Watcher of Fate

Elara could feel her shattered soul deep in her core. It was like shards of glass grating against each other like gravel, a constant and unbearable friction. The feeling permeated her body, weighing her down. She had seen her city cratered and burning, fellow citizens enslaved by the invading orcs, bodies piled like cordwood, and finally, her childhood home and her father destroyed by a siege-level magical spell. The horror and devastation were etched into her mind, an unending nightmare that played on a loop.

Her only hope had been a magical golden thread that had led her to the dungeon the city was built on top of. Now, she found herself ultimately hapless in the dark, assigned a noncombat class despite the fact she would need to fight her way through three levels of mobs and a boss before she starved to death. The irony was cruel and bitter.

"Why me?" she muttered, her voice cracking. "Why did this have to happen to me? What should I do with a noncombat class in a dungeon full of monsters? How am I supposed to survive?"

She laughed hysterically at her doom, echoing hollowly in the darkness. "I'm going to die down here," she said, her voice tinged with despair. "I'm going to starve or get torn apart by monsters, and no one will even know what happened to me."

Tears streamed down her face as she wallowed in self-pity, the weight of her despair almost too much to bear. "I can't do this," she sobbed. I'm not strong enough. I'm just a girl who wants to help in the shop and maybe see the world someday. I didn't ask for any of this."

The hopelessness was suffocating, pressing down on her like a physical weight. "Mom, Dad... I'm so sorry. I failed you. I couldn't save anyone. I couldn't even save myself."

Eventually, a thought pierced through her misery. "What would Mom do in this situation?" she asked aloud, her voice trembling. The answer came to her with startling clarity, as if her mother's voice were speaking directly to her. "She would move forward."

Elara took a deep breath, wiping the tears from her face. She forced herself to stand, her legs shaking but determined. "I have to keep going," she whispered. "I must survive for Mom, Dad, and everyone who believed in me." Steeling herself, Elara focused back on her notifications.

You gained a new skill, Lvl 1 Memory Shelf (Uncommon). It has been assigned to an empty class slot.

You gained a new skill, Lvl 1 Thread of Fate (Legendary). It has been assigned to an empty class slot.

You gained a new skill, Lvl 1 Witness (Uncommon). It has been assigned to an empty class slot.

Elara quickly clicked on her new legendary skill to see what it was all about.

Thread of Fate (Legendary): See a golden thread to an important event. These events can be as simple as the next point in a quest you have taken on, a close event that will change the history of an individual or as grande of an event that will shake the world itself. It is up to you to follow or not follow the thread it is just a potential until you choose.

Elara reread the description multiple times, her thoughts swirling. "That's the skill I used," she whispered, realization dawning. "That's how I ended up in this situation." How had she used a skill from a class she had not yet chosen? Elara once again broke into a fit of hysteria. "Was I predetermined to choose this class? Or was it something deeper within me?" she laughed, the sound tinged with desperation.

She paced back and forth in the darkness, her mind racing. "If I was led to this class, do I have free will? Or am I just following a script written by my destiny?" She paused, staring into the void as if it could give her answers. "Is there even such a thing as free will? Or are all our choices influenced by something greater within us?"

Elara's thoughts grew louder, echoing in the darkness. "What does it mean to have free will? Is it just an illusion? If destiny is real, then does anything I do matter?" She felt a chill run down her spine. "But if I ignore the golden thread, will that change anything? Or is even that part of the journey?"

She sighed, the weight of these questions pressing down on her. "Maybe destiny and free will aren't mutually exclusive. Maybe it's like a path with many forks, and my choices determine which way I go, but the path itself was always there." Elara sat down, trying to make sense of it all. "If I was led here by destiny, there's a reason. But I still have to choose to follow the thread or not."

As she considered her options, a new perspective began to form. The Watcher of Fate class wasn't just about survival; it was about being given the opportunity to witness and possibly influence the most important events in the world. It offered her a chance to be at the forefront of history, to record it, and maybe even change its course if she chose.

"This class could let me see the world in ways I never imagined," she mused. "To witness pivotal moments, to understand the fabric of history, and to maybe even steer it." The idea of being able to shape events, rather than just being a passive observer, filled her with a sense of purpose and empowerment.

Elara knew she had to decide soon. The dungeon was dangerous, and every moment she spent in indecision was a moment she wasn't preparing herself for what lay ahead. Summoning her courage, she chose the Watcher of Fate class, not because she was forced into it, but because she saw its potential. She hoped it would give her the strength and skills to navigate the dangers of Barrowdeep and beyond, and to leave her mark on the world in a way she had never thought possible. She forced herself to relax and reviewed her other skills.

Memory Shelf (Uncommon): It is like a memory palace, but it was built by IKEA and only holds a few precious memories, not a lifetime of knowledge. Do not underestimate the power of perfectly remembering a few things.

Witness (Uncommon): Not all important events happen at convenient times or locations. Do not let absolute darkness stop you from witnessing the world around you. This skill is a passive skill.

Elara was unsure about Memory Shelf, but Witness would save her, which is probably why she had to choose this class. "Being able to see right now would be very powerful," she thought, a glimmer of hope igniting within her. Elara went to pull up her status screen to see how her class had changed her status, but a new notification popped up.

Fate-touched has activated...

Your soul is shattered like a jeweler shatters a diamond to produce a better cut.

Your soul has been honed. Your race is now the subvariant of Shattered Souls: Perfect Cleave.

Elara talked to herself, wondering what was up with her messed-up class. She looked first at Fate-touched and expanded the description.

Fate-touched: You are touched by fate, and your rolls are more likely to receive the best possible outcome when random events occur.

She then checked the Perfect Cleavet description.

Perfect Cleave: A paragon of unwavering resolve, their every action is a singular, unerring strike, leaving no room for doubt or regret.

Features of a Perfect Cleave:

Resolve increased by 15%

Constitution increased by 10%

Reduced food consumption

Elara read the description and laughed at how fate-touched turned the detrimental shattered soul into a positive. She was semi-worried about how other people would react to her race variant. Another notification popped up.

You gained a new skill from Shattered Soul:Perfect Cleave, Lvl 1 Soul Sight (Rare). It has been assigned to an empty class slot.

Elara pulled up the description of the new skill.

Soul Sight (Rare): You can see into the realm of souls and see people's true selves.

Elara was unsure what that exactly meant. She would need to experiment to determine the skill's full capabilities. Another notification dinged in her head.

Compatible skills found: Witness (Uncommon) and Soul Sight (Rare), Merging skills...

A new skill was created: True Sight (Legendary). It has overwritten Witness's class slot.

Soul Sight (Rare) class slot has been freed.

True Sight (Legendary): Grants the ability to see beyond the physical realm, discerning the true nature and intentions of people and objects, regardless of any disguises or illusions. The range is determined by perception stat. Can see in normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, and automatically detect visual illusions. Furthermore, you can see into the Spirit Plane within the same range.

Elara was shocked at going from classless to having two legendary skills. She talked to herself about how she had never heard of anyone except the heroes in her books with legendary skills. "I always assumed they were mostly made up, exaggerating how powerful they made the heroes seem," she mused aloud. "But now, I have two. What does that even mean for me?"

She pondered the implications, her mind racing. "I have these amazing skills, but I still don't have any combat abilities. How am I supposed to fight my way through this dungeon? I'll probably still die down here," she concluded, a mix of resignation and determination settling over her.

She continued talking to herself, trying to process what had happened. "In those stories, legendary skills were so rare. They were what made heroes heroes. They were what set them apart from everyone else. If I have two, does that mean I'm supposed to be some kind of hero?" She laughed bitterly. "A hero without combat skills. What kind of hero can't fight?"

Elara thought about the heroes in her books who had saved kingdoms, defeated great evils, and performed incredible feats. "They always seemed so confident, so sure of themselves. I don't feel like that at all. I'm just trying to survive." She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Maybe the stories didn't tell the whole truth. Maybe those heroes felt just as lost and scared as I do now. Maybe they had to find their way, just like I do."

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I have to believe that these skills were given to me for a reason. I have to believe that I can find a way to use them to survive." She clenched her fists, determination hardening her resolve. "I will figure this out. I will find a way to make it through this dungeon. I have to."

Elara looked around her dark environment. Momentarily, the world went from completely dark to a grayscale. She saw the bed of pine needles she had landed on, water dripping into a small pool off her right. It was a natural cave with her back to a wall, and before her, as far as she could see, was a tunnel leading away.

Elara's new abilities were already proving useful. The ability to see in this darkness would be a significant advantage. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "I have to believe that these skills were given to me for a reason. I have to believe that I can find a way to use them to survive." She clenched her fists, determination hardening her resolve. "I will figure this out. I will find a way to make it through this dungeon. I have to."

Elara heard a ding for another update. Opening the notifications, she saw:

Awards for "Survive the Night": 500 Exp, Title: Survivor

Title: Survivor gives +10 Resolve

You have leveled to Lvl 1.

You have leveled to Lvl 2.

You have leveled to Lvl 3.

+15 PER, +6 DEX, CON, RES, and +12 free points

You have seen a new city: 100 exp

You have seen the fall of a city: 3750 exp

You have leveled to Lvl 4.

You have leveled to Lvl 5.

You have leveled to Lvl 6.

You have leveled to Lvl 7.

You have leveled to Lvl 8.

You have leveled to Lvl 9.

+30 PER, +12 DEX, CON, RES, and +24 free points

You have seen a new location: 100 exp

Elara was startled by the rapid leveling. "This is insane," she muttered to herself. "I've gained so many levels just from witnessing these events. I knew this class was different, but this is beyond anything I imagined." She felt a mixture of awe and trepidation as she processed the information.

"I need to see my status page," she decided, her curiosity and anxiety intertwining as she prepared to understand the full extent of her transformation.

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Name: Elara Crowhurst

Race: Human(Shattered Soul)

Age: Adult

Class: The Watcher of Fate

Level: 0 > 9

Exp: 4,450 of 4500

Resources:

HP: 2 of 6 (4/day) > 266 of 270 (13/hour)

Sta: 10 of 10 (5/day) > 369 of 369 (63/hour)

Attributes:

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 10 > 28

Constitution: 7 > 25(27)

Perception: 9 > 54(64)

Intelligence: 14

Resolve: 11 > 39(44)

Free Points: 36

Class Skills:

Memory Shelf (Uncommon): 1

Thread of Fate (Legendary): 1

True Sight (Legendary): 1

General Skills:

Calligraphy (Uncommon): 10

Gift of Gab (Common): 4

Cooking (Common): 3

Parkour (Uncommon): 10

Blunt Weapons (Common): 1

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