The Flying Emporium

For the umpteenth time, the group of three went over the choice list of available classes.

Naturally the final decision would lay with Severin, but not consulting the people of this world and instead solely relying on assumptions made based on fantastic games he had played in the past, would, of course, be foolish.

Not that he had overly relied on Emily’s opinion regarding his class choices in the past, but this time was different.

For one, now there was also Bandur, and, outcast or not, the man was, after all, of dwarfish royalty. And with that came a, at least perfunctory, education in classology.

Severin learned that classes he had previously dismissed simply based on their ordinary sounding names, classes such as [Fisherman] and [Herbalist], were indeed what he considered to be gathering professions. Not useless mind you, several communities and even whole societies relied on these classes, Bandur assured him, but now they seemed even less suitable for him than last time; these two classes and a handful similar ones were shortly dismissed.

Similar was true for the classes on the other end of the spectrum, including some new ones. [Holymancer] and [Dark Knight] certainly had a ring to them. Especially the latter of the two fueled some heroic notions of his. The longing in Bandur’s eyes only amplified these feelings.

But no. He would stick with those that could be widely categorized as crafting professions.

But even amongst them, there had been those he had dismissed without giving them much thought. Like [Woodworker] and [Weaver]. Or [Sculptor], to mention one of the new unlocks. Again, too ordinary sounding.

It was only due to Emily’s sudden objection that he briefly reconsidered.

“But it’s not the same. Your classes are different,” she had pointed out.

And rightly so. After all, regular [Alchemists] did not craft jelly potions, nor stat elixirs or any of his other products. Not to mention the existence of the [Alchemical Item Combinator] that had also come with the profession.

And what about the [Cook] class? Wasn’t that rather ordinary sounding as well? And it still turned out to be a great addition to his business. From what Severin knew, his dishes were hardly comparable with that of others with the same class. Only a real high-level [Cook] could even dream about creating buff-food.

He conceded that judging any of his options by whatever the regular version of the class had to offer was neither fair nor smart. Whatever he chose would, in one way or the other, turn out to be extraordinary. But then why not chose something that was already extraordinary, special, to begin with?

Still, the girl insisted for him to at least consider some of the other options as well and was an especially outspoken proponent of the [Beast Tamer] class, which he had briefly considered himself in the past and one which made him think back to the huge flying mount he had spotted in the distance on his first journey to Malcos.

Since the girl’s main argument, however, came down to wanting a pet, it was easy enough to dismiss the suggestion.

In that respect, her second nomination, though somewhat speculative in nature, was much better thought out and therefore had to be considered more thoroughly.

A [Shipwright], she argued, might just be able to construct add-ons for the mountain itself; because, in a way, it had become somewhat of a flying ship.

Maneuverability, speed, the ability to adjust altitude. Maybe even defensive and offensive capabilities. All these things could potentially be enhanced by the class. She pointed out that no one knew just how durable that defensive barrier even was, and that so far there had been no signs of any kind of weaponry at all.

“And even if it doesn’t work this way, we could still create flying ships! We don’t even have to sell them if you don’t want to. We could start a transportations service? As a shuttle between the mountain and the surface below. Not everyone has their own flying artifact. Especially not regular people. They can come visit us through the portal but are then stuck up here!

And do you remember Samuel’s big ship? The one that [Prince] and his guild have slept in? If that is something a regular [Shipwright] can create, then just imagine…”

Severin agreed with most of her notions but would have been more readily convinced if he personally was still thinking about owning his own ship. But alas, the need for that had drastically been reduced during these last couple of days and weeks.

“You’re not wrong, lad. But don’t forget that classes often have some kind of overlap with others. An [Artificer] should just as well be able to craft some flying ships. Maybe only at a higher level and only smaller ones, but still. And in terms of the other aspects you mentioned, the class should be even more suitable.”

Hearing this, Severin was elated. So far [Artificer] was his own top choice and Bandur’s short insert further reinforced this.

“That being said, I like how you are thinking, Em. I too think we should invest in our defenses. And some firepower can’t hurt either. So I suggest either going with [Enchanter]. Otherwise I’d probably go with [Blacksmith]. Again, there is some overlap.

You guys have seen some of the enchants the Society uses, right? I mean the scale of them. People often think enchants are simply a convenient way to imbue one’s equipment with some extra firepower or defenses. And don’t get me wrong. Those things should earn us a pretty penny. But they can do so much more. With enough preparation time, a skilled [Enchanter] can lock down whole areas. Make it virtually impossible for unauthorized people to enter. You know of the elemental enchants they imbue weapons with? Now imagine that large-scale, applied to the ground itself instead of some tiny piece of equipment. I’ve seen firsthand how one of these installations turned a man into charcoal.”

Gulp

“And about [Blacksmith]?”

“Ah, yes. It is only my second choice, but mostly because what it provides is not as applicable to our specific circumstances. I doubt furnishing the mountain with steel plates will do us much good and though just maybe you’d be able to combine these [Blacksmithing] skills with your expertise as an [Alchemist] to create some sort of long-ranged weaponry, some cannons maybe, that would have be so far in the future that it’s not worth considering at this point.

That aside, I think [Blacksmith] is one of the most versatile classes out there. Unlike the leather and cloth workers, they not only provide armor but also weapons. Even tools, if needed. And then the overlap in capabilities I mentioned. A talented [Blacksmith] able to imbue their creations with some basic enchantments is not unheard of. And while the same is also true for the two other classes I mentioned, I for one certainly prefer an enchanted piece of plate mail over a fire-imbued handkerchief.”

“Ha,” Severin laughed at that, though he already felt his headaches returning. The missed sleep was only part of the reason why.

‘Is that what they call overchoice?’ he asked himself and considered consulting with the Society. He knew the branch in Hanvia had an extensive library and even offered class progression lectures.

He dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come. That would only expose himself.

But then what? What to choose? [Artificer] was still his top choice, but the reasons for this were not nearly as differentiated as he would have wished they were and instead came down to the hope of being able to create all kinds of cool gadgets.

‘Not much better than Em wanting a pet, I guess. But should I just go for it?’