"Welcome to the Lenorian Army recruit. What kind of job were you thinking of? Halberdier? Mage Corps? Bard Support?"

"Well, I always wanted to fly wyverns sir."

"Sorry but you don't have a class for it, they won't accept you. You'd need to train them from when they're young. Pick another choice."

"In that case I'd like to join Air Defense."

"Why's that?"

"If I can't fly then I'd rather no one else can either."

...

"Fantastic. You'll do well there. Just sign here..."

-- Recorded Conversation, Lenorian Army Recruiting Station. AC 1628.

"What would you recommend?"

The dark green Army crab slowly begins to grin. He says,

"Well, there's one thing I always recommend to new folks straight out of a dungeon. It's something that at the very least, your class knowledge might have prepared you for. In fact, it's my own branch and I've loved it there. And that would be..."

I lean forward, hanging on his every word.

"The Crabalry."

Luna speaks up, "The... Crabalry? I'm not familiar..."

The army crab continues speaking, rushing to make himself clear. "Hahaha, just a little joke. That's what me and the boy's like to call it. No, the technical name for it is the Cavalry."

As the Army Crab continues speaking, I'm getting an influx of new ideas. Strange ones to be sure, but new, nonetheless. I imagine riding on a horse, a massive lance hanging from a claw. In my mind I crash into lines of monsters before peeling off and regrouping with others, ready to charge into the horde once more. But... we're currently underwater, that wouldn't make any sense. I break away from my musings and continue to listen.

The crab continues, "Yep! The Crabalry... err Cavalry has multiple sub-branches within it. There's excellent career progression regardless of whether you want to charge headlong into the fray, armored carapace shining... or whether you want to perform scouting and reconnaissance. Lot o' flexibility in the Cavalry there is. And the best part?"

He looks at the two of us, "I can sign you both up as a registered team. That way you're not separated moving forward."

I look at Luna. That does seem pretty good. I was unaware that they might have tried to separate us. I ask,

"What was it about that armored carapace thing?"

The crab continues, "Well, depending on your class and proclivities, you can function as an APC. Err... that stands for Armored Personnel Crab. You'd carry people like your friend here into and out of battle, serving as a moving defense on the lines. It's a good occupation, you're always with your buddies and they grow to rely on your defense to get them in and out of the fray. But... I'm gettin' too far ahead of meself. Let's get to talkin' classes. So, first off. Is this y'alls natural size? You don't have an ability or item to shape change?"

Luna and I glance at each other. I say cautiously, "I didn't even know that was an option..." At my words the army crab begins laughing, "Hahaha. You think that this city would work if we were all our natural sizes? I'm actually twice the size of this building right now. And what about the whales? You think we'd be able to fit those giants in here? No, if their class doesn't provide it, the city will give someone a shrinking ring. That way they don't risk damaging infrastructure from going about daily livin'."

That makes sense. I think back to my journey through the city. I didn't notice it at the time, as I was still awestruck by everything around me, but I didn't see any huge creatures. It looks like if you're bigger than a doorway, then you're required to shrink down somehow. The idle thoughts make me start to wonder.

Size is a quick and easy way to gage how strong a sea monster is. If I can't tell... well then anybody could be truly massive. I shudder a bit. Stay careful Crabby. These are dangerous waters. The considerations race through my mind until I lock them away and focus on the moment. Luna has answered for me saying,

"Yes, this is both our natural size."

The crab nods and takes out a slightly larger class stone than the one from before. He puts it on the desk and then raises a claw. He says, "By the [system], I promise not to share or divulge any class details shared in this meeting forthwith, without prior authorization from the class holders." A rush of mana swirls around him at his proclamation and I hear a 'ding.

**System: [Titan Crab] - Frederick has made a binding [system] oath to you and Luna!**

**System: [Titan Crab] - Frederick cannot break the oath without incurring massive penalties.**

I note the windows and ask, "What kind of penalties is this thing talking about?"

The army crab, well... Frederick says, "It can range depending on factors. Anything from crippling to class stripping to death. Don't make an oath on the [system] you can't go through with."

I nod, keeping that in mind. He then says, "I can do this one by one, or you can touch the stone together and we can talk about it as a group. I don't presume to know y'alls relationship so if you want to keep class secrets of some sort, just let me know."

I look at Luna and she waves her arms in a shrug. I do the same with my claws. I trust her with my life, anything other than that seems like it's not a big deal. We reach out and touch the stone and the crab barely takes a second to glance at the screen that pops up. He immediately turns to me and says, "You're level 25. Why ain't you classed up yet?"

Ah, he's got a good point. With everything that's been going on, I didn't feel like I was in a safe place to do something potentially life changing. I've never been through a class-up before. I tell the crab the same and he says, "Ah. Yep, you don't have to worry about that. Each class is different, but the lower tiers shouldn't be an issue. Go ahead and do it and then we'll record it again and go from there."

I nod and bring up the option. It says,

**System: You are currently an: Apprentice of the Coast.**

**System: Would you like to class up to: Coastal Squire**

**Y/N?**

I reach out a claw and select "Y."

**System: Analyzing Class, Race, Titles, Skill levels.**

**System: Requirements met.**

'ding!

****************

Congratulations!

You are now a Coastal Squire!

Class Name: Coastal Squire Tier: I Description: You have taken your first steps. Now [Ride] further. Earth and Water are your friends and they serve you well. Wield might and magic to [Sever] your enemies. Stats: + 4 to All Stats Per Level Req: *Met by higher tier class bestowal

Congratulations!

You have a new skill!

[Ride III] Learned!

Skill Synchronization detected!

[Ride III] and [Cutting Mask II] can merge.

Accept? "Y/N"

I reach my claw to accept once more.

Congratulations!

[Cutting Mask II] has become [Riding Mask III]!

[Slice III] - 7 becomes [Sever III] - 7!

I reel from the influx of knowledge that suddenly rushes into my mind. I take a moment to center myself before bringing up the two new skills.

Skill: Sever III Lvl: 7 Effects: Increase effect of STR & DEX on edged weapons, relative to skill level Current Bonus: 13.5% greater cutting damage + 13.5% greater attack speed Cost: 120 Stamina per attack Lore: "[Sever] the edge." - Lenorian Blademaster Skill: Riding Mask III Lvl: 1 Effects: Your body and mount shifts to cut through elemental obstruction. Current Bonus: 10% faster speed/fluidity for you and your mount. Cost: 50 Stamina per second Lore: "Come, there are roads yet to travel.” - {REDACTED}

Whoa. There's been some huge changes to these. It appears as though the change from [Slice] to [Sever] has added an additional effect. Now it not only does more damage, but it allows me to attack faster. The stamina cost has massively increased as well. [Cutting Mask II] merged with [Ride III] and became [Riding Mask III]. It seems that I can speed up not only myself, but whatever I'm riding at the time. The stamina cost increased in compensation.

I think back to my thoughts of cavalry and the image of myself on a horse, lance in hand. And the new class? It's doubled my stat gain per level from two to four. Will it continue to increase? If so, that explains the sheer power of the people I've been meeting. Dismissing those thoughts for the moment, I touch the stone once more, updating the skill sheet for the recruiter.

He takes a few minutes, going through Luna's and my classes, making hemming and hawing sounds at various points. Finally, he reaches out and twists the stone. It breaks into two equal pieces, and I see that it's designed to do so. He hands us each a half and says,

"Go ahead and review those to make sure they're accurate. These things aren't perfect sometimes."

I look at the screen the stone provides and notice something strange. It seems as though many of my titles are hidden. The titles, "Triumvirate Unveiled," "Scion of the Crab Gods," and "Bridge Between," aren't listed at all. What is listed is Lore Contributor II and Skill Smith. I cautiously hold up a claw to get his attention. I start,

"So, with the titles..."

He holds up a claw of his own to cut me off. He says, "I see you have Lore Contributor on there. Also, your stats are way higher than what your levels, class and race indicates. Everybody has their secrets, just ensure that its generally correct."

I nod, reviewing once more. That makes sense, the Gods probably don't want people accidently revealing the nature of reality. Everything else seems to be accurate so I hand it back. Luna does the same and the crab starts talking,

"It looks like you're set up as a spell blade. Medium armor with the elemental abilities and speedy strikes in and out. Can take a few hits, but not a tank. I'm not sure about the story skill. Want to tell me about that?"

I say, "It's essentially a buff. It lets me raise stats by a percentage for a set time."

He makes a note on a tablet near him. He asks, "Can it affect others or just yourself?"

I never thought about trying that. I just took the skill for what it was. Maybe with [Eyes of Intent]? No, focus on what's going on right now.

"Err... I don't know. I've never really tried to use it on others."

He makes another mark and says, "Something to look into then."

He turns to Luna, "It looks like you're set up as a mobile skirmisher. Dealing large amount of damage and able to quickly engage and retreat as needed. A sub-archetype of rogue. I assume you hangout with the crab on his back like you are and support and attack?"

Wow, with a few minutes of examination, he's basically got our whole fighting style down. Luna warily says, "Yes. That's... eerily accurate on all counts... for both of us."

The army crab *hurr*hurrs* in a laugh and says, "I've been doin' this a long time."

Finally, he returns the stone to a desk drawer and gives us his verdict.

"Well, looking at everything... I think y'all are a shoe in for the Crab... the Cav scouts. Their primary mission is visual reconnaissance and surveillance. Your medium armor and maneuver abilities mean you can engage with the enemy if you need to, and attack without being overwhelmed. Their moniker is that they're the "Eyes on the Battlefield." Now... how does that sound?"

I look to Luna, and she gives a tiny shrug. I think about what he's said. Scouting out the enemy sounds exciting. And from what the crab's said... the point is to be mobile, getting information. So, I don't think we'll be stuck in the trenches dealing with wave after wave of corrupted. I think this could work for us.

I cautiously say, "Well as long as Luna and I can stick together and she's okay with it..."

Luna speaks over me,

"Where do we sign up?"