Town of Beginnings III

Dante made his way into the hall and down the large double wide stairs to the lobby of the Inn. Followed closely by Virgil in his golden sphere form.

As Dante noticed the change he made an indication, as if to ask Virgil, why. He received the response in his mind. "It is best that people think i am the basic guide." Dante didn't quite understand the reasoning, but nevertheless decided to let the issue lie.

Dante looked out the open doors of the Inn to see a bustling night time street, filled with many people from earth but also other people. He saw long ears and tails, a mule centaur? They appeared laden with bags, with several well armed individuals surrounding them. He could not determine the gender from here.

He also saw what looked like a minotaur but instead of a bull the upper half was a horse. It had what appeared to be a collar of some kind around its neck. It was about 8 or 9 feet tall and was harnessed to a carriage, it was pulling down the smooth stone street.

The lobby of the Inn was similar in appearance to his room. Rustic and middle ages in appearance and yet had many modern conveniences in the form of magical items. He saw a fridge through the window into the kitchen, along with a stove and microwave.

Crystal lamps on the walls and an ornate chandelier with the same crystals instead of flames. It was someplace straight out of a fantasy and he loved it. "Hey it's possible for me to make a village right?"

Once more Virgil responded in his mind. "Yes. However there will be several requirements you would need to meet. Would you like to hear them?"

"Not at the moment. Do you know where..." Dante was unable to finish his question as he heard an all to familiar voice, "Dante!" His mother squealed with joy as she rushed from her seat at a table, nearly knocking it over. He saw his dad catch the table and steady it before he quickly joined them at the bottom of the stairs.

His mother was hugging and kissing him. "How are you feeling? We saw the guards bring you in and they wouldn't let us see you!" Dante had been wondering how he had gotten here.

"That explains how i got here." Dante said as he watched his father approach. He noticed that his father was wearing the same kind of boots as him. "Hey dad. Nice boots. Do they bring back any old memories from your time in the Navy?"

His father smiled, "More than you know." Dante looked over his father, "Are you a bit taller than you were earlier?" Dante could swear that his father had grown a few inches in height and width.

His father's smile grew, "I'm glad you noticed. I'm finally as tall as you." Dante smiled as he stepped away from his mother who reluctantly allowed it. He stepped up to his father and put out his right hand, which his father grasped. They then embraced each other in a warm hug.

Dante stood to his dad's side and looked up at his mother who blushed. "Mom. Have you grown prettier since the last we met?" His mother blushed even more and covered her face with her hands. Dante leaned right and whispered to his dad, "She put points into charisma didn't she? Does she have a class yet?"

"Yes to both. She has the class... Lady, but." That worried him, "But what?" Dante asked as he returned to standing straight. "You probably don't have the Observation Analysis skill do you?" Dante was a bit shocked but then again, 'They always did have an eye for the details.' Dante thought.

"Nope." Dante's mother finally removed her hands from her face only for his father to wink. Causing her to blush even harder and cover her face with her hands once more. Dante looked around but no one seemed to pay them any mind. It was as if this was something that happened all the time here.

"Here you go." His dad said as he handed him a blue box. Upon the blue box appeared to be his mother's status information.

Dante reviewed it and noticed several issues. 'Her charisma is 23 and her luck is 30!' The rest of her stats were in the low teens, except strength which was 9. Dante looked up at his father, who elaborated, "Apparently this system counts those skills you already had before it came. It quantifies human experience into numerical values." His father stated as if reciting something from memory. "In your mothers case, level's in housecleaning, cooking, tailoring and such. She is a fine Lady. There is one more thing however."

Dante was trying to recover from the shock of such uneven stats. Then his father tapped the section where it displayed her class.

Classes

Lady Lvl. 5

N/A Lvl. 23

Upon seeing this Dante checked his own classes.

Classes

N/A Lvl. 21

"That's odd. Is it that there is no commoner class?" Dante asked this time Virgil replied such that the three of them could hear him. "That is correct. There is no Commoner class. There are profession classes and racial classes i'm told, but there are no classes pertaining to one's birth status in society." Dante thought about that for a moment, "So no noblemen class, but there is a king class and such?" Dante asked, "That is correct."

Dante looked at his dad, then handed him his own status, "And you?" His father took the status page he had been handed and handed Dante another blue box. Before he inspected it however, he tried handing his mother's status back to him. He simply waved his hand and stated, "Look at it and think disperse." Dante did so and watched with mild joy as the blue box crumbled into blue wisps of mana that floated up and dispersed into the atmosphere.

Dante examined his father's status. It was far more rounded. Most of his stats were in the low 20's except charisma 18, luck 17, and spirit 15.

He had over a dozen skills of varying kinds. Most of which he suspected his father had obtained during his time in the service. He even had a physical endurance skill of 23.

"Dante... come here." his father said as he hugged him. After the hug, his father cupped his face. "To have endured so much at that age, for so long, was not right, you didn't deserve that." His mother joined in. She hugged him around his midsection and pressed the side of her face against his upper back.

Dante did not cry, but nevertheless he embraced both his parents once more. "Things are better now. That's what matters!" Dante declared. He tapped on his fathers class information.

Classes

Navy Man Lvl. 7

Soldier Lvl. 10

N/A Lvl. 25

He could not believe his father was level 42! 'Those medals on his uniform definitely represent something. Holy Shit!'

Dante collected himself and asked, "So were you guys having dinner?"

Dante and his family had a lovely meal. What had truly surprised Dante was the variety of foods available. The menus were similar to his status box. He could search for anything he wanted. Even when he threw random words that could even vaguely be connected to food, like slime and mud, options came up. Each item had a picture accompanied by a description of the food and how it would taste. Dante was very impressed.

When the meal was done Dante resummoned Virgil. Surprisingly when he had released the skill, after saying goodbye, when he sat down, he received the unexpended mana he had spent on the skill. 'A pleasant surprise.' Dante thought.

"Guide, did you notify the guards to come and get me after I fell asleep?" Dante asked the small golden sphere that was Virgil's incognito mode. "Partially. A notice had already been issued to the guards. I simply assisted in their locating you." Virgil said, "Thank you for that." "Your thanks are not necessary." Is what the sphere said aloud, 'But is appreciated.' Is what he continued on to say in Dante's mind.

"How long do I have the room?" Dante asked another question of Virgil. "All people participating in the tutorial have been given a single week of free accommodations. After which point they will begin to be charged at the normal rate." Dante simply nodded lightly to Virgil. A small dark band appeared upon the sphere's equator for a moment. The small line dipped down then returned to its previous position before disappearing. Dante took it to be Virgil's version of a nod in that form.

Dante bid farewell to Virgil in his mind before releasing the skill. With a full belly Dante and his parents talked for a time. Surprisingly none of them were tired. So eventually they all decided to head out and explore the town.