Barracks, Former Ulis Farmstead

First to return appears to have been myself, followed by Jade, then Windy and finally Angelus, who does nothing but stare at his left arm, flexing his fingers experimentally.

"You ok there?" Windy questions.

He breathes in, "Just happy to have it back."

"You lost it?" I ask, concerned.

The healer nods, "It burned away because of...what did Reo call it..? Cursed Pyrsespark Powder. Third-grade."

I whistle, knowing it's reputation, "That's extremely nasty stuff. Not to mention difficult to make and utilise. How'd you come into contact with it?"

Angelus clenches his fist, "Some group called 'Reclaimers' set off a bomb in a village - I took it onto myself in place of a little girl whose legs were reduced to charred twigs."

Jade balks, "The hell did you have to do for your trial?"

"Saved three of the villagers from certain death while it was burning. Dug an old man out of his collapsing house and did my best to keep another who had to be cut free from bleeding out," Angelus explains shortly, "I don't think I did as well as I could have, but I still passed."

"What's your Class?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Beacon," Angelus shares the details with the rest of us.

Beacons are one of the more common Healer classes to see players get, but the difference between a common and uncommon Class from The First Step is a single bonus stat point. They're fantastic at keeping groups of physical dps going strong through longer engagements thanks to the synergies from Replenishment, Lifeforce Wave and Inspired Healing, and they can get Spells that complement it further.

"You want to talk about the test at all?" I offer out of basic concern.

"I'll save my questions for after," Angelus says, "I'm curious to see if our tests overlapped at all."

"Alright. I'm a Reaver now. Essentially what I had to do was take the role of a bandit and break through an ambush set by the local militia for the group," I summarise, "Nothing all that interesting, really. Despite being judged for 96% compatibility, I wouldn't say that the new Skills it gave me are a great fit, but I don't plan on staying with the Class for long anyway, so I'll make do. Most likely, our recent run-ins with a large amount of PKers skewed the results of the evaluation."

I share the new abilities I've gotten with them.

"Your Bull Rush seems pretty shitty compared to Rush," Windy comments, which is something I half-agree with, as it only makes a difference if I'm taking damage during the effect.

"Seems to me you're supposed to be some kind of human battering ram," Angelus notes, stroking his chin, "I suppose I can see the use."

I shrug, "Not my style, as I said, but essentially correct. Reaver is all about charging into a large pack of enemies and sending them flying - which would likely be more effective with an axe or hammer than a sword."

"You got your eye on a Legacy Class, then?" Windy queries.

"Yes," Still waiting on whatever Jannis has planned, even if my own plans are in shambles at the moment. There's also the fact that I don't know nearly as much about my available options as I'd like - not everyone publicised their experiences, and among those that did, I can't guarantee the information they revealed is complete or accurate. Regardless, I'm keeping my options open.

"How about you, Windy?" I decide to keep the conversation moving along.

"Vanguard - Was put in the shoes of some kinda mercenary group's newbie, out in this volcanic waste to rescue some noble brats from a lynch mob made up of Panoplasts and Silva, then this big lava spitting rhinocat thing showed up and I had to hold it off long enough for my team to back me up," Windy explains shortly, "Thing could spit lurgies that melted the fucking rock we were stood on and shrugged off attacks like nothing. Hell, when it scratched me, it almost sliced through my arm and shield in one go."

I nod sagely, "A Bortosi. That would place you in the Arborstone Expanse about two weeks west of here, then. The youngest are about Level 24-28, you're lucky to have survived."

"Shit, man," Jade grimaces, "Why'd something that strong show up?"

"Sounds like one of those unkillable doom bosses that show up in dungeon crawlers when you're taking too long," Angelus hypothesised, "Like The Inexorable Dead in Masterfully Free 4 last year."

"Maybe," Windy shrugs, "Class is pretty straight-forward, from the looks of it. I zoom around the place to whoever's in danger then bitchslap the shit out of the mob attacking them."

"So, a 'Get Down Mr President' kinda deal?" Jade jokes.

Windy chuckles, "Pretty much, yeah. Interceptor makes me go stupidly fast to a party member I specify and drops their aggro a little, then I take the hit for them and counterattack with extra damage based on my Resilience. If I need to I have a flat percentage DR buff I can activate too which is a little more consistent that the Resilience buff I was using before."

"Vanguard's Grit. Very reliable," I nod approvingly, "I honestly expected you to end up with Skirmisher as your Class, which is like a damage dealer in the skin of a tank."

She looks at me, "Might have asked for it if you'd mentioned it."

"I don't want to be the kind of leader that demands people go for specific builds - if that's necessary, I'd prefer to find someone who chose it for themselves," I deny, "So long as you're not making actively self-destructive choices, I'm happy to let you decide that sort of thing for yourself."

I like to believe people perform better when they're given the chance to make their own decisions with their futures instead of having it dictated to them by an authority figure, like myself. Happier subordinates make for more productive subordinates if you want to be cynical about it.

"I can respect that," Windy smiles, making me feel inwardly guilty, "How about you Jade?"

"Mauvon showed up and told me to go with Harrier. I go fast and shoot fast," Jade reveals, "Had to kill some racist asswipes who were hunting some refugees."

"Oh? Your Guide actually agreed to sit in?" I suppose I shouldn't be surprised with the attention he apparently paid her during character creation, "What did he say?"

She bobs her head to the left and right as she recalls the pertinent information, pressing on a finger for each point, "All but confirmed that I'm going to get this Hero Legacy Class dealy, I need to do more crafting, he said he'd help me to get Mechanist and that he's from the 12th Astral Eclipse."

The latter two points are the things that interest me most, though receiving confirmation that she's a Potentiate for his Legacies is still fantastic news. If he's an Ascended Hero from the 12th Astral Eclipse, that would put him somewhere around 11000 years old, and although my knowledge of Merrow's history isn't the most detailed or complete, I vaguely recall that the Era Mauvon came from was highly advanced, technologically speaking, even placed next to the 15th Eclipse's Era, which is responsible for many of the technological marvels still in existence today, dug up from ruins by the Enduring Empire's excavations deep underground.

Speaking of which, the Enduring Empire is also the only place I know where a player can reliably get the Mechanist crafting subclass. Which is the biggest obstacle to obtaining it, since, to begin with, the Enduring Empire is exceptionally xenophobic, so just getting in is a hassle. Then you have to consider that they hold technology and the handling of it as almost sacred - only second to their reverence of The Heroine - and that adds another layer of difficulties. Finally, if you're a Quirstic, you'd be lucky to not be shot on sight, which, not that I want to play devil's advocate for a civilisation of bunker-dwelling racist doomsday preppers, isn't entirely without justification due to historical reasons.

No doubt there are Legacy Trials out in the rest of Merrow and a hidden Quest or NPC that can pass it on, but I'll be damned if I know where to start looking on Firmament. Mauvon will be taking a big load off of my shoulders thanks to that.

"That's honestly a relief to hear. I wasn't looking forward to the alternative for getting you Mechanist," I exhale, "I'd have still helped you with it, but I wasn't hopeful that we'd be able to get you it for at least the next two years. And I wish that was an exaggeration, but that's probably me being optimistic."

Aghast, Jade recoils, "What the fuck?! Two years?! You didn't think to mention that sooner maybe?"

I raise my hand to calm her, "That'd be if we did it with the method I know is guaranteed. The first half of the process is something we'll have to do regardless, and I was hoping to find an alternative in the meantime. That Mauvon is going to help personally is one such potential alternative I was hoping for. There'd be little point in giving you a Class that relies on being a Mechanist if you aren't and can't become a Mechanist."

The fox fumes, but her retort is cut short by the even stare of Windy, so instead she gives us a rundown of her new Class.

"If you have anything you want to talk about," I say, ignoring her, "Now's the time - I've got something to do before I log off, but we've had a long day and more tomorrow."

Angelus raises a finger, "Before anything else, there's the matter of Jupiter to consider."

I spare a glance for the cot with Jupiter's empty Vessel, "I suppose. Then let's hear your evaluation Angelus - do we bring him into the Guild or part ways?"

The three of us look intently at the newly-minted Beacon for an answer. Clearing his throat with some slight embarrassment, he speaks seriously - moreso than usual.

"There's no denying that Jupiter is rather immature and scatterbrained, but his competence as a mage isn't up for question, really. His judgment and incantation speeds are both excellent, he's intelligent, and he has a good attitude," Angelus judges, "While I wouldn't trust him with a position of responsibility - certainly not in charge of other people - he'd acquit himself well in any raid group as magical dps."

"I can more or less agree, though I didn't have the freedom to keep tabs on him throughout the runs," I mention, then turn to the girls, "Anything to add?"

"He's an idiot, but you don't need to be smart to be competent," Jade assesses harshly, "So long as you don't try to make him my boss, he can party with us."

Windy shrugs, "No opinion, boss. If you want him in, that's good enough for me, I say."

"Two votes for, one abstaining," I tally, "Then I'll be sure to ask him about it joining."

His ability to be in attendance will be somewhat less reliable than the others, but that brings us to a pretty balanced party of 5. A good place to start, but not nearly enough for the Guild's future. We'll need at least a hundred people playing regularly to start out with if we want to go for the more lucrative dungeons that become available after Level 10, and I don't want to rely on outside help for too much of it like we're going to need to for WLR.

"So, you gonna spill the beans on this racism shit?" Jade leans in. Windy leans in as well, but holds her tongue.

I roll my eyes, "Alright, sure. It'll be an extremely abridged explanation, though."

"I'm curious as to what could justify burning children alive with the magical equivalent of a white phosphorous bomb," Angelus furrows his brow, teeth clenched.

"To preface, what you all experienced is a context-less snapshot of a moment in the, relatively speaking, distant past. I also shouldn't need to point out that the subject matter is...messy, historically," I begin, reluctantly, "While I won't be excusing the atrocities committed during the conflict, I also feel like I should point out that it takes two people for there to be an argument, and the Panoplasts as a whole cannot be considered completely innocent even if they did take the most losses overall. If you want more details on exactly how terrible both sides were to one another, you can research and form your own opinions on the matter. Fair?"

Angelus frowns, but nods, "Fair."

I take a deep breath, "I'm assuming you're all at least familiar with The Astral Eclipse?"

They nod.

"Well, at the start of the current Era, survivors of the Eclipse who had holed up in heavily fortified underground cities with supplies and advanced magitech, now known today as the Enduring Empire decided to take a look above ground - or rather, a small faction that felt claustrophobic or something did. When they came up top, they basically found that their former kingdoms had been taken over by what they perceived as squatters. Most of these people were either those that weren't important enough to be given shelter with the rest, or were new species of demihuman and newly sentient former monsters - while demihumans have existed in one form or another throughout Merrow's history, to these people it was like leaving home for a vacation only to come back to find that the rats in the attic have developed sentience and humanoid forms, and are now living in your home as if it were their own," I lick my lips, "Not everyone took that revelation with grace. Therein come the Reclaimers, a group of radicals armed with the Enduring Empire's stockpile weaponry that was supposed to be used on actual monsters, but wasn't, obviously. The people on the surface meanwhile, weren't exactly happy that these rich bunker-dwelling assholes were kicking up a fuss over land ownership after they abandoned them and their property."

"That's a pretty reductionist explanation that doesn't really capture the full scale and nuance. I can't tell you who threw the first punches either, since that's lost to history and various historian's attempts at covering it up or making shit up about how they think it went down," I conclude, "Regardless, it led to the Panoplast Accord, which was essentially a peace treaty laying out a more concrete set of rights and ownership agreements for Firmament, and about three hundred years ago now, many Panoplast groups who wanted a place of their own set out to settle a new continent they called Panopla. Silva and Kon civilisations were mostly minding their own business throughout this time, and the Quirstics are an entire thesis on their own, so I won't be covering them."

The group are quiet for a moment.

"So, in other words, the Enduring Empire are huge, shit-encrusted assholes?" Jade asks, cutting the explanation down even further.

"Sounds like it," Windy nods.