Firm: Opal’s Story

Chapter 33



I’m really close to being able to get my third class, just three more levels in either of my classes would get me enough free points. I’m also close to my limit on skills since I haven’t made any from Radiant Progenitress permanent in a long time. I think my level 25 skill for it will make me delete a skill, which seems like a waste, even if I could just get rid of Shout. I’m starting to see the uses for Shout, since I used it in the fight with the orcs to help my babies regenerate stamina a few times. I’ll ask Sapphire about it.

“Hey sweetie, I’m only a few levels away from having enough free points for my third class, but I’d also have to delete a skill next level if I don’t make it permanent. Should I spend points to make some skills permanent, or lose a skill and get my third class faster.” I ask and she looks over at me, probably distracted by her own thoughts. She puts on her thinking face again before answering “Why don’t you just make 1 permanent, it will set you back by 50 points but at your tiers that’s probably only a few more levels right? You’ll still get your third class unlocked soon, but won’t lose out on a skill for the long run.”

She does make sense, that’s kind of what I was thinking anyways. Probably. I make Burn Bright permanent, bringing my free points down to 894, so it should be 6 more levels total? 3 in each of my classes, then I’ll be able to get my third class. I nod to myself, it was good to ask her. If I’m honest with myself I probably would have made all of them permanent without thinking about it and delayed my third class even further. The sooner I get a third class, the faster I can start leveling it and the more free points I’ll get every level.

Why did I pick Burn Bright? I’m probably vain, I just like skills that make me more attractive.

“Hey Mom, can I get your opinion on something?” my cute baby asks me. I’m pretty excited to be asked for my opinion so I nod for her to go ahead. “I have my second class over level 25 from the fighting, but I don’t think I’m happy with the mage class. I originally got it for the extra mana it would give me, but a couple of my skills in my 2nd tier healing class make it to where I don’t really need it.” she starts, and then sighs “I just kind of felt useless without a fighting class, seeing you and sisters killing orcs while I had to save my mana for healing instead of damaging spells. If I changed my second class out for something more physical I could fight, and still heal people. It feels like the levels I put into mage will be wasted though if I reset it.” she finishes, looking at me with concerned eyes. Lucky for me I actually do have an opinion on this because of my Breeder class. “Sweetie, if the mage class doesn’t make you happy, then reset it. You don’t want to end up stuck with it like I was, and resetting it at a higher tier would be even more of a waste wouldn’t it?”

She thinks for a minute and then asks “What do you mean I might end up stuck with it? Can’t you just reset your class?” I rub her hair and smile saying “Nope, I got a Unique title a while ago that made it where I couldn’t reset my Breeder class, so now I’m stuck with it. It has it’s benefits, including my cute little babies, but I always enjoyed the fighting.” she looks at me with concerned eyes. “I understand now why Mom always had so many children with each birthing.” Then she laughs continuing “We always just assumed it was another one of those weird things about Mom we’d never understand. I didn’t even get the Breeder option for my second class, so it existing didn’t occur to me.”

I answer her by saying “Yeah, it’s kind of a lame class, I picked it because it said you like to fight with your body, just like fighter. I didn’t know at the time what that meant, but I understand it now, dumb options tricked me.” I laugh now too, since it is a little funny. “I can see you doing that Mom” she says giggling before straightening her back and saying “Thanks Mom, I didn’t know you could get locked in classes. I’m going to reset Mage now, wish me luck.” so I hug her and say “Good luck sweetie.”

I see her staring off into space, focusing on her flatboxes probably. Suddenly her face brightens up and she starts wiggling, which she got from me. It’s cute. She hugs me and says “Thanks Mom, I got a new starter class option I didn’t see last time called Archer. It says I can fight with range and my first skill lets me create a bow and arrows. It says I need wood, so could you help me knock down a tree to see how it works?” I process what she’s saying, and I kind of understand what a bow and arrows are. “Of course, I can knock down a dumb tree for my baby.” I then jump off the gate, landing in a blood puddle from the monster I squashed earlier. Good thing she didn’t reset her class with the cleaning skill, but knowing her she’s already made that one permanent anyway. I then wait for her to walk down from the gate normally, casting her cleaning skill, and then we go to the tree line and I start Power Attacking one of the trees until it falls down with a crashing sound.

“Thanks again Mom, now lets try this out.” she says, reaching a hand forward, probably to use her new skill. Suddenly all of the wood of the tree is gone, replaced instead by what I think is a simple brown bow and a huge stack of arrows. The arrows are simple and without any metal arrowheads, the tips instead just harder looking wood in an arrowhead shape. Strange. Sapphire picks up the bow and a few arrows and says “I want to practice with this, do you mind watching me so I can focus on it?”

“Of course I can, just let me go close the gate first, so I don’t have to pay as much attention to it.” I tell her and quickly head back into the camp, lock the gate and then jump back down. I can always just climb up the logs to get back into the camp by the way, so everyone isn’t just stuck out here now. By the time I get back she’s already shot a nearby tree a few times, I can also see some arrows that missed or didn’t hit the tree at all. I stand there and keep an eye on the surroundings while my cute little baby practices with her new class, and it doesn’t take long for her to consistently hit in the same area of the tree.

She turns to me with a proud look on her face so I tell her “Good job sweetie, you have already gotten so much better and it’s probably only been a couple hours.” she hugs me, still holding her bow, since I feel it thonk against the back of my head. Not like it could hurt me anyways, so I won’t mention it. I pat her head and say “The others will be back from washing soon, you can show off your cool bow to your sisters when we get here, then we’ll make everyone a (Guard) for the free title, does that sound good?” she snuggles her face into me before pulling back and saying “Yup!” with a huge smile.

I start trying to climb the wooden gate but my heaviness is making it really difficult, so Sapphire walks up to my struggling body and sighs asking “Do you just want to toss me over? I have Firm so I’ll be fine.” I hop down from my failed attempt at climbing with a sparkle in my eyes. Probably. I love that idea, it sounds so cool, and Sapphire isn’t heavy like me so it should be easy. I run up to her and grab her, she starts saying “Wait I’m not re…” but I don’t hear her very well, and toss her as hard as I can aiming for above the gate. I hear her scream and see her sailing up through the air, she quickly recovers though and I see her landing nimbly on top of the gate. I see her glare at me and then disappear behind the gate, only for the gate to open a few moments later. Sapphire is standing there, her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. “That was actually kind of fun once I got over the surprise.” she tells me. I suppose I should have let her prepare a little more, but I was too excited.

Amber rushes up next to me and says “I saw that, do that to me too Mom please please!” I point to the open gate and say “But it’s already open.” a little confused. “So? It looked like a lot of fun, throw me too Mom, it’s not fair if only Sapphire gets to be thrown.” suddenly there are more of my daughters surrounding me saying they want to be thrown as well. I finally accept that it’s unfair and I’ll toss them too, but I have to turn down one of them since they don’t have Firm and I’m worried about the pointed tops of some of the logs making up the gate and wall.

I spend a few minutes tossing my daughters over the gate, even Sapphire comes to be thrown another time, with Amber being thrown a total of 3 times before the last of the bathers get to the gate. Some of them give us weird looks. Ruby turns to Tasha and says “You do that to me now.” pointing at me and then the gate. Tasha laughs but agrees and soon Ruby is sent flying onto the gate, landing with a thud. She is fine of course and soon comes down, hugs Tasha and then kisses her on the cheek. How sweet.

We all go into the camp, closing the gate.

I get in front of everyone and ask them “Before I get to making everyone guards, I need help in deciding the name of the camp. I could just name it myself, but all of you will be staying here and helped in clearing out the orcs, so I think you have a say as well. Does anyone have any cool ideas?” Sue immediately shouts “Scorpion!” to which she gets a lot of laughs and some boos. There are a few ideas shot around, but one of my granddaughters comes up with Liberation, and everyone quickly agrees. Well, except for Sue who wanted to “name it after a cool animal or something” and takes a little more convincing until she caves to the group.

Since everyone agrees, I focus on the name and choose Liberation. I see that it has changed in the menu and bring everyone’s attention back to me asking “Does everyone here accept the position of Guard for Liberation?” Everyone cheers, except Tasha, who probably doesn’t know what would happen if she had a guard title for two places. Probably. Since everyone seems to accept I then say “I now confer the position of guard to all those who have accepted the task.” and I think they all get the expected chime since they all do that stare thing.

Ding!

You have appointed your first guard. Experience rewarded.

You have appointed your tenth guard. Experience rewarded.

You have appointed your twenty-fifth guard. Experience rewarded.

You have appointed your fiftieth guard. Experience rewarded.

Land (Liberation) Level up x3

New Building options available

I guess I could have leveled up my lake even more back then by just making all my babies guards. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. Maybe when I visit them I’ll ask if they’re interested. Would they do more fights like how Guard got her name, or would they just want the free title? I decide to tell everyone the good news.

“Liberation is now level 4! Now I’d like everyone’s opinion on which structures or modifications we should have built.” I had explained how it all worked to them on the way back from the stream, and everyone agreed we should wait until after the guard ceremony to decide. So I list out the options for them, checking the new ones for myself the first time as well.

Development

Spoiler

 


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