[Status Screen – ROOK]
Name: Rook
Level: 1
Title: None
Condition: Stable
Attributes:
Health (HP): 100/100Stamina (SP): 50/50Focus (FP): 30/30
Primary Stats:
Strength: 10Agility: 11Endurance: 9Intuition: 12Willpower: 10
Basic Class Selection Available:
[Wanderer] - A baseline class granting balanced attributes and access to general survival skills.[Rabble Survivor] - Focuses on improvisation and scavenging, improves loot quality and makeshift weapon damage.
[Mist Initiate] - Grants a starting grasp of Mist manipulation, improving awareness of hidden areas and weak points in enemies.
[Hearthguard] - A beginner's protector role. Boosts defense and healing received when defending allies or resting in safe zones.
(Choose one to gain starting class bonuses and unlock related skill paths.)
Party & Allies:
Lynn the Ascetic Healer [Has Joined the Party]
Role: Support/HealerCurrent Trust: Neutral (0)Skills: Basic Healing Prayer (minor healing over time), Calm Whisper (lowers enemy aggression)
Inventory:
Improvised Weapon (Broken Broom Handle) – Low damage, fragile.Canned Goods (x6) – Basic nutrition.Medkit (Basic) – Restores HP outside combat.Scrap Materials (Junk Metal, Broken Glass, Rotted Fabric) – Can be crafted into simple items.
Skill Tree (Locked until Class Selected):
General Survival Skills (Available to all classes): Basic Foraging, Improvised Traps, Scavenger's Eye
Class-Linked Skill Branches:Wanderer: Balanced Growth, Jack-of-All-Trades, Swift EscapeRabble Survivor: Scrapyard Mastery, Streetwise Salvage, Guerilla TacticsMist Initiate: Mist Sense, Ethereal Pathways, Unseen ThreadsHearthguard: Protective Ward, Camp Defender, Stalwart Heart
Reputation & Quests:
Reputation: None Established
Current Quest: Survive, Gather Resources, Expand Safe Zones
System Message:
You have awakened in the Eternal Campground. Choose your Basic Class to shape your initial growth path and gain immediate benefits. Additional classes, titles, and specializations may unlock as you progress. Once a class is chosen, your skill trees and future advancements become available.
I hold the status screen in my mind's eye, reviewing each class option. Wanderer, Rabble Survivor, Mist Initiate, Hearthguard… each has its merits, but I feel uncertain. My mind's still too fresh in this place. I turn to Lynn, who watches me closely with kind but concerned eyes.
"Lynn," I say, "do you know anything about these classes? Which path would you recommend?" I try to keep my tone steady, but doubt lingers in my voice. Each class name sounds meaningful, yet distant. I wonder if she's familiar with this system, or if she's as new to it as I am.
She steps closer, arms lightly folded. "I have seen others choose their path," she says quietly. "Some pick the Wanderer for flexibility, to remain uncommitted in these early trials. The Rabble Survivor thrives by turning scraps into lifelines, especially if you trust your instincts as a scavenger. The Mist Initiate… that is for those who would embrace the hidden nature of this realm. And the Hearthguard, well, they root themselves in protecting others, strengthening bonds over time."
Lynn's gaze drifts over me, as if gauging my spirit. "But what do you want, Rook?" She says it softly. "Is it power over the Mist? Is it cunning to survive? Is it the strength to stand against foes and guard others? Only you can choose. I can say this: in a place so uncertain, following your heart might matter more than you think."
She offers a small, encouraging smile. I close my eyes, trying to feel my heart, my soul—whatever anchors me here. I focus on the faint memories beneath the surface of my mind. I see flashes: a uniform, the smell of gun oil, distant voices calling out ranks and orders. Soldiers marching under a scorched sky. Was that my old life?
I open my eyes and swallow hard. It's not just vague recollection—it's a certainty that in my past, I was no mere wanderer or scavenger. I held a duty, a sense of honor, a blade or a gun in hand. I was a soldier. The thought brings a tightness to my chest, a longing. The world around me may be shattered and strange, but I remember discipline, a warrior's code, and the steel resolve to face enemies head-on.
"System," I say, addressing the intangible presence that governs this status screen. "I choose… Soldier."
Silence. The status screen remains before me, unchanged. I can feel the tension in the air. Lynn tilts her head curiously.
"System," I try again. "Soldier."
A faint hum arises in my ears, then a message ripples across my vision:
[ERROR: 'Soldier' Class Not Available]
[Attempting Nearest Equivalent…]
I grit my teeth. I feel a surge of frustration. I don't want to settle for a class that doesn't reflect who I am. My past… it demands something else, something more knightly than a mere wanderer. I insist mentally, pushing my will into the system's logic, hoping it understands my intent. Not just a soldier, but a protector with code and valor. A defender of ideals as well as allies.
The status screen flickers. Lynn steps back, eyes widening slightly. I see new words etch themselves into the air:
[Class Override Negotiation… Complete]
[You have chosen a path not defined in the starting framework]
[Adaptive Class Granted: Knight-To-Be]
I exhale slowly. Knight-To-Be? It's not exactly Soldier, but it rings closer to what I wanted. A class that implies training, growth, and eventually becoming a true knight. The name carries promise. I don't just want to scrape by. I want to become someone better, someone who can help Lynn and whoever else might join us. Someone who can stand with shield raised, steady in the face of horrors.
The status screen shifts and updates:
[Status Screen – ROOK]
Name: Rook
Class: Knight-To-Be (Adaptive Class)
Level: 1
Title: None
Condition: Stable
Attributes (Adjusted):
Health (HP): 120/120 (+20 from Class)Stamina (SP): 60/60 (+10 from Class)Focus (FP): 25/25 (-5 due to less focus on mystical arts)
Primary Stats:
Strength: 11 (+1)Agility: 10 (-1)Endurance: 11 (+2)Intuition: 11 (-1)Willpower: 11 (+1)
Class Bonuses:
Squire's Resolve: Slight increase to defense and resistance against fear or panic.Armed Discipline: Gain a bonus when wielding basic melee weapons or simple shields.Dutybound Growth (Locked): Will unlock class-specific skills and armor proficiencies as certain conditions are met. Progression tied to honorable actions, protection of allies, and completion of trials.
Party & Allies:
Lynn the Ascetic Healer [Has Joined the Party]Trust: Neutral (0)
Inventory:
Improvised Weapon (Broken Broom Handle)Canned Goods (x6)Medkit (Basic)Scrap Materials
Class Skill Tree (Partial Reveal):
Path of the Squire: Basics of melee combat, simple guard stances, rudimentary shield usage.Path of Honor (Locked): Unlock after performing a notable act of protection or mercy.Path of the Knight (Locked): Requires advanced equipment, defeat of a major foe, and an oath taken in a place of power.
I blink at the screen, then glance at Lynn. She offers me a curious, approving nod. "That is… unusual," she says softly. "I've never seen someone negotiate with the system. But if anyone can carve their own path, it might be you."
A warmth settles in my chest. Knight-To-Be: a reflection of the soldier I once was and the protector I want to become. It's not just the system that's changing. I can sense I'm shaping my destiny in a world that prefers neat categories. Instead of abiding by the given options, I've taken a step toward something more.
I close the status screen with a thought, solidifying my choice. Around me, the Eternal Campground's fire crackles reassuringly. The cards await my next move. Lynn stands beside me, an ally and perhaps a friend, our bond still untested but tangible.
This is my path: not a drifter or a scavenger, not a mystic manipulator of the Mist, not a simple guardian of the camp—but a Knight-To-Be, forging a future that reflects who I was and who I want to be in this strange labyrinth of card and steel.