Vinny

Location: The Dungeon Trial, 1 Dungeon Entrance, Kenton, Floor One

Date: July 17th, 304 PS (Post System)

Time: 8:00 AM

"Two classes," I muttered to myself, rereading the parchment.

Class: Aura/Rune Scratcher

I at least received the class I longed to have, except I've never heard of someone getting two Starting Classes from a Dungeon Trial. I rolled up the scroll and tucked it away, then pocketed the Bonded Monster Crystal. I will have to make something to hold my crystals for me; keeping monster gems in my pockets can be irresponsible.

"What'd you get for a class?" Jack asked from behind me. He must have climbed the ledge while I was in the internal battle with Impogon. I averted my gaze to the ground and shrugged a shoulder.

"I got Rune Scratcher," I told him casually.

"I thought you'd be more excited about that?" He asked, putting an arm around me.

"I am excited," I replied to my teammate. "This all surreal for me." I lied to Jack, except I don't want to reveal the dual-class to him.

Your group has completed the Dungeon Trial!

Prepare to be teleported to the Class Hall.

My sight blurred, and my head spun. My feet left the ground as I lost my sense of direction. I attempted to yell for Jack, except nothing came out of my mouth. Before I could come up with a way to escape this prison, my body landed on the ground with full force.

"Welcome to Class Hall!" A cheery voice greeted. I got to my feet and searched for Jack. He was already sitting at a desk discussing his class with a counselor. "Over here, please!" A voice to my left cried out to me. A pink-haired woman in a yellow old school suit beckoned me to her station. I held up a finger, asking her to wait a moment - I wanted to see my creature's stats. I double tapped the turquoise jewel, and a screen popped up into my vision.

Name: Impogon

Element: Life/Spirit

Breed: Imp-Dragon

Level: 1

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

HP: 140/140

SP: 200/200

Strength: 8

Intelligence: 11

Wisdom: 12

Constitution: 6

Agility: 10

Charisma: 8

Happiness: Passive (Your monster has no feelings for you)

Happiness Level: 0

Happiness XP: 0/20

Skills:

Spirit Cannon(40 SP)[Spirit]: Send 50 points of damage to a target.

Life Absorb(20 SP)[Life]: Absorb a target's HP equal to your Intelligence stat plus your Wisdom stat.

I walked over to her and sat in one of her overstuffed armchairs. The plaque on her desk said her name is Anna Hare.

"Good morning, Ms. Hare," I greeted. She smiled slightly and nodded her greeting.

"Please hand me your Class Scroll, and the Bonded Monster Crystal," She requested. I did as I was told and waited as Anna read through the scroll. I awaited her gasp, which quickly came. "Please give me a moment." She stood up and took my Monster Seal with her to the back room. I heard yelling from behind the ornate wooden door, and after seconds of silence, a bearded older man burst through the door.

"Who did you get this from?" The older man asked, his eyes staring fiercely at me.

"I bonded with the Impogon, and that is what my Monster Seal became. I'm as clueless as you are." I told the man with complete honesty. "Is everything okay?"

"We will give you whichever monster you desire in trade for this Class Scroll." The man offered to me.

"No, I think I'll be fine," I told him. "Can't I just take my class and go on with my day?" He locked eyes with Anna.

"I have never seen a dual-class like this one, much less the Aura Class," Anna said to me. "Even Tony, my boss, has only ever seen one other dual-class."

"Is it possible to have both classes?" I asked Tony.

"Yes, It's rare, but it's possible," Tony informed me. "Luckily for you, the Aura class doesn't use skills, so you'll only have to learn the Rune Scratcher's abilities."

"What does the Aura Class do?" I asked. "I've never heard of it until today." Anna chuckled slightly.

"You have never heard of it because it is an uncommon one," She told me. "Auras can manipulate the mana in the air at will. The higher your class level, the stronger your control over mana."

"I'm still confused as to what it does," I admitted, scratching the tip of my nose.

"It's essentially Telekinesis," Tony said to me. "Eventually, you will be able to drain others of mana or replenish a person's mana. The only other Aura on record died around the beginning of tower life, so there isn't much data on it. Listen, if you record your adventures, Class Hall will pay well for that information. As for how dual-classes work, you will have to level up your classes seperately. Because of that, you will take much longer to level up."

"Sweet, so Telekinesis and spellcasting. Where do I sign up?" I asked. Tony placed a piece of paper onto the table.

"Prick your thumb and imprint your thumbprint at the bottom of the contract," Tony told me and handed me a pin to draw blood. I skimmed through the contract to confirm that I wasn't signing up for something strange. The document said I agree never to attack a helpless non-Adventurer and to protect the tower and its inhabitants. I tapped the sharp part of the needle to draw blood and pressed it against the contract.

You have acquired the Aura Class!

You have acquired the Rune Scratcher Class!

Congratulations, you are now an Adventurer!

You have ten unallocated Stat Points!

You gained one level!

I pulled up my stat sheet.

Name: Vincenzo (Vinny) Hallow

Class: Aura/Rune Scratcher

Level: 1

Unallocated Stat Points: 10

HP: 300/300

SP: 100/100

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 9

Constitution: 9

Agility: 12

Charisma: 10

Blessings:

Monka's Blessing

Skills:

Rune Scratcher's Elements(Passive): You can imbue objects with any mana type you wish, except one cannot use those mana types for skills that aren't Rune Scratcher related.

Rune Scratcher Etching(TBD): You can scratch runes into the air to create spells. The complexity of those spells will determine how much SP is required.

"Send me a report at the end of every week, and I will send you repayment according to the research you provide," Anna told me, then began reading off a card in her hand. "Whenever you have time, you need to allocate your SP; you should have ten of them. Congratulations on becoming an Adventurer. If you need assistance, there is a help screen on your menu. If that doesn't solve your issue, feel free to go to any Class Hall to resolve your problem. Happy adventuring!" Anna put the card away and gave me a warm smile. "I look forward to hearing from you soon." I smiled back and got up to leave. Jack stood at the back of the hall, waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" Jack asked. I double-tapped my chest and then double-tapped my status menu to show my teammate. After he read where my Class tab said Aura/Rune Scratcher, his eyes squinted, then his mouth dropped. "Two of them? How'd you get two of them?" I tilted my head to the left and the right as I contemplated what to say.

"It's a rare drop," I told him. I scratched the back of my head before saying, "Aura is also extremely rare, so I guess I'm super lucky."

"Well, congrats," Jack said to me. "I have to go now, I live in Teeyra, and I want to show my parents my Turtem. Thanks for everything, Vinny! I hope to see you soon." Jack turned around and left the building.

Jackson Paige has disbanded your party!

Like that, I am now alone again. I'd better show my Impogon to my father. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the new gem and looked at it in admiration.

***

When I walked through the doors of the Adventuring Shop, I became worried. The door was unlocked, and my father is gone. The shop looks ransacked as it had the evening before - when Julius Cain destroyed it. I called out for my father, except there was no response, so I ran through the store searching for my father. Panicked, I ran out of the building and to my parent's house. My heartbeat strengthened the closer I got to my destination. I used all of my senses to try to predict what was going on. There wasn't any smell of fire, and there wasn't any screaming. I need to be faster.

"Summon Impogon!" I commanded and smashed the crystal to the ground. Impogon emerged from the turquoise glow, flying to keep up with me. What do you desire, master?. The Impogon asked telepathically. I was stunned since I didn't know that was how it would communicate. Protect my family and me. I commanded mentally. It nodded and flew higher as I reached my house.

The front door is missing, which startled me. I barged into the room through the open doorway and looked around. My parents sat on the couches in the living room, tied up. Billy, the man who set Old Dale's Pub on fire, leaned against a wall, his Abslimrich at his feet.

"What's up, kid," Bill growled. "I want my crystal."

Dang, I haven't even been able to divvy out my stat points yet! I thought to myself.