"Happy birthday Jack!" I hear as I rub the sleep from my eyes. Oh yeah, today's my birthday, sweet.
"Good morning, uncle John." I say nervously. I know what he wants me to pick today, but I don't know if I'm going to.
See, every time someone turns sixteen, their Status finally unlocks, and they can choose their class, or the job they'll have for the rest of their life. It happens the moment they are exactly sixteen, so lucky me, I have to wait all day and into the evening before I find out my options.
"It'll be good to get your farmer skills finalized." Uncle John says as I approach the table.
"We don't even know if I'll have farmer as an option uncle." I say, bracing myself for the same conversation we've had for weeks now.
"Hush now, this is his birthday John, no arguing first thing this morning" aunt June says as she brings breakfast to the table, biscuits and gravy my favorite.
"June, you know it's ridiculous for him to think farmer won't be an option, he's been doing it, and well I may add; for six years now. It doesn't matter all the tricks he's been trying to pull these last couple years, farmer is got to be an option, he's developed too many Basic Skills not to get farmer as his most obvious choice."
"Be that as it may be; it's his birthday and I don't wanna hear the argument"
"Thanks Aunt June. Besides it's not just what you're good at, it's also about what you desire most, Larry, from the Smith family ended up getting a swordsman class, and he got to go to the Capitol!"
"And mark my words, nothing good will come of him going there, we're lucky enough that they don't send tax collectors out this far, mainly because they wouldn't get much, we all trade with each other for the things we need to survive. And what we need is more farm hands." John says with a huff.
I roll my eyes, what could really happen other than Larry comes home one day to get his friends out of this forsaken village. I quickly grab a couple biscuits and pour the sausage gravy over them, eager to get my daily chores done so I can practice my routine one last time.
"Are we in a hurry, dear? What's the rush?" Aunt June notices me scarfing down the food off my plate.
"Come on June, you know what he's doing, it's that blasted routine of his he thinks will get him out of farming." John says, a little bemused. "He's gonna be a farmer, but at least he's putting a solid effort into these other 'hobbies', he'll be interesting at the festivals of nothing else haha."
"Oh dear, don't hurt yourself, remember a job done right takes time, rushed work is sloppy work." June says with concern.
"That's only if you aren't good enough at what your doing, I've been doing it my way ever since uncle gave his blessings so I could try and get another class." I say as I finish my drink. "Besides, these days it's all about weeding and throwing rocks out of the field, it doesn't take me long at all."
"Tell Lucy and Jed they're welcome as usual to come help me practice after I'm done in the field."
I run out to the field with all our crops, my family's responsibility this year is the corn, our neighbor's is beans next year we will switch, and so on and so on, but hopefully I won't be here any more before to long. As I weed the field, I daydream about all the jobs I could get, soldier, mage, bard, cleric, warlock, rouge, fury fighter; there's so many exotic choices out there, and I try to practice for all of them.
I finish the field in record time, just in time for lunch.
"Finished!" I call out as I get in the door.
"Woooow" two adorable young children say as we all sit for lunch.
The door swings open, "June, I don't know how he goes through such a big field as fast as he does, but he does good work. Exactly why he'll be a great farmer! I'll need your help finishing out the animal shit, boy."
"Come on, at least call me a man, and I've got to practice for my other classes!"
"It may be your birthday, but you aren't a man until you unlock that Status of yours, when you're done eating go shovel out the droppings from the barn, but that is it, I'll have the rest done by then, and you can clean up and go practice your 'classes'."
"Okay" I sigh as I grab my bread, after a bite I take a drink, and spluter it out, my mouth on fire, crying "What the hell is this?!"
Aunt June and Uncle John start laughing, June first then John after he gives her a look, "What? You complain that I won't call you a man, then complain when you're given a mans drink? That's ale boy, watered down, but still, a mans drink"
"Oh" I say, now expecting it, I take a sip, and the burning isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was, just the shock of alcohol in my cup must have taken me off guard.
I finish my bread, and head out to the barn. As I go stall to stall scooping out feces from the various animals, a couple cows, a horse, and a handful of pigs, luckily Uncle John already cleaned out the chicken and duck coop.
As I dump out the wheelbarrow into the manure pile for next spring, I put the tools up, and head to the pond to clean up.
After cleaning up, I pass the house and holler that I finished, and head to the near by woods, to begin my last day of practice.