, and some of them damn near conquered the known world with it."

  "As far as the Bronze Age goes," Tim said thoughtfully, "there were a lot of civilizations thriving then. Even if we stick to the Mediterranean look at what was exploding there. Egyptians, Persians, Mycenaeans. We can steal some of the best ideas from all of them."

  He shifted his leg to get more comfortable. "Hell, we don't even have to start with bronze. The Persians used shields made from reeds, and I've gotta tell you the plant life on this world's a hell of a lot more resilient than back on Earth. Shields woven from the reeds around here would be pretty strong."

  "You're thinking, Kyle, I should be looking at the Shieldbearers?"

  "I think they're the obvious choice," he said. "They're also the best adapted to this environment. That form evolved on this world. As for whether it'll cause us cultural issues with local kobolds later, that's fifty fifty. It might help us; it might hurt us. I still think they're the obvious choice though. And choosing them now doesn't mean they'll spawn immediately. We can make preparations before we bring any here."

  I sighed and selected the Kobold Shieldbearers from the options.

  Kyle nodded. "Good call."

  "So you guys know," I said, "it issued me two control points. After I selected the Shieldbearers, let's see what this one has in store for us."

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] SKILL SELECTION

  Congratulations, Gavin Daniels!

  You have 2 unassigned skill points to spend. Please select one of the following:

  Cohort-Priming 1.

  Raises all existing cohorts below Level 3 to Level 3, and future spawns arrive at this level. Applies to all cohorts. Selecting this skill removes the ability to spawn cohorts below Level 2.

  Command-Presence 1.

  Strengthens the bond between the Architect and cohorts when operating outside owned territory. Inside the territory, cohorts follow commands by default. Outside, their obedience depends on how they perceive the Architect as a leader.

  Kobold-Rogues 1.

  Compact, stealth-oriented scouts with muted scales and light steps. Experts with knives, short spears, and traps. Control point conversion: 1 point spawns 2 Kobold Rogues.

  "Well, huh," Kyle said, staring at the window. "ARi, is this Command Presence like pet or familiar loyalty in tabletop RPGs, like Dungeons and Dragons?"

  "I knew it," Yumi chimed in. "Back at the research facility, when we were talking about games and all the RPG stuff, you were all, 'Oh, I don't play video games.' You don't play video games because you're a dice chucker."

  She threw him a fake predatory smile. "What'd I tell you, Gavin? You weren't fooling anybody, Kyle. Geeks can smell another geek."

  "Yeah, well, what can I say?" Kyle replied. "I usually don't bring up DND nights with my friends in professional environments. I was caught off guard, okay?"

  We had a small laugh at Kyle's expense.

  "I'm wondering if I shouldn't take Command Presence seriously," I said. "I'd hate to take our cohorts outside our territory and have them, what, not be loyal?"

  "It's not about loyalty, Gavin," ARi cut in. "It's about respect. It's how they see you as a leader, not whether they like you. If they respect you, or if instinctively they recognize you as the leader, they'll follow your commands. But I think we can push this off until later."

  She glanced back at the window. "We do need to watch for skills like this in the future, because I haven't seen any indicators that these cohorts will follow anyone's orders except yours. I don't know if it'll be as easy as you saying, 'Listen to this other person.' The rules suggest they'll recognize us as part of your party, so they won't attack us, but that doesn't mean they'll see the other humans here as people they have to obey."

  "I get your point, ARi. Thanks for helping me clarify that skill though. And I think you're right. We should put it off. I'm also gonna put off Cohort Priming. It'll take a lot of resources to spawn some of these cohorts as it is. If Level 2 needs more, I'd hate to grab that skill and put new spawns out of reach."

  "It'd be a big deal if you already had a lot of Level 1 cohorts though, and you wanted to raise them all at once," ARi said. "You'd still need the points, but it'd help."

  "I'm trying my best with all this," ARi added. "Remember, I'm the one translating the system for the interface you're reading. It's hard. A lot of this doesn't translate cleanly into English."

  "You're doing great, ARi. Well," I exhaled, "that leaves one option."

  I selected the Kobold Rogues. A moment later I could see both Rogues and Shieldbearers marked as available cohorts in the interface. As before, choosing a new cohort granted two control points. I now had four.

  "ARi, I think I have more control points than you right now."

  "I see that, Gav," she said. "Too bad I can't use your control points for constructs. It'd be great to send out a lot of utility constructs at once."

  "You'll get there. We haven't even done your level up yet."

  I waved my hand above the fire and brought up my last skill choices.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] SKILL SELECTION

  Congratulations, Gavin Daniels!

  You have 1 unassigned skill point to spend. Please select one of the following:

  Phalanx-Discipline 1.

  Trains cohorts in coordinated group formations. When equipped with shields or polearms, cohorts gain damage reduction and improved coordination while holding or advancing in formation. Bonuses apply only while maintaining formation.

  Javelin-Drill 1.

  Grants cohorts basic ranged training with thrown weapons such as javelins or spears. Improves volley accuracy and increases medium-range damage. Effect scales with cohort level and formation discipline.

  Cohort-Cross-Training 1.

  Grants access to the collective combat knowledge and training of all linked team members. The Architect’s interface processes this data, allowing cohorts to receive shared training modules based on party proficiencies. Cohorts can learn and refine these skills over time through continued use.

  "Alright, which one of these do you think I need to--"

  "Cross-Training," Yumi, Tanya, and Tim said at the same time.

  We all stared at each other for a moment. "Okay, is there something I'm not seeing here?"

  Tanya stood, set a hand on each of my shoulders, and met my eyes. "Gavin, you need to trust us. Choose Cross-Training."

  "I do trust you, Tanya. I trust all of you." I didn't give it a second thought. I made my selection, and one last system window appeared.

  [ASCENDANCY ANNOUNCEMENT]

  Gavin Daniels, the Architect-Territory-Systems-Specialist, has reached Level 5.

  Congratulations, Champion. You are the first detected participant to reach class selection.

  From Level 5 onward, when you level up, you may choose one of three skill options presented. Alternatively, you may upgrade one existing skill to a higher tier.

  I read the window and dismissed it, and looked up. The others all had that telltale far off look that meant they were reading one too.

  "Wait. ARi, did you announce that to everybody?"

  ARi flicked her hand, dismissing her own window. "Gavin, I didn't make that announcement."

  "Holy crap, Gav," Kyle said, still wide-eyed. "That's both good and bad. Bad because it feels like the system painted a target on us. Good because we haven't seen any announcements about the other teams. I think we're ahead of them?"

  "Yeah, I noticed the specific wording there too, Kyle," ARi said.

  "I have fifteen Attribute Points to spend as well. I think I'll put ten points into Constitution and five into Willpower. Constitution should push my stamina and recovery higher, and the Willpower boost should help with energy reserve and regeneration. Between the two, maybe I'll be able to handle the drain from Territory Anchor. I'm gonna be out of commission for a while every time I use it regardless though. Dropping 10 in Constitution's also gonna bump my health and stamina up over two hundred, so there's that."

  "That's what I'd do if I were you Gav," Kyle said. "None of these are gonna give you any real direct fighting abilities but I bet eventually, you're gonna have a whole army of these kobolds."

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