Histaff

by Andries Louws

  He carefully walks up the gentle slope, his eye flames immediately adjusting to the dark interior. Grimy metal panelling is all he sees. As bright as the outside of the vessel is, so dark are its insides. Looking around, Douglas has the feeling that he can do something about that. He walks along the walls of the cargo bay, keeping an eye out for something.

  It takes him a mere half hour before he finds it. A small, black panel is located next to a small collection of switches and buttons. Douglas methodically pushes them all. He freezes the moment when the third button causes bright lights to switch on. Streaks of grime, layers of dust, and all kinds of stains, dents, and scratches cover every single available surface, blindingly illuminated. Douglas does not really care about that, though. Instead, his attention is piqued by the outline of a door. Walking over to the middle of the back wall, he pushes the door open.

  “… No, Charly. I never want you to leave. Ever since you infibricalated my hydrecknoid, I’ve been unable to get that image and feeling out of my flaps.”

  “…ocks went through the roof. The irresponsible behaviour of the elusive heir has caused many investors to lose faith in their future. Ancheevi announced their projected earnings and plans a few hours after this news was released, causing even more sectors to flock to …”

  “… baddest disintegrators in the galaxy. Even the voidspawn from outside the rim won’t be a threat once you equip your vessel with our magnificent weapons. Spektar incorporated holds no liable responsibility for any misuse or user fatalities that mi…”

  A sea of noise washes over the skeleton the moment he opens the door. Looking inside, his auditory senses are overwhelmed as multiple sources of sound vie for his attention. Douglas’ helmet bumps against the doorway as he sticks his head through the gap. A rather cosy room is what he sees. Lazy couches of odd dimensions, chairs of odd shapes, and a diagonal table give the room a rather homely feel. The dirty carpet and junk give a rather trashy and filthy air to the place. Douglas also sees multiple holographic displays, tablets, and smaller items flickering with light and sound.

  “… finalised the divorce procedure. Arnita Golash remains married to four of the seven Deep Space Fine members. Fans of the boyband are outraged at the internal schism that the actress and singer has caused. Reports of multi-billion assassination contracts taken out on Arnita have appeared in a few of the more fanatical sectors. The child remains anonymous so far, and will …”

  “… capital ship clearing the sector. The CHCS Purgatory is as of yet the only ship diverting from the plan. Representatives did not elaborate on the route change. For the first time in centuries, the grand sweep has changed course. In other news …”

  He spends a few minutes double checking the fact that he did, in fact, switch off the speakers inside his helmet. He experimentally switches the sound system on again. The volumes of the varying sound layers change a bit, but not much else changes. Confirming that - even though he is currently in a place with an atmosphere - he really shouldn’t be hearing this, Douglas walks on. He casts a few curious glances at the multiple items displaying video but recognises nothing. All in all, Douglas finds this a rather novel and new experience. The single hour of programming took a few hundred repeats before it got on his nerves, so the skeleton finds this deluge of noise more amusing than anything else.

  In the room are multiple doors, the living area acting as a hub to the other parts of the ship. Walking forwards to the front of the boat leads Douglas to a rather austere room. The trio of chairs and desks on the side are similar to the room with the escape capsules from before. Douglas takes his time and thinks about it for a bit. A mere two hours of thinking later, he comes to the conclusion that the small room is right in the middle of the ship.

  Exploring the rest of the vessel, he finds a wide array of rooms. Some he recognises, long forgotten memories hinting at the fact that the ship contains a few bedrooms. Others - like the small room with the holes in the floor - remain a mystery. He thinks he recognises a kitchen and a storage area. The sheer oddness of all the benches, weirdly shaped tables, and impossible storage areas have Douglas wondering if his guesses are even close to correct, though. All in all, he finds a lot of rooms and very few interesting things.

  He does find a couple of nWear suits, but they all contain the wrong number of limbs.

  Having finished the exploration of the vessel’s insides, Douglas sits down on one of the recliners that looks the least odd. There he just stares out into space for a while, processing the new influx of information he received. He reads some writing here and there, the myriad of warning labels and disclaimers that littered the kitchen area take him an especially long time to comprehend.

  Then the flood of hints, tips, and suggestions coming from nowhere stops, and Douglas starts wondering what to do once again.

  Finally, his easily distracted consciousness takes note of the angrily blinking blue dot at the bottom of his vision. He had been willing every single blue screen away the moment they popped up during his engraving spree, even firmly telling them not to bother him anymore. They had stopped appearing in his vision by the time he had a quarter of the ship covered in runes.

  So Douglas asks what they want of him.

  [ Regeneration lvl 10 ]

  [ Engraving lvl 10 ]

  [ New skill generated; Machine Operation lvl 7 ]

  The skeleton feels oddly disappointed when those few lines are the only blue boxes that appear. He was sure there had been loads more, the blinking blue dot had started flashing faster and faster. Clacking his teeth in annoyance, Douglas asks the boxes if he can please see what’s going on with himself.

  [ Name: Douglas ]

  [ Race: Arcane skeleton ]

  [ Level: 1 (0/100) ]

  [ Class: Scholar 4/4 (12) ]

  [ HP: 193/193 ][HP/h: 0.09 ]

  [ MP: 150/150 ][MP/h: 13 ]

  [ STR: 10 ]

  [ AGI: 7 ]

  [ CON: 23 ]

  [ VIT: 12 ]

  [ INT: 15 ]

  [ WIS: 14 ]

  [ Arcane Skeletal Constitution (Human) ]

  [ Darkvision ]

  [ Universal Language ]

  Again, Douglas suspects that he must be missing something. Weren’t the numbers different before? His mind may be slow but Douglas himself thinks he has a pretty good memory. At least, he is pretty sure he thinks so. He can’t quite remember at the moment. He'd understand if the numbers were higher. This entire experience point business inherently means that he will get better the more he has. Douglas is pretty sure he gathered quite a few through his inadvertent murdering of infected monstrosities, but now the numbers are lower?

  Clacking his teeth some more, Douglas wills the screen away and asks what the system means with the number twelve behind his scholar class.

  [ You have reached full skill mastery over the tier 1 scholar class. Please evolve the class. Note that the scholar class can’t be chosen again until the evolved class has reached tier 4 ]

  [ Tier 1 classes available: ]

  [ Craftsman ]

  [ Fighter ]

  [ Tier 2 classes available: ]

  [ Associate mage ]

  [ Associate wizard ]

  [ Associate arcanist ]

  [ Associate inscriptionist ]

  [ Associate enchanter ]

  [ Associate technomancer ]

  [ Associate phlogistonator ]

  [ Associate dephlogistonator ]

  [ Associate calcinator ]

  [ Associate decalcinator ]

  Douglas ignores the constant chattering in his ears. His auditory functions are still being bombarded with multiple and endless streams of noise as he reads through this new list. The high-tech soap opera fails to catch Douglas’ attention as he muses over the new words in front of him. The only time he is distracted from his studies is when a GalaxSec ad comes on. The big screen plastered across half the living room wall shines with bright blue colours, displaying a heroic figure. Amidst all the gun
commercials, alien sex ads, and spaceship trailers, Douglas watches the short story of a hero.

  This hero has four arms and no legs. His lower half is made from metal, which he uses to float along, Douglas assumes. This hero then stops a shipment of illegal narcotics that would have ruined the lives of millions when diluted and disseminated through the black market. Douglas cares not for the drugs nor the fame that’s lavished on the hero. No, Douglas can't help but stare at the neat, blue uniform worn by the hero.

  Then the screen switches over to a long-legged and many boobed women doing dizzying handstands while chugging some drink. The commercial is soon forgotten as Douglas focuses on the blue screens again.

  He was about to ask the boxes what they mean with a ‘mage’, so he resumes this line of thought.

  [ Associate mage; not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. Instead of following the path of the elements, the mage concentrates their efforts on a myriad of smaller utility spells ]

  A new world opens up for Douglas. Before, he thought that magic could only do five things. He thought that mana could only be used to turn metal or air into elemental attacks or to make annoying women follow him. Now he realises that magic can be so much more. The flames in his eye burn a little brighter as he requests information about the wizard class.

  [ Associate wizard; not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. The wizard concentrates their efforts on large scale spell works using rituals and their own domicile ]

  Slightly disappointed in the lacklustre amount of new information he receives, Douglas requests information about the next and last three unknown classes.

  [ Associate arcanist; not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. Skilled in animating material items through magic, the arcanist brings life to golems, doors, autonomous defences, and other magical constructs through embedded spells and mana stones ]

  [ Associate inscriptionist; not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. The inscriptionist concentrates their efforts on talismans, magical tomes, scrolls, and other writing through magical calligraphy using mana infused inks and papers ]

  [ Associate enchanter; not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. The enchanter imbues tools, weapons, armour, and other handheld magical items with a myriad of magical powers using permanent spell shapes ]

  The skeleton’s eyes flare up, magical flames licking at his eye sockets. He is an arcane skeleton. Was he made by an arcanist? No, he slowly realises. That happened over time. The first clear memories of his magic and the regrowing of his bones all have a distinct hint of green to them. That should have been something else.

  And then the boat. Was that the skillset of an inscriptionist or an enchanter? He employed calligraphy - although a rather clumsy form of that art - in order to enchant a large mechanical item. On the other hand, he used his very own finger bones to carve into the material, so that was a form of engraving. Douglas stands up and strides out of the ship, down the ramp. He walks around the slightly glowing vessel once, looking at the ground. He finds the tool Katare dropped - a large spanner - when he nearly stumbles across it.

  Douglas grabs it firmly, lifts it up, and halts. He knows what should happen, but there is still a little bit of uncertainty in his skull. The runes he inscribed all describe the soft becoming hard, but did he just waste a lot of time scribbling on some random object or did he actually change it?

  The first true crisis of confidence Douglas has ever had doesn’t really have time to develop as he smashes the tool down on the ship. It bounces off, not even leaving a mark. He smashes it down once more. And then again, this time with feeling.

  [ New skill learned; Hammering lvl 1 ]

  Douglas spends a good hour going to town on the vessel. His full efforts can’t even leave a scratch. He walks off towards a workbench, picking up and dragging a large, metal pipe back to the vessel with difficulty. He raises it and smashes it against the hull. A rather loud racket follows as the pipe vibrates out of his bony fingers, clattering to the floor with an ungodly noise. As if in response, loud noises sound from both ends of the massive hangar. Douglas ignores the tearing sounds of metal and horrible stomping, most likely due to the fact that he left his inbuilt speakers switched off. He then grins widely, content that the test proved conclusively that he did not just waste days of his endless life carving useless doodles.

  Thus, the skeleton selects associate arcanist with a content heart. He can already enchant and inscribe items with ease, why would he bother becoming better at that right now? The mage seems nice, but small spells just don’t seem suitable tools to use against hulking Histaff behemoths, and Douglas doesn’t even know what the word domicile means.

  [ Congratulations on reaching a tier 2 class. Tier 2 classes start giving permanent stat boosts. Advance all relevant skills to level 20 to advance ]

  [ Associate arcanist (0/6); not a complete novice, the associate can cast magic but is not skilled enough to be called an apprentice. Skilled in animating material items through magic, the arcanist brings life to golems, doors, autonomous defences, and other magical constructs through embedded spells and mana stones. Skills; meditation, mana sense, mana control, spell shaping, mana stone production, magical animation. +1 int, +1 wis ]

  [ New skill learned; Mana Stone Production 2 lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Magical Animation 2 lvl 1 ]

  Another flow of information floods Douglas’ mind, and he accepts it greedily. All of a sudden, he understands that while the engraved ship is indeed much sturdier than before, it will not last. The mana embedded into the carved symbols is of a temporary nature at best. Douglas tries sensing for this mana and indeed feels the power slipping from the carved grooves at a slow trickle. The hardening effect will disappear in a few months, he suspects. A new hint of information tells him it will be faster if he continues wailing on the thing, putting the enchantments under duress.

  To combat this degradation, he will need to produce and install a mana stone in order to guide and regulate the flow of power. He’ll also need to connect all the runes to this stone, using engraved channels to guide the flow of mana. Circulating mana through the stone, into the channels, into the runes, and back into the stone will increase the longevity of the entire enchantment by multiple factors.

  A faint tinge of disappointment blooms in his empty chest. Looking at the hull no longer feels satisfying. Instead, he starts to see more and more things that he should have done better. He realises once again that jumping headfirst into an undertaking is not the smartest thing to do. He really should have calculated the most secure stone location and figured out the optimal path to place mana lines. A careful consideration weighing the leftover space needed for reinforcement and mana channel width should have been the first steps.

  Disgruntled and slightly disillusioned, Douglas asks to see his available classes again.

  [ Tier 1 classes available: ]

  [ Craftsman ]

  [ Labourer ]

  [ Fighter ]

  Douglas eyes the new labourer class with a bit of confusion. His plodding thoughts are slightly muddled about the minimal differences between a craftsman and a labourer. He’s about to clack his teeth in annoyance but decides to just ask the blue boxes instead.

  [ Craftsman; the starting point for anyone involved with the creation of fine items, this class has been the humble beginning for even the most skilled weaponsmiths, armourers, woodcarvers, cooks, tailors, and more. Skills; Engraving, Smithing, Carving, Crafting. +Str, +Agi ]

  [ Labourer; the starting point for anyone tasked with performing feats of strength, this class has been the humble beginning for even the most skilled blacksmiths, farmers, farmhands, carpenters, butchers, and more. Skills; Hammering, Haulin
g, Gathering, Harvesting. +Str, +Vit ]

  [ Fighter; the starting point for anyone engaging in the art of war and battle, this class has been the humble beginning for even the most skilled generals, sword saints, archers, war priests, spell knights, and more. Skills; Punching, Footwork, Dodging, Blocking. +Str, +Agi ]

  More information seeps into his mind, his consciousness growing oddly weary at the seemingly never-ending stream of hints, tips, and meanings. Douglas pays this absolutely no heed, instead asking the blue boxes to make him a craftsman, labourer, and fighter.

  [ New skill learned; Smithing lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Carving lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Crafting lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Hauling lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Gathering lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Harvesting lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Footwork lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Dodging lvl 1 ]

  [ New skill learned; Blocking lvl 1 ]

  All kinds of odd things and thoughts are jammed inside Douglas’ skull as blue boxes fill his vision. Suddenly, he realises how to spot the best deadwood gathering spots in a forest. This thought is replaced as he understands what he did wrong when punching the slime a while back. Then he understands how to carve wood while using a simple knife. Then his skull is bombarded by a flood of information, clouding out his consciousness.