"Actually yes I do have a few questions." I say, unsure of what exactly I want to ask first.

  "I am at your service. Guiding young heroes is one of the greatest responsibilities us priests of the Light have." Father Jonathan said while coming to sit down next to me on the bench.

  "I've been meaning to ask but what is this about the Gods of Light and the Dark Gods?" I wonder if they are real like GM's or just advanced AI?

  "Ah yes The Nine Gods of Light, each representing a pillar of our just societies. Each God of Light protects all enlightened races of Orous. Courage to defend the young and the weak. Discover the Truth of the world. Honor all who are enlightened. Fidelity to destroying the Dark Gods and their disciples. Discipline thyself, always improve. Provide Hospitality to those who seek respite. Exemplify Industriousness. Endure with Perseverance. Practice Self-Reliance for you may be the last bastion. These are the Tenants the Gods of Light have decreed we enlightened races must follow. However after thousands of years of fighting the Dark Gods forces, many have grown lax in the home continent." Father Jonathans face fell as he mentioned that last part.

  It seems the Western Continent is content with their current position against the forces of Dark and that is why they have so much infighting. Without such a threatening enemy the supposed united force has splintered into many factions. If I ever go there I need to be careful. Who knows how they treat immortals. "I see, I am guessing this continent still has a bad demon problem then?"

  "Yes, you are correct. It is one of the main reasons I decided to leave my churches headquarters in the holy city and continue my practice from here. While a follower of all the Tenants, I myself am a member of the Order of Fidelity. We are the ones who spearhead ourselves against any Dark threat the most. The Western Continent has a lot of firepower to fight back the Demons and all other sorts of Dark Spawn, pushing them back to contained towers but not eliminating them outright. Instead they send their young in to train and bolster their respective nations forces more. Defeating the Darkness is nothing more then a past time for most over there. Here though? Where tower breaks are constant and tides of beasts are known to level towns overnight? People of all walks of life are dedicating themselves to improving as much as they can in order to help establish a foothold on this continent. So far we are doing good, but we've only secured a small fraction of this new land."

  "I see, you keep mentioning towers, are those the three dark towers I've seen on this continent?" This is probably a modified version of a dungeon. Battle towers seem cool though.

  "Sort of, you talk of the three Grand towers. No, there are many smaller towers in the land, some visible as they tower into the sky others burrowing into the earth and sea. These towers are a poison to our world. They siphon the magic and life force of the very planet itself to birth vile monsters who do the bidding of the Nine Dark God's Demon Generals. Those are the ones who are located at the top of those Black Towers. Many have tried to defeat them many have lost due to their power. They are reason the Great System was created, to forge Heroes powerful enough to defeat the Generals and restore balance to the world at last." Father Jonathan sounds almost zealous at the end of his speech.

  "Wow, that is a lot of information to take in. Are there any battle towers out there I could challenge right now? Also I have these tokens, what can I do with them" I take my training tokens out of the bag and show them to him. He seems to take a moment to collect himself before he is back to the relaxed demeanor he showed before.

  "My apologies Trix, I always get too swept up in the heat of the moment when talking about the Divine. Yes, we do keep easier battle towers around to train our young. This town was next to such a tower but I would advise you use your training tokens before you leave for your first expedition. You can also fight beasts that surround our land as their resources are always in demand. Back to your training tokens however I would recommend you learn one physical art form, whether a bow, sword or staff it is smart to be well rounded. The others I would learn an offensive, healing and shield spell. It is entirely up to you of course but just so you know your specialization makes you learn fastest in that area but it does not prohibit you from learning others. There is the main training tower at the adventurers guild which will set you up with what you need. They have classes for just about any basic magical or physical skill you could imagine. But keep in mind the skills are still difficult to learn outside your specialization. However if I were you, I would start at the library. It's located in the second ring but it has a lot more information I could ever provide. Was there anything else child?"

  "No sir, thank you for your time." I say as I get up to leave the church and he gives me a nod. Right as I am about to open the door I hear a thud and Father Jonathan welcoming a new Player. I wonder if that is pure coincidence or some sort of spawn prevention mechanism that waits until the previous person is done. How big is the game if no one is going to complain about that wait? Maybe they are still in a higher time dilation while waiting. Shrugging I finally step outside into the city proper.

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  Large, multistoried houses and apartments line the surprisingly level road. I start walking while contemplating which place I should go first. The adventurers guild seems like the most obvious choice as these training tokens seem like a good investment. The library is a strong choice as well as with my trait and specialization it might give me more of an edge. Hmm it would also let me research more about what skills I could take. Yeah that's probably the best move. Decision made I quickly ask the nearest guard for directions and after a half hour of walking, find myself in front of a gate leading into the second ring. A guard gives me a glance before waving me through. Security seems very lax between the layers. Maybe its because they might have skills that help with this sort of thing? Oh well. I continue with my walk noticing the signs to all these interestingly sounding shops. Blott's Discounted Tomes, The Hidden Respite, Alchemical Solutions Incorporated. Honestly the last one seems pretty lazy but Alchemy would be fun to figure out. I wonder if I can adapt real life practices to their process. Each shop has a small symbol next to the name that gives away what they probably sell. After coming across more shops the buildings give way to a small courtyard leading up to a decently sized library. Stepping foot I am immediately surprised that it is absolutely silent, you simply cannot hear anything going on outside. Looking around I take in the sight before me.

  The exterior of the library looked more like an office building then anything else but the opulence of the interior paint a different story. Rich dark wood planks makeup the flooring with rugs strategically placed underneath all sitting areas. A cozy circular desk is manned by two very different attendants. The first is what I could only assume to be an elf with her tall stature and pointed ears. A slim figure leans against the armrests as she appears to be spacing out reading a book. Next to her is a human woman with bubblegum pink hair who is currently lightly snoring while drooling onto an open book her face is pressed against. It takes a minute of awkward standing before I realize neither of them have noticed my presence yet and it is only with a light cough that the elfin woman recoils and appears shocked someone is standing in front of her.

  "Ah, oh my apologies sir I always lose track of time when reading." She apologizes to me. Her voice is light and airy. "My name is Erid, How may I be of assistance to you today?" She smiles then quickly frowns when she turns and sees her colleague asleep drooling on the book. "One second sir. HEY, WHO SAID YOU COULD SLEEP ONTOP OF A BOOK? " I take a step back startled as this very calm woman, in a blink of an eye, grabbed the pink haired girl by the collar of her uniform and lifted her in the air casually. This of course caused the pink haired girl to wake up and, noticing she had been caught sleeping on the job, pout at Erid before speaking.

  "Oh calm down, you know I just bought that cleaning gem for this very reason. I didn't think you'd notice before I could finish my nap and clean up." She then continues to pout before Erid seems to calm down a bit.

  "Oh you have a cleaning gem? Very well, clean the book and return it before you start restocking the returns." Erid gently lowers the girl until she touches the floor. It is then that I realize the girl is much shorter then Erid, about five foot two while Erid stands at an easy six foot. The pink hair girl quickly takes a quartz looking rock from her pocket and mutters a word before a flash of light envelops the book and when it is gone so are the drool stains. She then scampers off into a backroom somewhere. Erid turns to face me and bows slightly.

  "My apologies for Penelope, she's just a part timer who works between her quests for some extra cash. She's not exactly the studious type." Erid squints a bit at me before she smiles. "However it seems that you very much are, how may I help a fellow researcher?"

  "How did you know I was a Researcher?" I ask, uneased by how fast she figured out my specialization.

  "Oh you must be one of the newer heroes, one of the potential starting spells for researcher is a slightly more advanced form of the basic inspect spell called analyze. It allows me to more easily ascertain certain things about individuals the inspect would. Your name, Trix for instance and your current power level and specialization." Erid explains plainly.

  "Interesting all I got was Study."

  "That is easily the most sought after spell to get first as learning it can be quite tricky. Now, how may I assist you?"

  "Ah yes I was actually hoping if you could point me to the magical theory section, the history section for organizations such as the adventurers guild, and possibly anything about learning skills?" I ask, each one in order of importance.

  "Hmm, most magical knowledge is hoarded by the mages guild so for any real training you would have to go through them, but the other two requests are easily dealt with follow me please." She then takes me farther back into the building before leading me to a well stocked shelf of thick tomes.

  "Here is the history section with the newer editions placed closer to the start of the isle with the older placed in the back. Over there" She points to an even larger section across the hall " is skill manuals and memoirs. Famous skill holders tend to write down how they got the skill and the numerous applications they were able to take it in. Most basic and intermediary skills are found there with advanced ones usually being hidden by the individuals or larger organizations. Feel free to take any open study room, we are open at all hours of the day. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

  I shake my head "No thank you so much though. Actually is there anything else on the Great System?"

  "Why yes there is in the System Philosophy section. Its right next to History here."

  "Ah thank you." With that she left and I turned to the isles, anticipating the hidden treasures within.