“If you are sure that you can buy me time to gain power, and that Gary will be locked into whatever tier and rank the system decides, I’ll contest his claim to the personal space,” I told Tzes’zod. There was almost a relief at deciding, though I was still a bit unsure if my decision was the correct one.
“You’ve made the best choice out of a pair of challenging options. Rest assured, when Gary makes his claim, I’ll tie him up in enough bureaucratic knots to buy you the time needed to grow your power,” Tzes’zod said. Though he didn’t have facial expressions, I thought I detected a hint of approval in his reply.
“Now, it looks like I have several other decisions to make,” I said, noting the glowing system notices awaiting my attention.
“Indeed, and once you’ve decided on your new destination, the system will likely allow Gary to make his move. Though I must leave you for a time, I’ll be ready to answer the call when you need to respond to Gary,” Tzes’zod assured me as he exited through a portal.
For some reason, I felt a bit more worried when he was gone. I knew that our agreement would allow him to negotiate for me, but it would have also been nice to get his take on my class evolution options. A second worry entered my mind, and I realized that I didn’t want to become too reliant on Tzes’zod’s help. We were allies in keeping things as they were in the personal space, but that didn’t mean he was necessarily my friend.
Shaking off the other concerns for a moment, I activated the new class evolution options I had been offered.
Based on the myriads of experiences you’ve faced during your time as a summoned being, and your overall effectiveness, two options for your class evolution will be offered.
Please select and familiarize yourself with your new class, and then, your new destination may be selected. At that time, you will also get a chance to review any changes to your Personal Space.
- Horde Bringer. The Horde Bringer class allows you to summon large numbers of minions to do your bidding. Overwhelm your foes with hordes of minions or put those numbers to work in a non-combat environment where they can earn you additional wealth.
The Horde Bringer can choose from several minion types, and the selections offered will be based on your past summoning experiences. Please note that these minions, while numerous, will be called to your side at a significantly reduced Tier and Rank compared to your own.
While the Horde Bringer class is not one focused on personal combat, this class evolution will grant you additional personal power based on how many of your minions are on the field. You will also be granted the ability to hide among your minions, removing you from view and mitigating any damage you receive by sharing it among your horde.
- Contracted Summoner. The Contracted Summoner answers the summoning call of others not based on random system decisions, but on pre-arranged contract offerings. These contracts may be for extended or short durations, and in addition to system rewards, the summoners requesting your aid may offer additional enhancements to make their offer more attractive to you.
As a Contracted Summoner, you will be able to bring a limited number of minions with you on each contract. These minions will match your Tier and Rank, and you will be able to select them from a range of options featuring your prior minions and other creatures you’ve encountered during your summonings.
While the Contracted Summoner class evolution is not focused on personal combat, you will be granted several of your chosen minion’s abilities to bring with you on each summoning. The number of abilities, spells, or skills will vary based on the minions selected and your current tier and rank.
There were only two options, but both piqued my interest. I liked the idea of being a summoner, and the system must have picked up on that fact when it crafted the pair of classes it was offering me. I now had to choose from two very different paths. On the one hand, the Horde Summoner would give me an army of weaker minions. On the other hand, the Contracted Summoner would allow me to bring a small, elite team with me.
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The system was rather light on details, as it usually was, but one thing stuck out between the two options. Other than the just the quality over quantity question, only the Contracted Summoner seemed to follow a path that at least somewhat similar to my time as a summoned being. The Horde Bringer didn’t seem to offer the structure that the other class offered, and I would be a bit on my own in unfamiliar territory with it.
I sat in my rocking chair and contemplated the options. While at least the initial experience of becoming a summoned being had been a frightening and stressful one, I had learned to enjoy it more than I had suspected. Getting to visit the various worlds, and in some cases, make a positive change for my summoners, wasn’t a bad life. I could also likely do some good, especially back on an inducted Earth, with the Horde Bringer class and an army of weak, but numerous, minions.
There was also the consideration of which would be better in a showdown against Gary. While I needed to determine what type of future I wanted, I had to beat him if I was to have any future at all. The question was, which class would help me beat my tenant turned tyrant?
Would the Horde Bringer allow me to climb tiers and ranks faster than the Contracted Summoner? Thinking about my past interactions with Gary, I’d seen his power, and I doubted an army of low tier and rank minions would give him much trouble. The only caveat was the class feature that increased my strength in relation to the number of minions I had summoned.
Still, Gary was extremely intelligent and would likely notice if my power started to wane as he killed off my horde. The Contracted Summoner class would allow me to bring more powerful minions to the fight, and they would be able to stand up better to the powers that I expected Gary to have at his command. I made a decision, and felt that the best option for defeating Gary, and the one I was most excited to explore after Gary’s defeat, was the Contracted Summoner class.
You have selected the Contracted Summoner class evolution. Please stand by as changes are made to you personally and the new class features are implemented. Any existing summoning points and consumables that enhance class, minions, or other features of your past class will be integrated into the new class and enhance the abilities, skills, gear, and stats offered to you and your minions.
Unlike when you were a summoned being, your class is not required to randomly answer summoning requests, and instead will review and decide on various offerings submitted to you. These offerings come from a variety of sources and may be accessed at your revised Personal Space, as well as at designated special locations, such as the city of Somhagen.
Please note that many class abilities, skills, and spells will be drastically changed, or possibly eliminated, from your previous class.
My vision blurred and I felt myself pulled back into the void by the system. When I snapped back into reality, I felt odd, like my body was in flux and not completely solid as more system information began to appear.
Your new class has upgraded many of your current stats. Going forward, the Contracted Summoner will gain the following stats.
Strength: Strength is secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your current Strength to better match your new class needs.
Agility: Agility is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Agility to better match your new class needs.
Constitution: Constitution is a secondary stat and will increase by 1 point for every 5 ranks you earn. You have been granted an increase to your Constitution to better match your new class needs.
Mind: Mind is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point for every rank you gain. As a Contracted Summoner, you will gain 2 mana for every point of Mind you possess. Your Mind stat was deemed sufficient for current class requirements and has remained the same.
Presence: Presence is a primary stat for your class and will increase by 1 point at every odd rank you gain. Presence will affect not only your ability to negotiate contracts, but also will enhance your minions. Your Presence stat was deemed sufficient for your current class requirements and has remained the same.
You have gained a new stat: Reputation.
Reputation is a measure of your reliability and skill as a Contracted Summoner. The higher your Reputation, the better the contracts that you can attract will become, and the higher you can set your fees. Refusing multiple contracts, ending them early, or performing poorly may not only affect your Reputation score, but can also add additional adverse notations to your Reputation.
The Reputation stat is gained only by performing and completing summonings and does not increase with Tier or Rank gains. After consulting your past summoning record, and considering existing consumables and Summoner Points, you will start with a Reputation score of 25.
Reputation was new, but I figured the system needed some way to advise potential clients of how reliable and effective I was. There was also some discomfort as I gained two points in strength, two in constitution, and one in agility, but the pain was brief and passed quickly. My new class would also allow me to gain stats at a faster pace than I had as a Foe Commander.
As I got familiar with my newly enhanced stats, further class changes were flashing in the corner of my vision, just waiting for me to explore them.