Jade took the second crystal and inspected it. Like the first, it was some sort of diamond. As she held it in her hand, it melted away, shifting into shimmering dust that melded into her skin. A tingle passed through her, and a new window appeared.

• Class Selection
• Welcome to Class selection. In this menu you will find every class you currently meet the perquisites for.
• Warning: This selection should be viewed as permanent.
• Note: A pair of classes have been selected as recommendations based on your race, skills, stats, and disposition.
• Page 1/24 (Recommended)
  • Blade Dancer (Recommended)
  • Shadow Witch (Recommended)

Jade read through the window, eyeing the two recommended classes. This was all still a lot, but somehow she was starting to get used to the absurdity of it all. Maybe.

"Classes will come with various basic abilities, talents, and spells that you can utilize. As you grow stronger, you'll learn new capabilities through them. They are a framework to guide your growth as a Wayfarer."

"Wayfarer?"

"That the title given to those who are undergoing the Labyrinth trial." Damos explained, clasping his hands behind his back again.

The initial rush of energy that had accompanied her transformation had begun to fade, and Jade sat down in the shade of one of the large trees that ringed the forest clearing. The grass was soft and springy, making for a comfortable seat. She settled in to view the options presented to her.

"Should I go with one of the recommended classes?" She asked, paging through the full list. "There are a lot of options. It would take forever to go through all of these."

"The Labyrinth system usually does a good job of recommending classes that suit each individual." Damos said. "I would give them due consideration, at the very least."

"Thanks…" She said, scrolling back to the first page and looking at the pair of recommended options again. Then she paused, glancing up at her immaculately dressed companion. "And… I didn't have the chance to say this before. Thank you for helping me. I don't think I'd be here without you."

Damos smiled warmly, the expression almost fatherly on his aged face. "It is my pleasure to serve, young Lady. I must say, you are adapting to these new circumstances remarkably well. Many have a very difficult time adjusting, and understandably so."

"I've always had to be good at adapting." Jade shrugged. "Honestly, this is a lot. Apparently everything I thought I knew about the world was pretty damn wrong. But throwing a tantrum won't help get me home."

"That is an admirable mindset." Damos said. "I regret that it is necessary. Participation in the Labyrinth Trial is supposed to be more… voluntary, than what was forced upon you."

"How so? You mean this place doesn't normally suck apartments into it like an alien vacuum cleaner?"

"It isn't supposed to." He confirmed. "The Labyrinth generally tries to avoid drawing anyone in who isn't a volunteer."

"A choice would have been nice." Jade agreed bitterly, returning her attention to the window before her.

"Shadow Witch, and Blade Dancer…" She read allowed, looking at the two recommended classes.

"Shadow Witch is a hybrid class incorporating rogue and mage features." Damos explained. "Are you familiar with those terms?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah. In games I've played, rogues are sneaky, mages use magic."

"That's the long and short of it." He agreed. "That class will focus on stealth, trickery, and subterfuge, and will grant abilities that facilitate those methods. It would provide tools to help avoid direct confrontation, but that's not to say it's bad in a fight. Simply not specialized for combat, like some are."

"And Blade Dancer?"

"An acrobatic themed rogue class. That one is specialized for combat." Damos's gaze unfocused as he read information on a window only he could see. "Movement abilities, close quarters skills, a skirmisher that can enter and leave a battle at will."

"How important is being able to fight?" Jade asked, thinking about her confrontation with the venom hound. Was she going to have to battle creatures like that regularly? That… was a terrifying thought.

"Quite important, I'm afraid. There are many monsters that roam the labyrinth. But either of these choices will give you appropriate tools to confront them."

"I'm leaning towards the Shadow Witch, then." Jade said, examining a more detailed view of what the class entailed in her window. "I'd rather have a lot of tricks up my sleeve than have to stab my way through everything that gets in my way."

• Class: Shadow Witch
• Description: They say 'the only way out is through'. That's not true for Shadow Witches who, when confronted with two options, excel at creating a third. Cunning, crafty, and inventive, this rogue/mage hybrid class focuses on spells and abilities that require creativity to get the most out of them. In the right hands, these tools can be used to sow chaos amongst foes and create shortcuts around problems. When necessary, though, the Shadow Witch is still capable of getting up close and personal to do her own dirty work.
  • Proficiency
    • Small blades
    • Light armor
  • Increased Skill Affinities:
    • Stealth
    • Deception
    • Lockpicking
    • Traps
  • Spell focus
    • Debuffs
    • Utility
  • Talent focus
    • Advanced movement
    • Weapon talents

"I think that would pair well with your racial abilities." Damos offered, after Jade read the list aloud to him.

"Racial abilities?" She asked. "I get something other than these wings? Oh, you mentioned shapeshifting, didn't you?"

"I did. Normally, we would have looked over that carefully before making any decisions. In your case, we didn't have the time. Here, have a look." He waved a hand, and a new window appeared in front of her beside the first. The description it held was more detailed than the one she'd been presented with in previously.

• Race: Succubus (Demon)
• Detailed Description: Seducers and temptresses, succubus possess a supernatural beauty and charm that allow them to bewitch all but the most wary and disciplined. As with all demon races, they are capable of draining vitality and power from their victims, using it to strengthen themselves. For the succubus this comes in the form of their soft kiss, a feared power that has shattered, as well as stopped, countless hearts throughout the cosmos. Most take great pleasure in in manipulating and corrupting those of virtue, and each of them are as dangerous as they are beautiful.
• Traits:
  • Shapechange
  • Resistance to charm effects.
  • Resistance to fear effects.
  • Resistance to fire damage.
  • Resistance to poison.
  • Vulnerability to Incandescent damage.
  • Racial charm spell: Allure.
  • Racial attack spell: Kiss of Night
  • Base stat growth: 2 points per level.
  • Increased Skill Affinities for Acrobatic Skills, Sex Skills, Social Skills, and Stealth Skills.
• Demon form: While in your true form, gain the following passive effects:
  • +20% to all stats other than willpower.
  • -40% to willpower.
  • Increases all charm spells and charm talents by 1 full rank.

Jade read through the list quickly, then crossed her arms and gave Damos a flat look.

"What the hell are 'sex skills'?" Jade demanded, her face reddening.

"What they sound like, I presume." Damos replied, unperturbed. "I doubt they will be relevant during the Trial. I'm more interested in your other affinities. More than one of them overlaps with what the 'Shadow Witch' class gives you."

"Is that good or bad?" She asked, still with her arms folded defensively.

"If you want to be proficient in those areas, then quite good. Skill affinities are additive, which results in faster growth." He explained. "None of that is quantified by the system or your interface but, if you train them, you'll find that your abilities in those fields will grow faster than they do in other areas."

Jade already considered herself an expert acrobat, but the idea of getting even better was appealing. And given that her foot had been healed, she could hardly contain her excitement at the enticing freedom that path offered.

"Stealth would mean sneaking around at the edge of fights, right? I think that's more my style." She said. Jade considered for another moment, then grinned. "Also, if I'm accepting that magic is real, I have to try it."

Damos gave her a slight smile in return. "A compelling argument, young lady. Compelling indeed."

She quickly glanced through the Blade Dancer details just to be sure, but it was as she'd suspected. Focused on martial talents and sword fighting. The movement abilities would play to her strengths, but nothing else about the class appealed to her. Besides, it didn't have any spells.

"Alright, that's my choice." She decided, confirming her selection. For a moment nothing happened, then the windows all winked out at once. A dark, shadow mist swirled into existence around her, spinning and twisting like tendrils of smoke. It was chill to the touch, and Jade gasped in surprise at its sudden appearance. As quickly as it appeared, the smoke vanished, flowing into her body and dissolving through her skin. New knowledge flooded Jade's mind, a bizarre sensation akin to what she imagined downloading a Wikipedia article into her brain would feel like. She suddenly knew how to hold a dagger, the best form for striking an armored target, and how to move freely and unencumbered in armor.

"Woah." She said, staggering back. Power buzzed inside her body, newly awakened magic settling into her… soul? Was that where the power had settled, deep inside of her? She could feel it, waiting to be unleashed.

"That was a hell of a rush…"

It was possible to just instantly learn and process information like that? Jade's head swam at the possibilities, although that may also have had to do with the growing ache in her head. Side effects? No surprise there.

"I would've pulled far fewer all-nighter's if I could have studied like that." She said, rubbing at her temple.

"Magically imbued knowledge is certainly convenient." Damos agreed. "But it is never as effective as proper study and practice, young lady. You will have to work hard to make the most of that head start."

She supposed that made sense. There was a big difference between knowing something, and putting that knowledge to use. That comforted her, she found that she didn't like the idea that all the years practicing her gymnastics routines and acrobatic talents could have been replaced by a little burst of magical knowledge.

More windows popped up, one after the other. She tried to wave them away, they were so large that they cluttered her vision, but they didn't move.

"Imagine them shrinking in size, moving out of the way. Focus on it, and your interface will respond." Damos advised from beside her.

She did as he said, finding that she could control where everything appeared, moving it around her field of view. Jade imagined filing everything away for later, and the messages minimized to the corner of her vision. It looked like a Windows file, straight from her laptop computer. She wondered at that, remembering that Damos had said something about the Labyrinth presenting itself to people in a way they could understand. It was fascinating, as well as a little creepy.

"Got it, thanks." She said, pulling the first message from the folder so she could take them one at a time.

• You have selected the Class 'Shadow Witch'!

 

• You have gained proficiency in 'Small blades'.

 

• You have gained proficiency with 'Light Armor'.

 

• You have selected your Race and Class!

 

Jade mentally clicked away these first few windows quickly, then paused at the next.

 

• Performing System Check. Please stand by.

 

A progress bar appeared below this message, rapidly filling up. After a few seconds, it reached 100% and blinked away.

 

• All systems operational.
  • Your Labyrinth Interface is now available.
  • Your Wayfarer Mark is now available.
  • Your Status Screen is now available.
  • Experience gain: Enabled

 

There was a tingling sensation on the back of her hand. Startled, Jade examined it and found a glowing mark tattooed onto her skin. No, it wasn't a tattoo, the mark was slowly moving, rotating around a central axis. It looked like a shifting maze, twisting and turning. Gingerly, she reached out a finger and prodded it. It felt like normal skin.

"What is this?" She asked Damos.

"That is your Wayfarer mark, proof that you are undertaking the Labyrinth Trial. You'll usually be able to identify other Wayfarers using your interface, but the physical marks are another means of doing the same." The butler explained. "You may also use them to join with other Wayfarers, forming teams or parties that share information. Of course, you can work together unofficially as well, but linking marks comes with a few perks."

"Ok." Jade said, shaking her head. "Yeah, sure. You know, at this point I'm just going along with it all. So, how do I use the interface? What is it?"

"It's primarily an identification power, meant to guide and assist you during your trial and time in the Labyrinth. Simply focus on someone or something, and you will glean insight."

Jade focused on the finely dressed older man, squinting at him. Something tingled in the back of her mind, and a new window opened in front of her.

 

• Damos
• Level: 20
• Race: Labyrinth Elemental
• Class: None
• Origin: Labyrinth-born

 

Jade blinked at the message, then at the man she had taken for a human.

"Labyrinth elemental? I'd assumed…"

"I am human in appearance only, young lady." He explained. "Labyrinth elementals are spirits of this place, you might say. Caretakers, guides. It is our custom to take on a form newcomers can relate to and will feel comfortable with."

"I… Ok then." She had no idea what to say to that. Instead, she simply stared at him. Did that mean… Was Damos an alien?

Well, it's not like I'm human anymore either.

What a strange thought. Jade was suddenly acutely aware of her tail and wings again, parts of her body registering the normal sensations of the air and temperature, except in places utterly new to her. She could practically feel her brain rewiring under the constant barrage of new stimulus.

"One last thing, before I must depart." Damos said, interrupting her thoughts. "Focus on yourself in the same manner, and you'll be able to bring up your status window. Please wait here and study it, I'll return as soon as I can. When I do, I will do my best to answer the rest of your questions."

"Where are you going?"

"To provide an introduction to others like you. A few are waiting in other Sanctuaries, and we weren't ready to welcome so many newcomers at once." Damos frowned again. "The Labyrinth usually warns us. This is something I must look into."

"Warns you? It can communicate?" Jade asked. "It is alive?"

"In a manner of speaking. I apologize young lady, but now that you are out of danger, I must take my leave." Damos gave her a short bow. "I'll be back to help you further as soon as possible. If you have need, food and drink await you in the clearing. You will be safe here, the dangers of the Labyrinth will not reach you." He gestured behind him to a small collection of tents in the far corner of the forest clearing. Jade had been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed them.

She opened her mouth to ask something else but, before she could, Damos waved a hand and disappeared. There was a flash of light and a burst of wind, and he was just… gone. Once again Jade found herself gaping. She stared at the spot the man had been standing in a moment before, processing what she had just seen.

"Holy shit." She finally said. Nothing else seemed appropriate. Magic… It was real. She'd known that ever since her body had transformed, known it conclusively. But seeing a man… what? Teleport? Right before her eyes was almost as big a shock. She revised her earlier assessment. It would take some time to get used to this.

And on the topic of magic, apparently she had some for herself now. That realization broke her out of her stupor. Jade focused on herself and, after a moment, successfully pulled up her own status window.

"Let's see what all this is about…"

 

• Name: Jade Callian
• Level: 1
• Race: Succubus
• Class: Shadow Witch
• Origin: Earth

 

The information was organized in the same manner as Damos's had been, but on her own window it was only a header for a great deal more information.

 

• Base Stat Scores

 

• Strength: 6
• Agility: 8
• Fortitude: 7
• Intelligence: 5
• Willpower: 6

 

Jade wondered what those numbers actually represented, and scowled slightly at the '5' in intelligence. She was not happy that the system had placed her lowest score there.

 

• Help: Ability description summary.
• Strength: Physical power, brawn, and power.
• Agility: Finesse, speed.
• Fortitude: Vitality, recovery rate.
• Intelligence: Mana pool, spell cooldown, and spell potency.
• Willpower: Mental defenses, mental focus, and mana regeneration rate.

 

Jade raised her eyebrows at the new window. That was helpful. The interface responded to her thoughts, and was intuitive to navigate. She found she could pull up a detailed description of each characteristic, although the information in the more verbose summaries was basically the same. A note at the bottom of the window caught her eye.

 

• Active Effects
• Demon Form: All stats other than willpower increased by 20%.
• Demon Form: Willpower decreased by 40%.

 

That was right, the racial menu had said something about stat effects depending on whether or not she was in her succubus form. Now that Jade focused on it, she did sense a greater power in her body than she was used to. She'd have to experiment with that later, get a handle on what she could do. That penalty to willpower was concerning, though. What did a 40% reduction in her mental focus or mental defenses mean? She didn't feel less focused. She resolved to ask Damos about it later. In the meantime, there were more windows to explore.

 

• Level Up!
• You have reached Level 1. Congratulations! You have achieved a basic level of competence.
• Reward: Starting class abilities.
• Reward: +2 stat points.

 

Jade gave the window a flat look. Was this thing giving her attitude? She mentally dismissed the prompt and pulled up the level up window.

 

• Info: Class Level Up
• Certain levels will allow you to choose between different abilities, spells, and talents granted by your class. Any features you do not choose when they are offered will remain available as options on future level ups that allow you to acquire features. At level 1, you get access to all available starting features.

 

After that window blinked away, another took its place.

 

• Level 1: Shadow Witch 1st level features.
• You have gained the following features:
  • Spell: Clinging Darkness:
    • Rating: D Level Spell
    • Cost: Low Mana
    • Duration: 10 seconds
    • Cooldown: 30 seconds
    • Effect: Afflict one nearby creature within close range with 'Blindness' for the duration.
  • Talent: Vital Sight
    • Rating: D Level Talent
    • Cost: Very Low Mana
    • Duration: 1 minute
    • Cooldown: 20 seconds
    • Effect: Weak points and vulnerabilities on a single creature you focus on within close range will glow, becoming visible to your eyes. Attacks that hit these points will deal moderate bonus damage. You may only see vulnerabilities on one creature at a time. Using this talent again ends the effect on the first creature.

 

Those abilities both seemed useful, although Jade was more interested in the spell. If she was going to be a part of this crazy new world, at least she would get to learn to use magic. She found an option to accept the rewards and mentally pressed it, which caused yet another window to come up.

 

• Spell: 'Clinging Darkness' has been added to your spell list. You now have '1' free spots available on your spell list. Increase your 'Intelligence' attribute to expand your ability to learn spells.
• Talent: 'Vital Sight' has been added to your talent list. You have '2' free spots available on your talent list. Increase your 'Agility' or 'Strength' attributes to expand your ability to learn talents.

 

Interesting, she was going to have to be careful about how she allocated her stat points. It was clear that this system had some depth to it. Jade decided it would be best to wait to assign any of her new ability increases until after she had a chance to ask Damos more questions. And maybe someone else, as well. After all, she didn't even know how reliable of a source of information the man was. She had been taking everything he had been saying as truth so far, but enough people had lied to her throughout her life that Jade wanted to verify what she could. He had helped her, and that was a promising start. But she shouldn't let her guard down that easily.

Jade closed the window, which turned out to finally be the last one. She was left sitting against a tree at the edge of the bright, sunlit clearing. For the first time since she'd arrived here, she finally had a chance to take it all in. The gently swaying grass, the soft breeze, the warm air. It was beautiful and serene, a stark contrast to the bloody conflict she had just escaped. The door she had entered via stood nearby. It was literally just a door, attached to nothing but the ground. A soft shimmer of golden light sparkled around its exterior frame, the same glow that it had possessed on the other side in the factory. Would it take her back there, if she opened it? She almost got up and opened it just to check, but decided it would be best to wait. First, there were a few things to take stock of.

A growl from her stomach told Jade it was time to investigate the tents Damos had pointed out to her. The chaos of the past hour or two had drained her, and she now found herself famished and exhausted. She hauled herself to her feet, starting in the direction of the tents. As she walked, Jade inspected her new body. The first things she noticed was her chest, or rather, how much more there was to it now.

"Ok." She said aloud, stopping. "That's a little stereotypical."

She had never been especially well endowed, something she'd been rather grateful for as a gymnast. But now she was at least a full cup size larger, at a glance, possibly more. She also belatedly realized just how shredded her shirt was. Between the injuries she'd sustained in the battle with the venomhound, and her new wings tearing through the back, there was barely enough left to cover her. She flushed, realizing she'd been practically flashing Damos for their entire conversation.

Pushing the thought out of her head, she looked the rest of herself over. Nothing else seemed to have changed too much, other than the obvious wings and tail. That, and the newfound luster of her skin and hair. She'd need to find a mirror before she could look at her face, but it felt the same. Refocusing on the new additions to her body, she experimentally flapped her wings. Try as she might, she wasn't able to take to the sky with them. Jade fervently hoped that was something she could learn one day. Giving up her humanity was a tough pill to swallow, even if she didn't really feel all that different. It'd be nice if she at least got the ability to fly out of it.

They look badass. At least there's that.

She spread them wide, covering a wingspan of over six feet, then furled them around herself. They were warm and supple, with a smooth and soft texture. Jade couldn't help but smile, Alan was going to think she was the coolest big sister ever when she got back. Thinking of her brother got her mind back in the present. Getting home was her priority, everything else was secondary. The first steps towards that were to get food and rest.

She made it the rest of the way to the tents, finding wooden crates filled with various canned foods just outside of them, and bedrolls within. They looked like they'd come from an American grocery store. Had these been sucked up by the Labyrinth, just like she had? Another question for Damos.

"I really hope succubus don't have any weird dietary needs." Jade muttered to herself, popping open a can of fruit. "I really don't want to live off human blood."

She inspected the can suspiciously. After a few minutes without discovering anything unusual about it or its contents, she decided it was probably safe. No strange cravings overtook Jade as she began eating, and the canned pears tasted normal to her. She took that as a good sign. She finished her food and, satisfied for the moment, settled inside one of the tents to recover. There was a lot to process. Too much. First, she was going to get some rest. Jade hadn't planned on sleeping right away but, as soon as she sat down on one of the soft bedrolls, a bone deep exhaustion weighed down on her. Jade lay back, closing her eyes. She'd just rest for a few minutes, then finish taking a look around. A few moments later, she was asleep.