Records of Judicator Samael’s verdict before the destruction of Fortitude, Member of the 4th Wave

You have been found guilty of being the homeworld of the criminal known as Rigor of the Fourth, who stands accused of murdering twelve members of the Blessed Guard of Arrenth. I hereby find you guilty by association. Your punishment is obliteration.

Notifications wash over me as the battle ends, most of them standard ones that I see after any significant conflict. I’ve gained 7 levels in Mana Bullet, 5 levels in Staff Mastery, 4 levels in Meditation, Planning, and Elemental Mana, and 2 levels in Mana Manipulation and Mana Infusion. I brush away the standard notifications, not wanting to deal with them at the current moment, and focus in on the 3 more interesting ones.

You have created the Skill Chilling Wind Lvl 1, 2, 3! A combination of Air and Ice Mana, Chilling Wind decreases your opponents Dexterity by covering them in winter’s frost. Let your opponents know the cold of winter’s first bite. Cost: 60 Mana. Increased skill level increases area of effect and Dexterity decrease.

A smile breaks out on my face while reading. It had been a risk to try and create a Skill right before a battle and use it without any testing but it had paid off. Without the Dexterity decrease, I never would have been able to keep up with the Hunters and would have surely lost the fight, and my life. My mind races as I consider all the possibilities that Elemental Mana can offer me. For the first time, I realize that my only true limitation is the size of my Mana Well. Increasing its size and regenerative rate has to be one of my most important goals.

Shaking away my thoughts on potential elemental skills, I focus in on the next notification and my eyes widen.

Meditation has reached Lvl 50! Analyzing Skills… Synergy detected. Likelihood of success: Certain

Initiating fusion of Skills Planning Lvl 19 and Meditation Lvl 50

You have discovered the Skill Effortless Presence (R-2) Lvl 1! Meditation cleared your mind but you take the next step. You surpass the meditative state, entering into a state of pure presence and being by which you may objectively take in the world around you. Mana Regeneration quadrupled and mental acuity increased while in this state. May be maintained as long as health remains above 70%.

I can’t believe what I’m reading. Meditation was already my most powerful Skill, allowing me to regenerate the source of my power, and it has just become even stronger. I’ll be able to better judge every combat situation as long as I keep myself healthy. Previously unnoticed details that could change the battle might now be picked up by my more powerful mind.

I smile in excitement, activating it immediately.

The difference is instantaneous, my mind unfolding like a flower in the spring. What was once a closed bud spreads and opens up, new ideas, observations, and sensations flowing through me. A warm breeze that tickles across my face tells me that the weather will be getting warmer shortly. A tear in one of the Hunter’s pelts, not made by one of my Mana Bullets, suggests that there was infighting in the pack. These and a thousand other things rocket through my mind. I can’t fully understand all of the new inputs yet but I know that will come with an increased Skill level.

I then look at the final notification and the shock of what it contains breaks me out of Effortless Presence.

You have reached Lvl 25! You have followed your own path, surviving despite all the difficulties, and now you stand at a crossroads. Four different roads lead away from your current position and you must choose one. Pick your Class:

Cryomancer: The power of ice and air radiate through you. Buffet your enemies with gale force winds and make them taste Winter’s power, taking their energy and using it to freeze them.

Per Level: +2 Intelligence, + 2 Wisdom.

Skill Gained: Freezing Drain, Gale Blast, Winter’s Final Chill

Arcane Gunslinger (R-5): Forgoing all other practices of Mana, the Gunslinger dedicates themselves to their “gun”, gaining power through their commitment to a single ideal. Feared all over the Universe, these wandering combatants search endlessly for ways to augment their abilities while maintaining their ideal.

Per Level: +2 Intelligence, + 5 Dexterity, +3 Wisdom, +2 Perception.

Skills Gained: Longshot, Healing Shot, Imbue Bullet

Latent Talent (R-?): Within you exists raw potential, unmolded and unused in its current form. Only time will truly show what that potential will become. Temporary Class

Per Level: +7 Attribute Points

Skills Gained: None

Classless: Forgo any class. Classes will be offered again at Lvl 50, based on your Skills and achievements. CAUTION: Lack of Skill gain will result in less powerful classes offered.

I stare at the words with my hand raised to my lips, biting on my knuckle in sheer concentration. Faul, perhaps recognizing the dilemma that I face, walks over towards me in a casual stroll. “What is Genesis showing you boy?”

A flare of annoyance rises within me but I squash it down before it has the chance to show on my face. I wish he would stop calling me boy, and call me by my actual name, but given that he could kill me without a second thought I’m not willing to challenge him on it. “I reached level 25 and I’ve got to choose a class”

The silence stretches on as he looks at me, obviously waiting for me to inform him of my options and what I think about them.

“Well the first is Cryomancer which works really well with the Attribute distribution I have now but… It seems weak. It focuses entirely on Air and Ice Mana, which would constrict me. I’m only really beginning to discover the potential of Mana and the idea of limiting myself to two of the basic forms seems short-sighted.”

He nods. “It is a weak class for those who lack the strength to reach for more. Next.”

“Well the next one is Arcane Gunslinger, which is apparently an R-5? I assume that’s good because the Attribute gain per level is amazing. The class seems to be strong but the description says that they forgo all other practices of Mana. Like the Cryomancer I don’t think I’m will – what? What’s wrong?”

Faul’s mouth is wide open, surprise visible in his four eyes. He stares at me for a few seconds and I see the rage begin to form in his eyes. Months of training with him have taught me how to spot when he falls into one of his moods, the rage filled eyes just the first sign. An aura of bloodlust suddenly appears around him and I fall backwards in a combat position, reaching for my quarterstaff to try and put up as much of a fight as I can

He walks toward me, cloaked in the bloodlust. “To think that a lowly 11th waver would be offered an R-5 class … my Primus is an R-7 and his power has conquered our wave …”. Reaching me, he kneels down and I shake slightly beneath his gaze, fully aware of the ease with which he can kill. He reaches upwards with his hand and I keep my eyes open, refusing to close them in the face of my death.

I’m then completely surprised when he picks me up and, bloodlust and rage dissipated, lets out his booming laugh, shaking my body. His face is framed by a massive grin. It’s unsettling because I’ve never seen him this elated before. My survival had always seemed to annoy Faul, striking me as an obligation that he only carried out due to his word. This grin, however, is the first time excitement has been visible on his face. “This is amazing boy, you will be a Primus yet! Our battle will be spoken of in the halls of power for decades to come!”

Wait… our battle?

“What do you mean, our battle?”, I manage to get out as he puts me down and begins to pace around.

“Our battle boy! You will become Primus and I will challenge you, as is my Mentor’s Right. I will defeat you in glorious combat and become Primus of your planet, spreading the influence of the 9th wave. I had been hoping that you would put up a fight and now you may be able to truly challenge me!”

What??

I just stare at him. I’d known that he had ulterior motives but I’d never given them much thought. The fact that he wants to eventually kill me in combat though… I feel my will hardening as I look at him, anger beginning to form in my heart. Despite my better judgement, I’d begun to trust him, albeit in a way that understood his potential to brutally kill me during training. The only way to describe how I feel is … betrayed. Maybe I was too innocent, too trusting of this stranger and his foreign ways, but I can’t help but feel as if he’s betrayed me.

Unfortunately there is nothing I can do at this point. I need Faul to become powerful enough to become Primus and protect my family, even if his goal is to eventually kill me due to that position. My only option is to become powerful enough to beat this monster of a man who can tear me apart without any difficulty.

Shit.

Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I continue with my description. “The final option is Latent Talent. It’s an R-? and supposedly a Temporary Class. I … I think that is what I’m going to pick.” My resolve hardens and I realize that I’ve made my decision. I won't make a decision that satisfies Faul's goals, I want one that will satisfy mine. “I don’t want to be limited by a Class before I have the opportunity to really explore all the uses of Mana. This Class will buy me the time I need to figure out what my strengths are and how I can use them to become more powerful.”

Determined to follow my own path, and not one forced upon me, I select the Latent Talent Class and watch.

You have accepted the Temporary Class Latent Talent! Continue your struggle, discovering all that you can. What lies inside of you is unknown, your potential limitless. Class Benefit: Skills will level up at increased speeds.

A feeling of satisfaction settles on me. Regardless of what happens next, I’ve made my decision and I’m happy with it.

Faul stares at me and, for the first time since meeting him, I’m unable to figure out what is going on in his mind. I’d assumed that he would have been enraged by my decision, possibly killing me on the spot. His emotions are usually plastered on his face, temperamental moods appearing and vanishing at the drop of the hat. Now, however, his face is stone.

Standing up and turning around, he yells back at me as he walks out into the forest. “You have seven days to prepare. On the eighth day we leave the novice zone.”