Chương 82: Chapter 81- A Familiar Face

Vivian. Eli gave a soft smile as his eyes grew a little misty at seeing his twin sister again after far too long. She was a tall woman almost 6 foot, nearly as tall as Eli, her shoulders and arms well toned with thick muscle from the metal work she loved so much. She had the same wavy brown hair, a little longer than Eli's, at least other than the undercut she sported on one side, claiming it got singed so much she had just buzzed it off.

She wore her work 'uniform', a set of soot stained heavy duty dark blue overalls, a black tank top full of holes from stray embers, and a thick leather apron around her waist. Matching icy blue eyes met his, the eyebrow ring over one eye shifting as her brows wrinkled in concern. Damn I really should have made time to visit. She spoke, " If this form is going to cause you distress, I can choose another?"

"NO!" Eli held up a hand, and shook his head before lowering his voice, " No. Sorry, I just missed her more than I had expected. I know you are not Viv, but it is good to see her again anyways." He smiled, " Please." She gave Eli one of her easy smiles, " Sure thing little brother. Ready to get to work?" Eli smiled, " Sure, just one moment." He dropped the glass off on the arm of one lounger, and drew her into a hug, smiling with a sigh as the System even got the smell right.

Coconut sunscreen, floral shampoo, and the metallic tang of ozone. As he stepped back, she arched a brow at him in question as he answered, " Sorry, I just might never get another chance, you know?" Her expression softened as she gestured to follow, " I get it. Besides, you were always secretly a big softie. Check out what I got for you in my workshop!"

Elias followed her down a path through the sand, passing Vivian''s one story beach bungalow on one side, as the path meandered through a sparse forest with a mix of palms and carolina pines before entering a fenced off lot with a row of acetylene tanks chained out front. He had only been to her new place a few times over the years, the isolation of the little stretch of beach made it difficult to visit with the added travel time.

She loved the seclusion of the place, but Eli suspected what she loved more was the distance from the painful memories of their home town, and the family they had lost there. When he entered the lot, the contents were much what he remembered, various statues and scenes made from pieces of welded and painted scrap metal, but the quantity was far more.

As they stepped inside Eli suspected they were entering a kind of altered space as there was no way the vast army of figures could have ever been contained within the small lot as viewed from the outside. Vivian entered and stood just outside the maze of figures, waiting for Elias as he paused for a moment just in the entrance, an unsettling feeling coming over him as he took in the scene.

After a few moments he realized just what had been bothering him, and a chill ran down his spine as he noticed that all the figures were him. Row after row of Elias clones, shaped, clothed, and posed differently, some within a static scene, and some standing alone, but they were all Eli. Elias crept closer to one at the front, a surprisingly accurate rendition of himself clean shaven, with a neat haircut, well dressed and groomed leaning over a ledger frozen in the act of scribbling notations.

He reached forward to trace the uncannily accurate lines on his metal doppelganger's face, and as his fingertips brushed the stature a series of images flashed in his mind. Elias apologizing to Astra, saying that he had lost his taste for fighting. He met a stern figure seated at the head of a table in a massive hall full of warriors, asking for a way to contribute, suggesting if nothing else that he had an excellent head for numbers.

Elias stooped over a desk with numerous ledgers splayed open as he compared notes, a reserved Astra dropped off a pile of reports asking if, just once for old times sake, he wanted to spar in the courtyard like they used to. The sad smile on her face as he told her that he just did not have the time, made his heart ache, and with a gasp Elias stepped back from the statue. He shook his head to clear the unsettling images from his and gave Vivian a bewildered look, " What the hell was that?"

She gave a smirk as she leaned on the statue next to her, " A possible future, albeit a highly unlikely one. I wouldn't suggest it to you in a million years, but it is still a choice. Touch it again, don't worry it's safe." Elias poked the forehead of the figure as a notice appeared. * Ding [Diligent Bookkeeper, Uncommon, Tier II] Ding *[Would you like to know more?] Eli grimaced with a shudder, " Yeah that's a hard pass." Vivian laughed, " Yeah no surprise here, my adrenaline junky little bro as a bookkeeper?"

She shook her head and snorted, " Improbable, but not impossible. All the possibilities are here: good, bad, ugly, and everything in between, it's why I'm here." She gestured at the massive army of statues, " Most beings in the expanse don't have half the options, at least not this early. With the weight of the knowledge of your old world behind you?" She sighed, sweeping her gaze over the display and gave him another smirk, " It's a bit much don't you think?

You should really try picking one thing and sticking with it! Follow me, I'll show ya the good stuff." She gave him a slap on the shoulder, turned and strode into the cluttered yard while speaking back to him over a shoulder, " I heard what you told Mira, and I have a few pretty good choices for you." She continued weaving through the lanes of figures heading ever deeper, " Pretty sure I know what you'll pick, but free will is important! Who knows maybe you will surprise me?

So I'll show you a few things first so you can get a feel for them." Eventually Vivian came to a halt in a small clearing in the middle of the yard with three figures before her, and she turned to gesture Eli forward. The cleared setting and the placards at the foot of the status made them stand apart from the ones they had seen so far. She leaned back against a nearby statue, " A quick tap will do ya, if you want to know more, grab hold and it will give you a glimpse like before."

The first was a form in leather, a shortsword in one hand and his swordbreaker in the other, the figure was leaning forward as if mid stride as he sprinted towards an unseen enemy, the edge of his blades glowing blue. Eli tapped the statue. * Ding [Arcane Striker, Uncommon, Tier II] Ding *[Arcane Striker- An initiate class for a medium weight striker that blends the martial and magical paths as a first step to something greater. The striker prefers mobility and favors mid-range combat, reinforcing their blades and striking ranged targets with pure mana. No affinity, + 4 Strength, + 7 Dexterity, + 7 Intelligence, + 4 Wisdom +8 free attribute points per level] Not bad, 30 points per level. Weaker than I was hoping for, and it only seems to give a couple major skills out the gate. He moved to the next one, this statue looked fairly familiar.

A figure of Elias in armor plate, carrying a tower shield and a mace wearing a tabard in Emberholdt colors, slightly crouched as if bracing for a charge. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. * Ding [Manaward Legionaire, Uncommon, Tier II] Ding *[Manaward Legionaire- An initiate class for a heavy weight frontliner that blends the martial and magical paths as a first step to something greater. The Legionaire prefers durability and stamina, and favors close-range combat, reinforcing their shield to weather heavy blows and reinforcing their bodies with pure mana. No affinity, + 7 Vitality, + 7 Strength, + 4 Endurance, + 4 Wisdom +6 free attribute points per level] Elias arched a brow. Not what I expected? 28 points per level, so the total point count wasn't guaranteed? It must make up for it with stronger skills, still not what I was hoping for.

The last form was wearing light leather armor and a cloak, a blade at his waist while holding a quarterstaff similar to Astrid's. * Ding [Manawell Channeler, Uncommon, Tier II] Ding *[Manawell Channeler- An initiate class for a light weight sorcerer that focuses on the mystical arts to develop the foundation for future magical prowess. The Channeler prefers emphasizing prolonged casting and deep reserves, and favors long range combat, channeling their mana into an external reservoir to increase the power of their casts while training their bodies and minds to enhance efficiency and increase the speed of their resource renewal. No affinity, + 10 Intelligence, + 15 Wisdom, +5 free attribute points per level] A low chuckle from nearby got Eli's attention as he turned towards Vivian, " What's with the sad puppy dog eyes?

You should know a lot of Emberholdt soldiers would be excited to get that middle one, it includes a taunt skill in the second tier and is a guaranteed evolution to rare in the third." Eli sighed and gave her a frustrated look, " I can imagine, but I was really hoping for something with a little more oomph, these just don't feel like me." Vivian snorted and rolled her eyes, " I know, I did tell you we were starting with the simple stuff right?"

She walked over to give him a slap to the stomach, " Don't worry, I know the kind of thing you're looking for, but you can't appreciate the cool stuff without checking out the basic stuff first." She propped a fist on her hip and cocked a brow at him, " A pass on these right?" Eli laughed, " Yeah, you know best right?" She grinned, tossing an arm over his shoulder, " Damn straight, listen to your big sis, she'll never steer you wrong."

Vivian led him around a jumble of Eli's all tossed in a pile which, given that the majority of them looked like some kind of farmer variant, he was not surprised they had been tossed. There was a pair of statues in this clearing, already looking much better just from the appearances alone.

The first statue was in reinforced leathers, similar to the set they had purchased from the old man outside the league, a large sword in one hand with a swirling bundle of mana glowing in the other, with a layer of mana coating the entire form in a faint shimmer.

The second was in a set of heavy plate armor pretty similar to Astra's, a sword belted at its waist while it held a large poleaxe at the ready, a layer of mana glowing along the axe blade, glittering around the hammer, and an extended point jutting from the spear point. Eli tapped both in succession. * Ding [Spellblade Adept, Rare, Tier II] Ding [Spellblade Adept- A hybrid class for a medium weight striker that blends the martial and magical paths, a hybrid caster that excels in prolonged combat. The adept prefers mobility and favors mid-range combat, balancing reinforced strikes with a variety of spells, enhancing their durability with arcane power, with passive to moderately increase casting efficiency in battle. No affinity, + 5 Strength, + 8 Dexterity, + 8 Intelligence, + 5 Wisdom +9 free attribute points per level] Ding [Mageknight Initiate, Rare, Tier II] Ding *[Mageknight Initiate-An initiate class for a heavy weight frontliner that aspires to reach a mageknight class. The Initiate prefers to focus on durability and heavy blows, and favoring close-range combat, reinforcing their strikes with explosive force, enhancing their bodies, and using martial skill to dominate the battlefield. No affinity, + 8 Strength, + 5 Endurance, + 8 Intelligence, + 5 Wisdom +6 free attribute points per level] Eli grunted, " Damn, initiate really?" Vivian snorted, " Yeah." She gave him a serious look, " Do you have talent? Sure.

Your lady friend has literal years of experience, honing her skills, and plenty of battle experience in her chosen field already. Is it all that surprising that you don't measure up just yet?" She arched her brow, " If anything, the surprising thing is how far you came this quickly. Check them out before you start turning into a Debbie downer." Eli rolled his eyes, and grabbed the first statue willing it to give him an impression of the class.

A series of scenes and images flashed through his mind, and from what he could see, he definitely understood why the system offered him this class. The Eli in his mind was fast, he slipped through ranks of enemies like a wraith leaving only corpses in his wake. Many of the scenes had him fighting alongside Astra, sweeping into enemies from the outside as she held their attention, a flicker of mana across his armor absorbing the occasional blow that made it his way.

He struck hard, lashing out with a variety of powerful effects, and while none of which were devastating on their own, they took advantage of the battleground conditions to great effect.

When they fought in the rain, he flooded the field with a cold mist slowing and chilling their enemies, when they fought alongside Mason he soaked them with jets of water that Mason later lashed with electricity, when Astra set fire to their foes he cast whipping gusts of wind that built into a firestorm that rolled over the next rank. Versatile, fast, balanced, but not much burst potential. I wouldn't be as good on my own, but as a team I would be a fantastic enhancer, supplementing the party.

Ok definitely better than I gave it credit for, and it comes with quite a bit of skills right out of the starting gate. A good fit for my skills already. Eli grabbed the next statue, the [Mageknight Initiate]. Eli stood side by side with Astra, and as a horde of goblins descended they dismembered them in waves, he was less flashy, less quick, but he didn't need to be. Any hit he couldn't dodge he would just take on his armor.

While he didn't have a wide variety of spells, the lances of mana he had were sufficient to dispatch ranged attackers, and the blasts of force were able to clear the ground before he got swamped. When the attackers flooded in, he stood back to back with Astra, and in a similar manner to the previous night they fought, long and hard. A skill of some kind enabled them to go beyond the limits of their endurance, outlasting their foes, leaving them standing at the head of a river of blood, tired but alive.

Durable, reliable, but limited. I can see why the [Mageknight] s are considered the workhorses of the imperial army, they're not flashy, but good lord can they hold the line. Whatever that skill is, it must be a heavy duty version of [Stalwart] so they can fight for so long. Not a ton of burst potential either, but that doesn't matter in an army with heavy artillery at your back, you just need to fix the enemy in place and kill until you run out of bodies.

Eli sat on a nearby statue and considered his options, and for what it was worth they both were pretty decent. He would be satisfied with either, he would just need to keep up the hard work to make sure he didn't fall behind. Yeah I have a rare class already, but I've only had it for a couple weeks. Eli thought back over the events of the last few weeks, and as the battles they had already thought spun out in his mind, he was less sure.

Neither of these are really stand alone though, and as much as Astra is supposed to fight from a line how many times has that actually occurred? Sure, we made it through, but that last one was really close, and both of these would help, but are they enough? I mean I have some crazy achievements right? And a class with a rare affinity already. Wait.

Eli flipped through all the notifications, so far none of the choices had a spatial affinity even though he apparently had it, and a serious enough affinity to heavily mutate his race. He looked over at Vivian, and the look on her face told him she knew what was coming next, which considering she isn't Viv, but some kind of System avatar she probably did." These aren't all the choices, there are more aren't there?" Vivian grimaced and sighed, " No."

Eli frowned, " These aren't bad, but they don't really scream born again, met a god, high spatial affinity. I thought you were supposed to be looking out for me as a guide."" I am. Don't forget I already told you I am pretty sure I know what you'll pick, I just wanted a chance to convince you it was a bad idea." She frowned and shook her head, " Look there is a reason you never see spatial options at the lowest rank, they cost so much mana they might as well be unusable!

I have literally never seen a class like this, at the very least not in the second tier, you are much better off choosing one of these others to build a foundation first." She gave an exasperated sigh, " Look I know you're probably not going to listen anyways, your sister's memories are clear enough on that point. I'll just say it out loud this is a terrible idea, it's half broken, poorly balanced, and there is very much a non zero chance you kill yourself on accident before you reach the third tier."

Eli grinned, " Sounds perfect, show me." Vivian smirked, " All right I warned you, follow me."