Chapter 1: He who has no Class

“Slow down. You’re going to give yourself a stomach ache,” Gertrude admonished as Will devoured another entire loaf of bread. “You’ll throw up the moment you have to run.”

“Untrue,” Will mouthed past the wad of stew-soaked bread in his mouth, causing the old woman to wince and avert her eyes. “The walk to the Hunting Grounds is over an hour, so I’ll be fine by the time I get there.”

“If you can afford to walk slow, then you can eat slow,” Gertrude said, pulling the next loaf of bread away from his reaching hand.

“Awww…”

“You’ll thank me when you’re not reeling in pain from a busted stomach,” Gertrude said, nose raised.

“I am…constantly not reeling in pain,” Will sassed.

Gertrude smacked him over the head with the loaf, the black bread’s hard crust making a dull ‘conk’ as it delivered its force into his cranium.

“How ‘bout now?” the ancient priestess asked.

“Ow. I think there was a rock in there,” Will said, holding his scalp and checking for bleeding.

“Nonsense,” Gertrude said, prying open the rough-milled bread over her wooden plate.

Clunk! A fingernail-sized pebble dropped out of the bread and onto her plate, causing her weathered face to freeze in surprise.

“Just…eat slow, alright?”

“Mm,” Will grunted, nodding as he began to masticate much slower.

It seemed the miller’s new apprentice needed a bit more practice. Or perhaps a good caning.

“Seems like there might be a job opening at the mill,” Gertrude mused as Dana took the pebble and stared at it with wide eyes. The little girl looked like she was going to put the pebble in her mouth, before Gertrude snatched it out of her hand.

“I am not going to hunt a wheat gremlin,” Will said. “How would that even combine with an…” Will lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “…Uru Drake?”

“I’m sure I don’t know. Make twice the flour from half the grain, perhaps? Don’t act as though milling grain is beneath you. It’s a lifetime of good, honest work.”

“Drudgery,” Will countered.

“Drudgery you can support a family with. Your parents—”

“Are awesome,” Will interrupted.

Perhaps reading Will’s mood, Gertrude changed tactics. “I’m just saying it would be good for you to have a grounded life, raise children. Be happy. Many Climbers are not happy. I know. Perhaps you could even take Marissa as your bride? It’d be one less mouth to feed here.”

Will glanced over at where Marissa was picking her nose. The little girl glanced back at the mention of her name, nostril distended with her index finger.

“I’m not sure we’re a good fit,” Will said.

“Sink into the Abyss,” Marissa said, flicking a booger at him.

“Already there, Abyss-spawn,” Will said, flicking the booger off. Marissa turned red, climbed over the table and leaped on him, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“Children!” Gertrude hollered over the two of them before Will could get Marissa in a headlock. “Sit. Down.”

The promise of violence in the old nun’s voice sent them scrambling back to their seats.

“I’ve got one piece of advice for you, William—something the Gods know I’ve tried to teach you,” Gertrude said, pointing an old wooden spoon at him. “Take your time. Don’t leap into the Class Trial with the first three Sacrifices you can get your hands on. You’ve got all summer to hunt. Shop around. Sell some of the Sacrifices you hunt, buy some gear. Check the market; other Aspirants might pass on something perfect for you. You don’t even have to take your Class this year. There’s no time limit.

“Don’t start The Trial until you’re sure you have what you need.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Will muttered, ducking his head at Gertrude’s intensity.

“Good.”

“Sooo…” Will glanced around the breakfast table at the other children, who watched him curiously.

“Yes, you can go join The Hunt.”

Will shot to his feet and marched towards the door. Towards his Class, and by extension, his family.

The door slammed before he got halfway across the room.

“After you clean your mess,” Gertrude said, her Relic of The Host glowing faintly as she pointed to his bowl and crumb-covered plate.

Will took a deep breath and grabbed the dishes, walking over to the sink, where he used the morning water to clean off the plate before setting it back in its proper place.

In a matter of seconds, Will was standing back in front of the door, practically vibrating with eagerness.

Gertrude looked like she wanted to say something else, but simply sighed and motioned to the door, her Relic faintly glowing again.

The door unlocked and swung open.

One small step for William Oh, one giant leap for Saint Gertrude’s Orphanage.

Will could see it already: With the myriad potent Abilities granted by the Uru Drake Sacrifice, he would be able to acquire Relics and become a Climber, carving out a massive range on one of the upper floors, making him a Lord.

In his benevolence, Lord William would deign to send supplies and money to the poor unfortunates forced to suffer through the old woman’s sermons.

Will burst into the early morning light, his calloused feet trotting down the compacted earth trail that led from the orphanage to the town proper.

The sun itself was a bit weak this morning, barely radiating heat as the glow bloomed from the top of The Tower, illuminating the land.

Still, the heat was fairly substantial, since the orphanage was parked in the undesirable arid land baked by proximity to The Tower, and by extension, the heat of the sun.

Some people took days or even weeks to travel from the outskirts to earn their Classes. Even months for the maniacs who lived in the frigid wastes at the very edges of civilization…if you could call living in ice-houses and eating raw gonku meat ‘civilization.’

Will only had to walk an hour, but he had to get some supplies first.

“One sling, two dozen bullets, two pounds of pemmican, and a waterskin!” Will called as he strode through the door to the general store.

His plan to triumphantly slap the copper coins he’d been saving up on Leon’s countertop was somewhat muddled as he realized the way was blocked. The shop was packed wall-to-wall with others, ranging from aspirants his age getting hunting weapons to full-blooded Climbers grabbing last-minute toiletries or food.

A group of Climbers currently crowding the countertop glanced over at him. Two women and three men, their Relics hinting at their roles in the party.

One of the men sported a simple cuirass and a smooth wooden bow that practically hummed with power, while one of the women bore a wand that crackled faintly with energy. She wore a ring that exuded ominous energy, while the other woman had a wooden symbol of Grevash in her belt that radiated an aura of calm, not unlike Gertrude. Another man wore a ring on either hand, a helmet, and a waterproof smock.

The leader, a man wearing heavy armor, with a close-shaved head and scars near his eyes, glanced over at Will, his gaze skimming over him in an instant before he dismissed him entirely, turning back to Leon.

“Hey Will,” Leon said, peering over his clients to catch sight of him. “Catch!”

Leon reached under the countertop, then threw a leather bundle over the heads of the store’s many patrons, landing it in William’s hands.

“Thanks!” Will said, tossing his handful of coins across the room at Leon.

“ACK!” The black-haired merchant ducked the flying metal, which clattered off the display pieces behind him, much to the amusement of his customers. “Gertrude already paid, brat!”

“Oh. Then can I get my coins back?” Will asked, holding out his hand.

Leon gave him a blistering stare.

“You know what? I’ll check back later. Start a tab!”

Leon gave him a good-natured rude gesture as Will waved his way back out of the store.

He stopped in the shade of the store as the heat from The Tower began to build, opening up the satchel and peering inside.

Not only was there everything he asked for, there were also bandages and a tiny dagger more suited for cutting cheese than braving the wilds inside The Tower.

But…orphans can’t be choosers, and it was far better than nothing.

“’Sup, Will?” A familiar voice dragged him out of his musing.

Will peered up at Ben, his partner for today’s outing, one of the local boys who could keep up with Will. If Ben would tell it, it would be Will keeping up with him, but they both knew who was in charge.

“I got my stuff,” Will said, hoisting his leather sack of supplies. “You got yours?”

Ben raised a brow and wordlessly thumbed over his shoulder, where a fine wooden bow was slung. On his thigh was a machete for both setting up camp and defending himself if some of the monsters got a bit too friendly.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He was wearing a leather cuirass and what looked like pants treated with Gollak glue, making them extra durable while maintaining flexibility. Will’s gaze drifted farther down to the expensive shoes the boy was wearing that looked supremely comfortable.

Will wiggled his bare toes. “Try-hard.”

“Don’t hate the hunter, hate The Hunt,” Ben said with a shrug. “So my dad said we should pick off some of the easier prey and cash them in at the bazaar, shop around while we give some of the more experienced hunters time to soften up the more dangerous locations before we go in—maybe after a week or so.”

“Do you do everything your dad tells you to?” Will said mockingly.

“Hmm, let me think about that,” Ben said, glancing off to the side before returning his gaze to Will. “Yes. Yes, I do. Because my dad is a smart man with my best interests in mind. What did Gertrude tell you to do?”

Will heaved a sigh. “Basically the exact same thing. Fine. Let’s do things the ‘smart way,’” Will said, making air quotes.

Together, the two of them followed the path to The Tower, joining a steady stream of men and women marching along underneath the sweltering heat of The Tower.

Only the top third or so glowed white-hot where it connected to the sky above, a mile or so above them.

The massive, arching entrance in the base that opened during the summer was only slightly warm to the touch.

Or so Will had heard.

“C’mon,” Will said, nudging Ben to the side. “Let’s enter on the edge. I wanna touch the entrance.”

Ben sighed, but didn’t protest, and the two of them dragged their fingers along the skin-warm stone as the gargantuan archway swallowed them whole.

The two of them broke off from the stream of Climbers and Aspirants as they passed the threshold, gawking up at the sky.

“What’s wrong with the sky?” Will asked, staring up at the strange monochrome blue façade with wisps of white traveling across it.

“I’unno.”

“What are those white things?” Will asked.

“I’unno,” Ben grunted again.

“Why is the sun—OW!” Will blinked tears out of his eyes as he shielded his eyes. “Why is the sun so bright?”

“How many times I gotta tell you?” Ben asked, glancing down at him.

“Newbies, huh?” A voice drew their attention away from the sky.

Will glanced down and spotted the group that’d been in the general store with Leon earlier that day.

“How can you tell?” Will asked defensively. If he was wearing a sign around his neck that read ‘newbie,’ he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Wordlessly, the Climber gestured around the entry field, pointing out several groups of young Aspirants shielding their eyes as they stared at the sky in amazement.

“…Fair,” Will admitted, resolving not to gawk.

“Also…you’re children,” he said.