Bog Standard Isekai

Brin found his hands moving almost on their own. He moved the pieces into place on instinct. Sometimes, he was guided by a nudge here or there from the Scarred One, other times he had to put pieces down and pick others up to find the perfect block for the perfect spot.

As he worked, the blurry landscape beyond the table began to darken, and he swore he saw flashes of red lightning in the skies. Perhaps it was his imagination, because he didn’t look away from his dark work to check, but he swore he saw those old demons out of the corner of his eye. Only this time, they weren’t his enemy and they watched in anticipation.

Say What’s True (Upgrade)

You can now imbue your magical attacks with the Wyrd in order to alter an enemy’s thoughts and feelings.

Now that the entire top of the statue was covered with black, it really came together. A work of art. He could see now that all of it had been leading to this. There were little dots of black all the way from the ground up, growing in concentration and spiraling upwards to the finish until they dominated all.

Mirrored Duplicity (Upgrade)

Split Minds targeted with Mirrored Duplicity will have greater independence and initiative.

He struggled to remove the last remnants of white, the last few unremovable blocks that came from [Workhorse] and the other Achievements that gave him points per level. They were interrupting his perfect darkness. He couldn’t do it; they wouldn’t budge. But he pulled on them anyway.

Magical Authority

You can now imbue your magical attacks with the Wyrd in order to weaken an enemy’s magical or physical resistance according to the strength of your argument.

He couldn’t say he knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn’t that he never made a mistake. He simply drove himself onward, against all resistance and without stopping, desperate to reach the end and see what he could be. Sometimes that meant tearing something down so that something better could appear in his place.

Magical Authority Removed.

Mental Authority

You can now channel light magic to attack an enemy’s mind directly.

Why was he still trying to remove those last white blocks? He didn’t need them gone. He could just cover them up. And there it was. There was the Class.

Wyrdic Mage of Glass and Light (Epic)

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +9 Mental Control, +4 Will, +2 free attributes per level.

In addition to the Skills he’d already seen, it had the Mage upgrade.

The power of your spells will increase in proportion to your knowledge of the Language.

Brin took a deep breath, letting himself pretend for exactly as long as it took to inhale and then let it out. He blinked a couple times, and then looked up to his Class avatars who were watching him in concern. Even the Scarred One seemed a little uncertain.

“Thank you for showing this to me. This is the exact Class I didn’t want,” said Brin.

The Scarred Ones faced slipped into something a little more certain and a little more sly. “Fool. You know you want it.”

“I don’t want the Mental Manipulation stuff. The only part of this Class that’s at all tempting was [Magical Authority] and you took that out in favor of more mind control,” said Brin.

The Scarred One shook his head knowingly. “You want the Mental Manipulation.”

“No. I really don’t. I want–”

The Scarred One punched the statue, knocking dozens of the black blocks free and scattering them into the mess of lego blocks on the table before. Then he looked back at Brin, triumphant.

Only then did Brin notice that he’d instinctually brought up a hand to stop him. He let it fall. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“When are you going to learn? I’m not your enemy. I’ve never been your enemy. You’re proud of overcoming me, of defeating me, but there’s never been anything to defeat. All I’ve ever wanted to do, all I’ve ever done, is protect you,” said the Scarred One.

“I’m not afraid of a little pain,” said Brin.

The Scarred One clapped sarcastically, walking in a circle around Brin. “And we’re all so happy for you.”

“We are, though, unironically,” said the Illusionist. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him today.”

The Scarred One ignored it, continuing his build-up. “Big strong Brin, not afraid to push a few needles into his arm to impress a girl even though he’s surrounded by all the best [Mage] candidates of an entire kingdom, including no doubt several [Life Mages] who could brace a broken wrist with hardly a thought.”

The Glasser scratched his head. “Huh. We didn’t think that through. He might actually be right about that one.”

“Of course I’m right!” snapped the Scarred One, then looked back at Brin and resumed his imperiously condescending tone. “Did you ever stop to think about why you’re suddenly so girl-crazy right now?”

“I… I’ve always been… I mean, now that I’m in a better place, not always worrying if I’m going to die today… It’s because I’m feeling better,” said Brin.

“Are you feeling better? Or maybe you just know that you have to pretend to be better out of fear that if you show any weakness they’ll send you back there.”

Brin reeled away from the table, lego blocks and Class Selection momentarily forgotten. “That’s not true! What are you talking about?”

“You’re lonely,” said the Scarred One.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not. You’re lonely and you want to meet someone. It really is that simple sometimes,” said the Scarred One.

“I’m not lonely. I have Hogg and Lumina, Sion and–”

“You have all of them and you’re still alone!” the Scarred One roared. “They sent you there, Brin. They sent you there and they left you there alone. They did that to you. And now you’re pretending that everything is going just great, when in reality–”

“I’m not pretending. Sure, fine, the monastery sucked, but it worked, and I really am feeling better. I am,” said Brin.

“Are you sure? Do you perhaps have a Class that specializes in deluding yourself? Do you really know for sure what’s going to happen when you pull that band-aid off?”

“D-do you?” asked Brin.

The Scarred One shook his head, earnest fear and frustration evident on his scarred face. “I don’t. I really don't, and I’m really really afraid for you. They all betrayed you, Brin.”

“Lumina had no idea what was going on, and she couldn’t have helped even if she did. Galan really thought that would be the best thing for me, because look, you know Galan. It’s exactly what he would have wanted in my place. Hogg just wanted to see me safe for a while. Those seven months were the first seven consecutive months in this world where my life was never in danger. Sion didn’t believe I was really there, Zilly and Davi have no idea where I ended up. They all…”

“They all failed you. They did, and they always will. That’s what happens when you put your trust in other people. It’s inevitable as the turning of the tides. And then you come in here talking about Bia? Do you really think I can trust Bia?” the Scarred One raged.

The Glasser raised a calming hand. “Obviously we can’t trust Bia; she practically said so herself. But–”

“I have the floor,” said the Scarred One. He turned back to the statue. “Just… just look at the other one I can show you. You took one of my Classes last time, so it’s natural that there are more branches stemming from there. This is the one that protects us from loneliness, from people and their failings. From now on, I can be the only thing that I will ever need.”

He began to build. The pieces flew into his hands, and he rebuilt the broken Class in a matter of seconds. “What happened once in an accident will now be a tool at your command. Behold your salvation.”

Shattered One (Epic)

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +7 Mental Control, +2 Will, +2 free attributes per level.

Create Shard

Split your mind to create a fully autonomous clone of yourself made from Glass, Sound, and Light, with whatever thoughts, knowledge, memories, and capabilities you choose to give it. Shard will start with a level corresponding to the amount of mental space you assign to it. Shards will be perfectly loyal. Shards can be dismissed at any time. Any levels, Titles, or Achievements they earned will be transferred to experience.

Mental Authority

You can now channel light magic to attack an enemy’s mind directly.

Mage

The power of your spells will increase in proportion to your knowledge of the Language.

The Scarred Ones lips trembled in admiration as he gazed at the completed statue. “And then at level fifty you might choose this…”

Shardic Infection

After an enemy’s mind has been thoroughly subdued, you may imbue a specially treated shard of glass into their brain in a bid to gain possession of their body.

Brin could only gape in envious horror at the thing that the Scarred One created. That was the Class for ascension and godhood. He’d be an unstoppable experience-generating machine.

It was also Evil with a capital E. If he took that Class, there would be no going back. The Shattered One would be protected from the hurt of other people because he would completely cease to care about anyone but himself. There would be no stopping the genocide that would follow.

No, actually, that wasn’t right. Even if he kept his real body hidden and invisible and sent his Shards out to gather experience, Lurilan would still be able to find him. Then Hogg would see him with his [Advanced Inspect] and know what he was and what he’d done, and with tears in his eyes, the old man would put him down.

Would that be enough to keep him in line? Would the fear of certain death be enough to keep the [Shattered One] on the straight and narrow? He didn’t think so. The [Shattered One] was a Class for someone thoroughly insane.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“This is a warning, isn’t it? This is what I could’ve turned into after the fight with Zaff. This is why I should never do that again, because this is what the consequence might be,” said Brin.

“That’s one way to look at it,” said the Scarred One.

Brin nodded and then deliberately began to dismantle the Class, piece by piece. “I think it was Cid who saved me from this. I mean, I like to think I’m the type of guy who’d never choose something like that, but the fact that you even offered it means there’s at least a chance. So: Cid. He saved me in Canibri when he forced me to talk to Aberthol’s family. I was afraid that it was going to be painful and mortifying and embarrassing and it was all of things. But I’m so, so glad I did it.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said the Scarred One.

Brin was finished tearing the Class back down to the base. Then he tried to keep going. He pulled on [Say What’s True] and [Mirrored Duplicity], seeing if he could free up some more space by sacrificing this.

“Fine. I’ll admit it. I kind of want the Mental Manipulation. I like the idea of being able to make someone see things my way. But that’s exactly why I don’t want it. I don’t think I should have it,” said Brin.

The old pieces of [Delusionist] wouldn’t budge.

“You can’t change powers that you already have; you can only change what you’ll get going forward,” said the Child.

Didn’t he lose the experience penalty from [Glassbound] when he’d changed to [Delusionist], though? Every rule had an exception, but if one of the Avatars had an easy way to do what Brin wanted, he wasn’t saying.

Brin sighed and gave up. He turned to the Glasser. “I told myself I would take whatever you offered me this time. You’re the one Class I never regretted taking, even if you’re the one Class I never actually chose for myself.”

The Glasser’s eyes were a bit glazed, and he blinked a couple times and fanned himself with his shirt. “Oh. Ok. yeah, yes, let’s do that! I’m sorry, I just need a second, I think. That was pretty intense!”

The Scarred One snorted and shook his head. “You’re all so dramatic.”

“We’re dramatic?” asked the Glasser, appalled. “You’re the one who… you know what? Forget it. Let me show you what I had in mind. Feel free to adjust as you see fit; there are a lot of right ways to do this.”

He began to build. All the blackness in the statue ceased in a straight line. The Glasser didn’t take any colors that Brin didn’t already have. Instead, he built everything with clear blocks.

He built in a straightforward and obvious way. It would almost seem simple, but strong foundations were often simple. Doing something the right way was often obvious.

Call Light through Glass -> Summon Light through Glass.

Call Sound through Glass -> Summon Sound through Glass.

The floor, the walls, the ceiling and roof, it all had to be planned out with the other factors in mind. A wall couldn’t be longer than the foundation, and the roof shouldn’t cover less than the walls. And at the end of the day, a house was a house and a Class was a Class.

Fount of Glass

Reduces Mana drain from summoning large amounts of glass quickly. Reduces Mana cost for summoning glass.

“I’ve been thinking about the fight with Zaff. I’ve been thinking about what it would take to do that for real. This won’t quite bring you to that level, but it’s a big step in that direction,” explained the Glasser. That part alone took up the bulk of the pieces he had left to place, but there were still a few finishing touches.

Imbue Motion through Glass

You may quickly enchant glass with kinetic force. You may enchant glass with kinetic force using only the Language.

He didn’t know exactly how useful this would be, but he had a strong inkling that it was the best part of this build so far. It seemed to allow him to enchant glass on the fly. Chamylla in Hammon’s Bog had been tight-lipped about her process, but Brin knew it wasn’t usually something that could be done quickly. And watching Hogg’s business had impressed on him exactly how expensive it was. Chamylla hadn’t been fleecing the good people of Hammon’s Bog; she must’ve had an astronomical overhead.

Amplified Casting (Upgraded)

The maintenance cost of glass magic is reduced 40%

The Glasser scratched his chin in thought, and then put the last piece into place, seeming concerned about the whole build. Then he shrugged and put the last piece on.

Mage of Glass (Rare)

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +4 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

It was an objectively good Class, so Brin tried to summon some enthusiasm for it.

“I don’t think there’s a way to get to Epic on pure glass,” said the Glasser by way of apology.

“No, it’s good. It’s really strong, with lots of room to develop,” said Brin. “It’s got a lot of applications in crafting, but it’s still a noticeable improvement to my offensive capabilities. I imagine that moving a much larger volume of glass will help me fit in with what [Earth Mages] can do.”

“It’s got the same problem as your other options, but without as much upside. The problem is that the really Epic things you’ve done have been tied to your illusions and Wyrd. As far as glass goes, you’re simply above-average,” said the Glasser.

The statue just looked wrong, for lack of a better word. The bright pure cap on top completely dropped the pattern that had been growing up to this point. It felt fake, like he was trying to be a better person by denying everything that had happened before.

“It would be a shame to not take a single Wyrd Skill. Currently, I can only use it to mess with people’s heads, or my own head and I really don’t want to do that stuff any more if I can avoid it. If I stop here, I’ll never get a Wyrd Skill that actually improves my spell power. It would be the same as saying that all that time I spent developing the Wyrd was wasted,” said Brin.

The Scarred One stepped forward and removed all of the Glasser’s work. Not dismissively, but firmly and intentionally. Then he selected a few black pieces again and began to build.

The power of your spells will increase in proportion to your influence with the Wyrd.

The statue already looked better. No longer was there a sharp cut-off. Now the black accents tapered to a finish, looking like it had been an intentional design the entire time.

“We’re out of time,” said the Child. “People are moving into the Tower.”

“Then let’s hurry,” said Brin. “Did you want to show me a Class?”

“[Student of Magic] could get you to a generalist [Mage], eventually. You could learn all four elements, but it takes a lot of time and study. You’ll go at least two Class advancements before you get another chance at a Skill for Light or Glass,” said the Child.

“Then we’ll rule it out. I don’t want to start from scratch with an abrupt side-grade; if I was doing that, I might as well do a full reset. At the same time, I think I’ve decided that I’m emphasizing growth for this Class; I can get the big end-game Class later. If I was marching back to war tomorrow, I’d take [Laser Mage]. But right now, I need a Class that will see the most benefit for being at a school. You two, help me,” Brin said to the Glasser and the Illusionist. “What are your favorite bits of the builds you showed me?”

The Illusionist immediately assembled the [Glass Foci] again. The Glasser surprised him by reassembling the portion from their first build that let Brin summon molten glass while also picking up [Summon Fire through Glass] fairly cheaply.

“Really? That’s not even really a Glass Skill,” said Brin.

“Does an Eveladis stop lasers?” the Glasser asked the Illusionist.

The Illusionist winced. “It stops people from summoning light, so…”

“So it does. Next question: Can lasers be cast from fire magic?” asked the Glasser.

The Illusionist nodded in comprehension, but still frowned. “I can’t promise that will work.”

“It will react to the magic, to some degree. And we can get light from fire if we need to. I think it’ll work,” said the Glasser.

“We’ll risk it,” said Brin. “We still have some room. What else should we add?”

The Scarred One, who’d been mostly silent since Brin shut down his Class, touched the Glasser on the shoulder and pointed down at a section of pieces.

The Glasser said, “You think–”

The Scarred One nodded.

“What?” Brin asked. Those pieces were… green. He didn’t have life magic. Did he?

“Just hear us out,” said the Glasser.

“Oh no. I’ve heard this one before,” said Brin.

The Scarred One grinned wide and feral, and the Glasser matched it with a much more ordinary smile of good humor.

“Well, think about it. We built some Glass Skills on top of your existing Glass Skills. We tried out those Mind Skills on top of Mind Skills, though you didn’t want them. We built Flame on top of Light and Sound, but also on top of [Heat Resistance] and the [Burial of Talra] Achievement. In your last Class selection, you had a ton of combat options because of all your combat Achievements. So why not try to build something off of your Life Skills?” explained the Glasser.

“What Life Skills?” Brin asked.

The Child tapped his wrist. “Not to be a pest, but we really need to–”

“We know!” Brin and the Scarred One said at the same time.

“[Scarred, but Healing], [Recovery], and [Poison Resistance]. All Life magic. That’s a solid foundation for a new Skill,” said the Glasser.

“What can you give me?” Brin asked.

The Glasser and Scarred One sprang into action, putting a small group of green and clear pieces together and pushing them onto the statue.

Glass Scarring

Increased ability to stop bleeding and hold your body together with glass. You have an increased adaptability to pieces of glass being lodged inside your body.

“That’s really weird!” Brin said.

“It’s like what you did with the sling,” said the Glasser.

“I know. And that was weird,” said Brin.

“Don’t lie. It was cool as hell,” said the Scarred One.

Brin sighed. “The fact that we can get it for cheap is the only selling point. What would I do with that that I can’t do by just carrying a bandage or two in my storage ring?”

“It’s not about what it can do now. It’s about what the Tower can help you can build on top of it,” said the Glasser.

“I’ve been thinking about the fight with Zaff. I’ve been thinking about what it would take to do that for real,” said the Scarred One, echoing the Glasser from earlier.

“How is this going to help me summon loads and loads of glass?” Brin asked.

“Not that part,” said the Scarred One.

“The Glass Avatar. You want me to become the Glass Avatar. And you’re ok with this?” Brin asked the Glasser.

“We’ll find a version that doesn’t want to destroy the world,” said the Glasser.

“I want [Laser Mage],” said Brin, half-joking, but actually this was already starting to come together in his mind.

Aberthol had originally planned on merging [Recovery] with [Heat Resistance]. The training he had in mind was pretty horrific and would’ve involved finding a physician who specialized in skin grafts, but if Aberfa’s education could be trusted he would’ve ended up being able to waltz through a wildfire where the only effect would’ve been the clearing out of his sinuses. Plan B had been to see if Lumina had a way to focus it entirely into Mana recovery.

But what could he do if he found a way to merge [Recovery] with [Glass Scarring], and then maybe even [Scarred, but Healing]? Hopefully it would be a super-fast recovery that was somehow tied to his glass magic, and he’d finally fold his cornerstone Skill into an active part of his Class.

“If we’re going to do this, we need one more Skill,” said the Illusionist.

“We’ll work on that. You two start filling in the gaps,” the Glasser said. “We need to shore up glass and light a little or we risk getting [Conjuror] instead of [Mage].

“I definitely want [Mage],” said Brin.

All four of them got to work, and Brin focused on shoring up all the empty spaces with light and glass. The Illusionist expertly removed some of the blocks Brin placed and set them in areas where they’d fit better. He tried to ignore what the Glasser and the Scarred One were up to, but couldn’t help but sneak glances.

Transmute to Glass (0)

Through the application of heat and light, you may transmute an element to glass.

“It’s a growth Skill. At lower levels, [Transmute Glass] will need a lot of energy, and it’ll turn the target into what the System considers ‘real’ glass, which means silica-based glass. But as you level it, it will require less heat to transform, and it’ll keep more of its original properties,” said the Glasser.

He had to admit, he did really want that Skill. “It frightens me that you two are working together.”

He’d meant it as a joke, but the Glasser nodded thoughtfully and said, “I don’t think we’re quite opposites. The Illusionist is raw ambition, but I also want to protect myself from suffering–the Scarred One and I have that in common. But there’s no path for me to retire to a small life in a peaceful village. Not now. My enemies will follow me wherever I go. My best chance for the life I want, for peace, for honest work, for a wholesome occupation, and for love is to become an unassailably powerful and respected [Mage]. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Child was practically pulling out his hair. “Uh huh this is all really touching you guys, but we really need to go!”

They hurried to fill in the last of the gaps. When there was no more room, he stood and stared at it for thirty seconds, trying to find any imperfections, and places where haste had led them to the wrong choice.

It wasn’t as tight and solid as the other Classes, especially not the one the Glasser had made. There were odd angles and lots of spots that were clearly waiting for levels or Achievements to fill them in. They fit in another 25% reduced summoning cost for glass, gave a moderate improvement to his laser damage, and fit in a few more points in Magic and Mental Control per level. The result was an extremely high Rare, but they couldn’t quite push it over the threshold into Epic. The attributes were where he got hit the hardest for not being able to push it past that finish line.

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +5 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

The Glasser clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Two new growth Skills, and one that scales with your experience in the Wyrd. This is the best growth Class we can make, unless you want to reconsider [Student of Magic].”

“Let’s not. We’re missing the speech,” said the Child.

“I don’t want to rush into this just because I’m missing my first day of school. Am I really happy with this?” Brin took one last glance at the statue. It looked nice. For all its imperfections, it looked like him, who he was right now.

“I like it. This is it. This is my next Class.”

Scarred Mage of the Glass Furnace (Rare)

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +5 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

Glass Scarring

Increased ability to stop bleeding and hold your body together with glass. You have an increased adaptability to pieces of glass being lodged inside your body.

Summon Glass (Upgraded)

You can summon molten glass. Glass summoning costs reduced by 25%.

Summon Flame through Glass (0)

Call Light through Glass -> Summon Light through Glass

Call Sound through Glass -> Summon Sound through Glass

Master of Lasers (Upgraded)

Moderately increased laser damage

Transmute to Glass (0)

Through the application of heat and light, you may transmute an element to glass.

Glass Foci

Increase the power of all light or fire-based spells when cast with a glass focus. Effects of [Amplified Casting] can now apply to glass you've enchanted.

Mage

The power of your spells will increase in proportion to understanding of the Language and your influence with the Wyrd.