Core Controller

By A. Stargazer

What would you do if the fate of the world fell in your hands?

When Tom Weaver finally receives his class, he can't believe it.

He has been bestowed the Ultra-Rare Class of Controller, granting him the ability to control Core Stones of Dungeons – cores that are as important as electricity is to Earth. With little time to adjust to his new role, he finds himself battling for the heart of his village, against high-level monsters and dealing with the sudden arrival of Antoine Durand, a hero from Earth who is not happy to be away from home.

Overwhelmed, Tom is ready to become the hero he was always meant to be, but it will take more than a hero to face the existential threat that only a Controller like him can face.

The World Core is dying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kingmaker Press
• Release date: Dec 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798230794912

Book preview

Chapter 1

Congratulations!  You have unlocked a new Class!

Please visit the nearest Core Stone to process your system upgrade!

The nearest Core Stone to your vicinity is 0.3 kilometers northeast of your present location.

Tom Weaver blinked twice, but the words didn’t go away.  He rubbed his eyes, disbelieving what he was seeing.  He had unlocked a Class.  While he was sleeping.  Two years earlier than even his most optimistic expectations!

He was only fourteen.  While he’d had a system and a Class for as long as he could remember, that class had been Child, the same as all of his friends and generally everybody he knew until the system deemed them an adult. Usually that happened around the age of seventeen or eighteen, but sometimes as young as sixteen.  Unfortunately, almost everyone who upgraded from Child got the equally boring class of Commoner.  At least in Tom’s village.

There was nothing wrong with being a Commoner, of course.  According to the last census, sixty percent of the population of Welsius were Commoners.  If anything, the Weaver family was unique in that both Tom’s parents had other Classes.  His father was a Weaver; he had Skills that assisted him in producing high-quality cloth.  His mother was a Trader, a lesser form of Merchant.  Together they ran a successful little business.  His mother bought the wool from the local shepherds and the flax from the farmers, which his father turned into a finished product for her to turn around and sell again.

He mentally toggled the notification to make it go away.  He’d be able to access it again from the system’s history, not that he was about to forget the words any time soon.  Instead, he brought up the main page of his status.

He immediately noticed the differences.  The first major difference was the presence of (Pending) next to his class, level, and subclasses.  The second, and the one that made his eyes bulge out, was that his status now showed Mana!  Yes, it was locked, but with his class upgrade pending that implied that it was about to be unlocked.  Normally, unless you had a Class like Mage, Healer, or Enchanter, something that actually used Mana, the system simply skipped it entirely.

Tom had spent his life preparing himself to take over his parents’ business, but if he were destined to be a magic user instead, he would certainly embrace that path.

Ma!  Pa! he called, thrusting the blankets aside.  My class unlocked!

There was a stir from downstairs as his parents responded to the news.  Tom rushed to change out of his nightclothes, choosing a dark red tunic and blue leggings for the day.  His father stuck his head into Tom’s room just as he was lacing his britches up.

Care to repeat that, son?

When I woke up I had a system notification, Tom explained.  It says my class unlocked.  I’ve got to go to the village Core stone to find out what it is.

Tom resembled his mother more than his father, although he’d yet to grow into his height.  Tom’s father, Norman, was of middling size, with black hair, green eyes, and overall a very normal appearance.  Tom’s Mother, Sue Weaver, was only slightly more exotic due to her auburn hair, which was rare in this region of Welsius.  Overall, nothing was striking about the Weaver family in terms of appearance. 

Well then, I suppose you’re raring to go find out what it is, Norman said, pride in his voice.  But I suggest it wait until after breakfast, Tom.  When I unlocked Weaver, I gained three Skills, and it about knocked me off my feet.  I don’t know if you’re getting Weaver or Trader, but either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if after the system is finished, all that excitement you’re feeling will be washed away and you head straight back home for a nap.

Tom paused.  I didn’t know that, he admitted.  I didn’t get tired when I got my subclasses.

Subclasses are a different matter entirely, Tom, Norman reminded him.  You slept for twelve hours when we presented you to the stone so that it would recognize you as a Child, and you didn’t get any new Skills that time.  Even if you only get something like Barter, I’d expect you to be exhausted by the time the system is finished writing it into your soul.

That news took a little bit of the wind out of Tom’s sails, so although he wanted to sprint into the village and find out what his new class was, he accepted his father’s judgment.  I guess breakfast sounds great, in that case.  I’ll be down in a minute.

His father nodded and closed the door behind him.  Tom pulled up his status again, and then the notification, and he pinched himself just to make certain he wasn’t dreaming.  A Class two years early, and one with Mana at that!

He hadn’t mentioned that second part of his revelations to his father.  Not yet.  He wanted to figure out what his class was before he broke the news to his parents that their plans for him to carry on the family business might not work out the way they’d hoped.  He wasn’t worried about upsetting them.  But there was always the chance that he’d end up being an Enchanter, and he could specialize in making spellcloths for adventurers or something.

After all, he couldn’t really imagine himself throwing around fireballs and lightning bolts.  He was too timid to join the Militia, let alone face dungeon Spawn.  No, if he had to pick a magic class, he’d choose Enchanter for certain.  Or healer.  He’d be happy either way.

While the Weavers were quite prosperous, the dwelling they lived in was no more ostentatious than the rest of the village.  What set them apart, however, was that they owned four buildings instead of just a home.  There was also the workshop, where his father worked to make the cloth that the family specialized in, and there was his mother’s little store, which sold a little bit of everything, not just cloth and clothes.  Then, of course, there was the warehouse, where his father kept both the raw materials and the finished products of his craft. 

Most of their wealth was in savings, logged with the Village Core, redeemable throughout the kingdom.  While they could afford to live more lavishly, they were comfortable with the simple life, and while it was known that they ran a successful business, their neighbors would have been put off if they began displaying signs of wealth beyond the obvious comings and goings of merchants come to barter for Norman’s high-quality wool and linen.

When Tom joined his parents downstairs, he interrupted them whispering.

—early, but surely it’s a good sign?  We thought he’d be stuck with Commoner for years before he unlocked one of our Classes, after all, his father was saying.

I’m just worried, Norman.  The stones never recognize someone as an adult earlier than sixteen, his mother replied.

It just means that he has more time to perfect whatever Skills he gains today before he’s expected to move out on his own, his father answered, hugging his wife from behind as she tended the stove.  The enchanted surface was one of the few luxuries that the Weaver family allowed themselves to indulge in, since the neighbors didn’t need to know that they cooked with magic instead of firewood.

Rather than continuing to eavesdrop, Tom walked into the kitchen and gave his mother a reassuring smile.  "It’s not like there are any bad Classes out there, Mom, he pointed out.  Even if I don’t inherit yours or dad’s class, you’ll still love me, won’t you?"

Of course we will, sweetie, his mother said quickly.  I wasn’t implying that we wouldn’t.  It’s just, well, this is a bit of a surprise is all, and you know I’m not good with surprises.  Not where the family is concerned.

Tom took a seat at the table and admitted, I’m a little nervous too.  I mean, it’s pretty unlikely, but I do hope that I’m not going to get some sort of meathead class.  I’m not like Sevin.

It’s almost certainly going to be either Weaver or Trader, his father assured him.  You’ve been apprenticed with us both for years now, and you must have plenty of experience in those subclasses built up.  It probably just hit the threshold based on something you did for us yesterday.  It’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

I know, I know, Sue said, scooping the eggs out of the frying pan and onto a plate, which her husband delivered to their growing son.  Aside from the eggs, the plate already had toast and bacon and a slice of fruit.  Tom didn’t wait for his parents to finish serving themselves before digging in; he was hungry.

He thought about mentioning that his status showed Mana now, but again, he decided to hold onto that bit of information.  His mother was worried enough for him already.  If he got Healer or Enchanter as his Mage subclass, then surely she’d be over the moon.  If it was some combat-oriented Mage class ... well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

His parents joined him at the table a moment later, and for a few minutes, it was just a normal morning as they pretended that their son wasn’t about to go through one of the most important milestones of his life.

Class Day.

After he touched the Core Stone, he wouldn’t be a Child anymore.  According to his Status and the laws of Welsius, once the Core gave a person an adult Class, they were legally an adult.  Even in the extremely rare instances when a Child of six years old received a Mage class.  But that only happened in high-powered families where magic ran strongly in the bloodline.  Mages that emerge from common stock often didn’t evolve their Classes until their mid-twenties, usually after having spent years as a Commoner.

What if I get something else, Tom asked as they were making their way out the door.  I mean, what if it’s not Weaver or Trader, but something completely different? Something like Enchanter, maybe.  What then?

We’ll love you regardless, his mother assured him.

No, I mean, what’s the plan? he clarified.

I suppose if you get a Class that we can’t teach you about ourselves, then the plan is to apprentice you to someone who can, Norman answered.  Even if it’s something exotic like Enchanter, we should be able to afford an apprentice fee with that guild.  Try not to worry yourself, Tom.  It’s just a few minutes until you find out.

Seeing the wisdom in his father’s words, Tom schooled himself to be patient as his parents walked him to the village square, where the village Core Stone awaited him.

A monolith twice as tall as a man, the Core Stone was a soft blue color.  Not the color of the sky, darker.  Tom had heard it called indigo, but while his parents had indigo ink, he thought that the Core Stone was a shade or two lighter than that.  It shone lightly at night, but in the day it was just a large crystal, except for the important functions it served.

Do you want us to gather the others? Norman asked his son.  We don’t have to if you don’t want to, but we could make a big deal out of this.

I’m dying to find out what my class is, Tom admitted.  I just want to get this over with.

So he reached out and touched the stone.

Calculating ...

Class Unlocked: Controller.

Abilities Assigned: 8

Initializing System Upgrade.

Tom felt lightheaded as the stone ... did something to him.  Abruptly his old interface was torn away.  Words began flashing by in front of his eyes too swiftly to read.  Some of them he couldn’t read because they were in symbols that he’d never seen before.  The system abruptly stabilized.

Welcome, Controller, to the Village of Tilluth

Tom studied his status screen in a daze.  Whatever the Core had done to him had significantly muddled his head, but as he examined his options, he saw that he had already gained twenty-five levels somehow.  Moreover, he realized, as there was experience stored up that was waiting for him to upgrade.  So he did, selecting the Controller option to increase his level.

That was the last thing he did before he passed out.

Chapter 2

Norman watched his son collapse and cursed himself for not standing closer to catch the boy’s fall.  He remembered his class upgrade and how weak the assigned Skills had made him feel; he should have anticipated that Tom would faint.  It was far from unheard of.  Although not so common in these parts, where most class upgrades were from Commoner to Farmer or Villager.

It also confirmed what he’d suspected from the moment his son had called out this morning.  Tom was not destined to be a Weaver.  Nor a Trader, nor even a Merchant.  Whatever class Tom had unlocked, it was something more potent if it was enough to cause the boy to lose consciousness on his upgrade.

Turning his son onto his back, Norman patted the boy’s cheeks to see if the stimulus would wake him.  Tom groaned, and a moment later opened his eyes.

I’m level twenty-five, he said.  Then he frowned.  No, wait, that’s not right...

Let’s get you home and in bed, Tom, Norman said, and he lifted the fourteen-year-old to his feet, supporting him as they walked back the way they had come.  What class did you unlock.

Controller, the boy said groggily.  Display status.

Norman frowned as the system displayed his son’s status publicly.  Three things caught his attention.  The first was that he had never heard of the Controller class before.  That wasn’t entirely unexpected, as while there were common Classes, there were also rare, ultra-rare, legendary, and unique Classes out there.

The slightly more expected thing he noticed was that most of his son’s defined attributes were listed as ten.  The system defined them as four when a Child was presented to the stone, usually on their fourth birthday, to gain their system in the first place, and they increased slowly as the Child grew. 

A side benefit of presenting the Child at that age was the gift of literacy and language that the stones bestowed; children typically babbled throughout infancy and spoke reasonably well by the age of four, but upon their presentation to the stones, they would gain the basic vocabulary of the kingdom, more or less depending on their capacity.

The system redefined their status points as ten upon reaching adulthood, whenever the system determined that would be.  The numbers assigned by the system were useful for examining a person’s growth but less useful for making comparisons from person to person.

Similarly, Health and Stamina were defined simply as Constitution times ten, and Endurance times ten, respectively.  So the math all checked out.  Tom was an adult now.

The thing that didn’t make sense, and Norman couldn’t wrap his head around it, was that Tom had Mana.  And a lot of Mana, since unlike Health and Stamina, a unit of Mana was standardized.

Technically everyone had some Mana in their bodies, but it would take a Mage’s specialized equipment to detect it.  Norman remembered hearing that the average person had approximately two to five Mana; far too little to do anything with.  Compared to that, one eighty-nine was a ridiculous sum.

Norman, Sue said nervously.

Tom, hide your status before someone sees, Norman whispered urgently.

But, the confused boy said.

We’ll talk about it when we get home, Norman promised.

But they didn’t.  When Tom walked through the door to his house, he simply lurched into his father’s reading chair and passed out again.  His parents, seeing the boy’s exhaustion, decided to leave him as he was and instead went into the kitchen to try to plan his future, given this unexpected development.

Reluctantly, they decided that they didn’t have enough information, and Norman went to find Lukan, one of the village elders, and also the schoolmaster.  If anyone would have heard of the Controller class, perhaps it would be him.

~~~~~~~~

I’ve looked through every tome in my possession that discusses Classes in any level of detail, and I can’t find a single mention of it, Lukan said as Tom opened his eyes.  Tom was in the sitting room in his home, where he had collapsed after his father had helped him walk home.  His parents were talking to one of the village elders in the kitchen.  Judging by the orange glow coming in through the windows, it was evening.  He had slept almost the entire day.

No hint at all? Sue demanded.

Nothing.  I’ve penned a request for the library in Tuksan for them to review their records of rare Classes and send me whatever information they have on the matter, but it might be some days before the message comes through, Lukan answered.  Did the boy say anything about his abilities before he collapsed?

He said something about being level twenty-five, Norman answered, Although he is clearly level one, just as he should be for having just gotten a new class.

Curious, Lukan said.  But I wouldn’t read too much into it.  I’m going to return home.  I’ll let you know as soon as I receive any information from my correspondence.

Tom closed his eyes again as the elder left, not particularly wanting to gain the attention of the schoolmaster, even if he hadn’t done anything wrong.  Technically, as an adult, the elder no longer had the authority to punish Tom anymore, but as an elder Lukan could still make life difficult if Tom gained his ire.

His sleeping act didn’t work on his mother, however.  When she entered the room, she immediately noticed that he was awake.

So, Controller, she said.  She sounded ... not terribly disappointed, but maybe a little bit.  Does the system give you any sort of idea what kind of class that is?  Are you some sort of Mage, my son?

I don’t know, Tom answered honestly.  The Core Stone said it was assigning me eight abilities, but I passed out before I could see what they were.  Let me check ... wait, my system is different now.

Fumbling around with his mind, he tried to toggle his interface back to how it had been before, but it was stubborn and not nearly as flexible as it had been when he had been a Child.  Growing frustrated, he eventually realized that it would be easier to adjust to the new layout than to customize everything back the way that it had been.  Which was ironic, since once he found his Skills page, one of his Skills was literally Customize.

So I still have Analyze, Tom began, listing the one Skill that he’d gotten as a Child.  He’d learned it helping his parents in their business.  I’m no longer a Student, nor does it list me as an apprentice Weaver or Trader.  But my Skills are Claim, Level, Expand, Reduce, Evolve, Summon, Spawn, Customize.

Do they come with descriptions? his father asked.

Tom frowned, playing around with the options in his head.  If they do, I can’t figure out how to access them, he said after a few moments.  My new interface is all clunky.  It’s very frustrating.  It was so much easier to get it to do what I wanted when I was a Child.

Well, keep playing with it, his father encouraged.  Although I suppose until we know what your Class does and you figure out how to use your Skills, we might as well just continue like normal.

I’m sorry, Tom said.  I know that you were both hoping I’d get one of your Classes and carry on the family—

There’s absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Norman interrupted him.  "We might have all been expecting that to be the path your life followed, but the system seems to have other ideas for you.  Your mother and I support you, Tom, no matter what."

That’s right, Tom, Sue agreed, stepping next to her husband and slinging an arm around his shoulder.  "We’re in this together.  And it’s like you said this morning, it’s not like there are any bad Classes.  We just need to figure out what the Controller does and then get you lined up with the right sort of apprenticeship.  Our plans might have changed, but we still love you the same."

Thanks, Tom said.  Then he shook his head.  I’m going to take a walk, see if I can clear my head.  It’s still a bit foggy from the class upgrade.

Do you want your mother or me to come with you? Norman asked.

No.  I’m going to try to see if I can’t stumble on how to use my abilities while I’m at it, so it might be best if I’m by myself, Tom explained.

You should eat first, his mother said.

I’ll swing by the orchard, he promised.  I’m in the mood for some fresh Worthmus fruit.

With no reason to stop him, his parents blessed his departure with their consent, although his mother insisted that he put on a jacket since the sun was nearly set and the evening chill would be coming soon.

Tom left them behind, jogging briefly to work off some of the energy he was feeling.  While he had spent most of the day unconscious, it wasn’t due to exhaustion.  Rather, he felt a strange sort of energy throughout his body.  He knew that his Strength going from seven to ten didn’t mean he’d gotten any stronger, but he felt that he had.  At the same time, his displayed Dexterity had decreased, but if anything his fingers felt nimbler.  As a test, he pulled a coin out of his pocket and tried doing a few of the Dexterity exercises his father had taught him.

Yes, he was faster and more Skilled, the coin flashing through the exercises with a speed and certainty that he hadn’t managed before.  He began looking around for some way of judging his Strength, but he couldn’t find anything that would give him a good measurement.

As he promised his parents, he made his way towards the village orchard.  Worthmus trees were strange, in that nobody knew how they reproduced.  They fruited, but their fruits, while delicious, were seedless purple things the size of a fist.  There were eighty trees in the village orchard, and a few more orchards like it scattered throughout Tilluth Valley.  According to village tradition, the orchards preceded the settlements of the valley.  Considering that Worthmus liquor and preserves were one of the valley’s chief exports, they’d plant more if anyone knew how.

Another characteristic of the Worthmus tree that was particularly useful; it was always in season, to some degree.  The fruit appeared as small white berries, then grew to their full size over a few weeks, eventually pulling their branches down slightly as they turned purple when ripe.  Even in winter, the tree continued to fruit, although it was early autumn at present.

Walking beneath a low-hanging branch, Tom plucked one such fruit from just above his head and was about to bite into it when his system chimed at him.

Spawn Worthmus Tree?

Tom stared at the fruit in his hand, because he understood what was happening.  The fruit was interacting with one of his Skills; Spawn.  And because of that interaction, he could feel the shape of the Skill.  He knew how to use it.  He pushed at the Skill and felt it resonating with the fruit.  He knew, instinctively, that he had to push a little harder, a little harder—

The fruit turned insubstantial in his hand, becoming a bright purple ball of light.  It flashed away from his control and buried itself into the ground three feet away from him.  He stared as, from the spot where the fruit had vanished, a sapling emerged, growing at a visible rate until it stalled out at the height of his thighs.  Its velvety leaves stretched out, clearly defining the species of the sapling as being the same as the adult trees surrounding it.

Tom laughed.  He considered planting more, doubling the size of the orchard in one night and catching everyone by surprise, but he held himself back for two reasons.  The first was that he knew the village elders wouldn’t approve of him doing something so impulsive.  Oh, they’d be grateful that he could expand the orchard, but they would like some say in where the new trees were planted and some other such nonsense.

Mostly, however, he held back because Spawning that sapling had cost him twenty Mana.  It wasn’t something he could do infinitely.  He wondered how fast his Mana regenerated.  With full Mana he could plant nine trees at once, but how long did it take for him to go from empty to full?  An hour?  A day?  A week?  He supposed he’d just have to wait and find out.

He felt along the edge of the Spawn Skill, and he was surprised to find that he could do more with it.  Pressing more Mana through it, he pushed and pushed.  It took significantly more effort than it had with the fruit, but eventually another purple flash of light shot out of his hand and into the ground, and from the spot it landed grew yet another Worthmus sapling.

He laughed again.  He didn’t even need the fruit!  Although, he reflected, it was much easier to Spawn the trees with the fruit than without.  That had cost him eighty Mana just now!  Four times as much!

Well, he needed to test to see how fast his Mana regenerated anyway.  Reaching overhead, he plucked another fruit from the adult tree above him and bit into it, the sweet taste filling his mouth.

Chapter 3

Well, that’s one of eight Skills sort of figured out, Tom muttered to himself as he chewed on the rind of the Worthmus fruit he was eating.  Now that he’d actually used the Skill, he’d followed the activation back to the Skill’s menu, and it had Worthmus Tree highlighted in bright blue.  Unfortunately, he didn’t know much more about his Spawn ability, other than what he had just accomplished.  He would continue experimenting, but he was down to eighty-nine Mana.  Enough to Spawn four more trees if he used fruit, or one more if he simply forced it, but he chose to wait.

A chirruping sound came from nearby, and when Tom looked up, he saw a Treecat.  They weren’t exactly cats, more like giant flying squirrels with eyes the size of saucers.  This one had swirls of black and gray covering its body.  Like the tree the creature was currently climbing, the Tree-cats were unique to Tilluth Valley.  They were mostly tame, so when Tom held out his half-eaten fruit to the creature, he wasn’t surprised when it began licking the juice off the rind.

Then the creature’s tongue touched Tom’s skin, and a jolt went through him.

Claim (Unnamed) Worsican?

A second one of his abilities had activated, and Tom immediately pushed Mana into it.  It didn’t take much, a mere ten Mana total, but once the Skill activated both he and the creature suffered a jolt, like the time Sevin had played a ‘prank’ by dumping a bucket of near-freezing water over Tom’s head two winters past.  He dropped the fruit offering in his surprise, and the Tree-cat – was its official name a Worsican? He thought that sounded familiar – dropped to the ground to pick it up.  It didn’t dart away, instead patiently eating the fruit cradled between its two clever paws.

More importantly, however, Tom had a new icon flashing at him in his interface.  He mentally toggled it, and he was surprised to find that the system now considered the Treecat he had whimsically Claimed to be his familiar. Moreover, he could feel a bond between himself and the creature.  It was a weak thing yet, but it was comforting and, well, familiar.

Your name is Klein, he told the creature decisively, and the system updated with his words to show the creature’s status.

Plucking another fruit from the tree above, Tom debated what to do.  He had Claimed the creature on a whim, but now that he had he found that he wanted to keep it.  As the two ate Worthmus fruit together, he decided that there was nothing else to do but simply go home and tell his parents about the two abilities he had sort of managed to figure out so far.  He finished the fruit first, as did his new familiar.

Come on, Klein, Let’s go home, Tom said, and the Tree-cat leaped onto his shoulder, wrapping its bushy tail around his neck.  The thing was awfully friendly.  Was that the magic, or just the way that it had always been?

Regardless, it allowed him to scratch behind its ears as he walked home.  That strange energy he had felt earlier had abated some, and he realized that what he had been feeling was his Mana.  He was currently at 80/189 Mana, having spent one hundred ten points exploring his new abilities and having apparently regenerated a single point of Mana just a few seconds before he looked.

I wonder if there’s anything I can do to get more Mana, he said to Klein.  One point every five minutes or so seems awfully slow.  Although I guess that means I can plant a tree every hour and forty minutes, so maybe that’s not so bad.  Assuming that I use a fruit as a base, that is.

The Tree-cat just chirruped in his ear happily.

So, what did you get? Sevin asked for the seventh time.  It was late morning, and his neighbor had begun pestering him the moment he’d left his house that morning.  The news that Tom had unlocked his class had spread through the village, but the unique nature of that class was yet to be disclosed to any but Elder Lukan.

Sevin was older than Tom, having turned sixteen and unlocked the Commoner class early, to the surprise of most of the village.  He was a flaxen-haired youth, but more rugged than dandy.  He worked hard in the fields and in the Militia, which showed in his muscle tone.  But he had a mischievous streak a mile wide.

What do you think I unlocked? Tom challenged, scratching Klein’s head.  The creature was riding his shoulders once again.

Some sort of beast-master?  Is that why that thing is following you around? Sevin asked.

Tom stopped to consider.  You might be right.  The truth is that I have no idea what sort of class it is.  I’ve got eight abilities, and I’ve only sort of stumbled into how to activate three.  One of them might be a taming sort of ability.  Since I used it on Klein here, he hasn’t left me alone.  I sort of figured out how to start using another ability on him, but I don’t have enough Mana to finish using it.  I’m not sure what it does.

The ability in question was Evolve, and he had tried casting it on Klein the night before, only to run completely dry on Mana.  Running out of Mana, it turns out, was a lot like running out of breath, energy, and mental strength all at once, and Tom was determined to try to avoid it in the future.

You have Mana? Sevin asked, uncertain that he’d heard his friend right.

Didn’t I mention that? Tom asked, grinning because he knew that he hadn’t.

Oh man, I am so jealous.  I know I’m not smart enough to be a Mage, but I wish I’d unlocked something, anything, other than Commoner, Sevin commented.

Yeah, I know.  That’s why you joined the Militia, Tom pointed out.  If you get enough experience with that subclass, maybe you’ll be able to unlock Soldier.

Yeah, I know, Sevin said, frowning.  It’s so disgusting though.  We’re supposed to clear out the Burrower’s nest twice a month, but every time I’ve gone, they haven’t let me actually do anything.  The older guys do all of the work; they make me stay by the exit in case anything makes it by them and try to escape.  You’d think that clearing a dungeon would be more exciting, but they’ve done it so many times that it’s just like any other chore.

It’s an important chore though, Tom reminded him.  If the Burrowers reach maturity and get out into the fields, they can ruin entire crops.  And if they get big enough, they come after the village children.

I know.  I remember the one that got loose when we were little.  It went after Ada, remember?

Yeah.  Lucky she ran to her father, and he put it down before it could hurt anyone else.  I don’t envy her that memory.

The boys were walking out on an errand for Tom’s parents. Some of the farms nearby had already sold their crop of flax to their business that spring, and Tom was to make the rounds, checking on the expected yield and quality of the crops.

So you have one ability to tame creatures, and one ability that you’re not sure what it does yet, Sevin said.  But you said that you figured out three of them.

Oh right.  So get this; I can Spawn Worthmus trees, Tom said.

No way, Sevin challenged.  Nobody knows how to plant them.

I didn’t say that I plant them.  I Spawn them.  It’s one of my abilities.  Here, watch, Tom said, and he held out his hand and tried to activate his ability as he had the night before.  He wasn’t carrying any Worthmus fruit, instead planning to spend the eighty Mana it took to Spawn a sapling without one.  However, his Skill refused to activate.  He frowned and pulled up the Spawn menu and was surprised to find that rather than being highlighted in blue, the Worthmus tree was grayed out.

I guess I’ll show you later, I think I either need to have a fruit or be in one of the orchards to do it, Tom said after contemplating the problem for a few seconds.

Or you’re just full of bull dung, Sevin challenged.

I’ll prove it to you later.  I should have realized that I couldn’t just do it anywhere. There have to be some limitations on an ability like that.  I’ve got to check to see what else I can Spawn, but fortunately, the Skill seems to give me some feedback when I touch something that it can work with, Tom said.

Yeah, and I have a bridge to sell you, Sevin teased.

Whatever.  I told my parents about it last night, and they’re going to talk with the elders about it today.  Before long they’re probably going to be asking me to Spawn entire new orchards for them, Tom said.  Although it seems that I can only do nine trees at once.  And I think I’d rather not do even that many; running out of Mana is really unpleasant.

I wouldn’t know, Sevin said, frowning.  You’ve got a really weird class, you know that?

Yeah.  Elder Lukan couldn’t find any mention of it in his books, Tom agreed.  Aside from what I’ve been able to figure out myself, I have no idea what it’s supposed to do.

It’s pretty cool that it let you tame this little guy, at least, Sevin said, reaching out to pet Klein.  The Treecat barked at him, and he flinched.  Tom laughed and pushed the older boy’s hand away.  When they made skin contact, however, he felt a Skill light up.  The same one that he had failed to activate on Klein the night before.

Um, Sevin? Tom said nervously.  I can Evolve you.

Sevin looked at him blankly.  You what?

When I touched your hand just now, I felt one of my Skills activate.  Or tell me that it could potentially activate, at least, Tom explained.

What does it do? Sevin asked, growing interested.

I don’t know, Tom admitted.  I tried to Evolve Klein last night, but I ran out of Mana.  I was already low from Spawning trees, however, so I don’t know if I could have managed it if I’d been full.

Evolving doesn’t sound like a bad thing, Sevin said, chewing his lips.  It’s not an attack spell, is it?

No, I’m pretty certain that it’s not, Tom said.  I mean, it doesn’t have an instruction manual with it, but I’m pretty sure whatever Controller is supposed to do, it’s not a combat class.  I don’t think I have any attacks.  But I think we should test it on Klein before we—

Let’s do it, Sevin said, grabbing Tom’s hand.  Evolve me.

Tom looked at his friend blankly.  We have no idea what it will do to you, he protested.

They say that you have an instinctive understanding of your Skills.  You said that it’s not an attack, and ‘Evolve’ means ‘make it better,’ right?  So Evolve me.  Let’s see what it does.

The two bickered for several minutes, but Sevin knew exactly how to talk Tom into doing something stupid, and eventually, the younger boy relented.  Taking his friend's hand, he began channeling Mana through the newly unlocked Skill.  The night before he had channeled nearly one hundred Mana into the Skill targeting Klein, only for the Skill to fall apart unsuccessfully, and Tom was expecting the same thing to happen this time.  He pushed and pushed more Mana into the Skill, and he was surprised when it suddenly took shape and flooded out of him and into Sevin all at once.

His friend cried out in surprise and broke their contact, falling on his butt.

I’m sorry, are you okay? Tom asked, but Sevin wasn’t looking at him.

No way! Sevin said.  You unlocked a new class for me!

With their original chore completely forgotten, the two raced back to the village square to find out what Sevin’s new class would be.  Tom had watched several people claim new Classes from the stone, including Sevin when he had upgraded from Child to Commoner.  It was normally a very dull affair; one simply walked up to the stone, touched it, and after a minute or so they would relax and walk away.  Or proudly announce to the gathered audience what their new class was, although considering the rarity of anything other than Commoner or Villager in Tilluth Valley, an announcement was generally not necessary.

Which was why the stone suddenly shining brightly and engulfing Sevin in a blue light was so unexpected.  The light was bright enough that Tom had to shield his eyes.  The other villagers who had been minding their own business cried out in surprise and began to gather around the Core Stone to witness the unexpected happening.

Moments passed, and eventually the light faded, revealing that Sevin had been changed.  He appeared even more rugged than before.  His muscles, already fairly impressive, were bulging