Specializations

POV: Darren

"Wait, you're serious?" Darren asked.

Yes.

He shook his head. "That's crazy."

Indeed.

"So what do I do now?"

Now, you may choose your TWO Specializations.

"Specializations, huh? Can you show me those again?"

Gladly.

A list of seven Specializations with short descriptions appeared on the display in front of him.

Striker --Strikers focused on combat and specialized in high damage output, via ranged or melee attacks.

Guardian --Guardians focused on defense and specialized in protecting their comrades.

Healer --Healers focused on support and specialized in healing wounds and buffing their allies.

Scout --Scouts focused on reconnaissance and specialized in stealth and damage output via long-range and melee attacks.

Commander --Commanders focused on battlefield control and tactics and specialized in buffing allies and debuffing enemies.

Breaker --Breakers focused on combat and specialized in area-of-effect damage and crowd control.

Cleric --Clerics focused on support and specialized in long-range damage and area-of-effect healing of allies.

Everything still felt surreal to Darren. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He looked over the list, taking in the details under each Specialization.

When he was a freshman in college, the University had a guest speaker give a speech one evening. He couldn't remember the speaker's name, though he thought the man was an expert in something called Krav Maga.

To be honest, Darren hadn't been supposed to be there. Not because he wasn't allowed, but because he had no real reason to be there. He had just wound up there by accident.

The event was for local martial arts experts and enthusiasts, of which he was neither. But it had seemed interesting, so he stayed and listened. One thing the speaker said stuck with him, and he hadn't been able to forget it.

The speaker said that if you wanted to win a fight, you needed to visit as much violence as possible on your enemies, as quickly as you possibly could. He said to overwhelm them immediately before they had a chance to retaliate.

Darren didn't know why that stuck with him, but there it was in his head. It made him think he should focus on a Specialization that would allow him to do exactly what the speaker had advised.

"Will I be able to change Specializations after choosing?" he asked.

Choices regarding Specializations will be final.

"Hmmm... I think I'd like to choose Striker for my first Specialization."

Are you certain?

"I think so. Why, do you think I should choose differently?"

Unfortunately, I cannot provide advice on which Specialization you should choose. That is for you alone to decide.

He looked through the list once more, and still, Striker stood out above all the others to him.

"Yes, I choose Striker as my first Specialization."

Specialization choice logged. Specialization choice accepted.

A warm energy spread through his body, heating up to the point of being almost uncomfortable, before subsiding a few moments later.

Congratulations, you have chosen the Striker Specialization. 

-Your melee and ranged attacks will now do increased damage dependent upon your level. 

-You have unlocked the [ABSORB] ability! 

-You have unlocked the [IMBUE] ability! 

-You have reached Level 2! 

-Congratulations on your progress!

"Thanks!" Darren said, feeling enthusiastic about everything. "I didn't realize I'd unlock an ability! Can you tell me more about that?"

Certainly. The [IMBUE] ability allows you to imbue melee weapons such as swords and daggers, as well as ranged weapons like handguns and rifles, with POWER. Imbuing melee and ranged weapons with POWER will strengthen them, making them more durable and increasing damage output. In addition, you can imbue ammunition with POWER, greatly increasing its damage output and maximum distance.

"Well, that sounds pretty cool... What is this POWER you're talking about?"

POWER is just an easy way to describe the ambient energy all around you. You can draw it from the environment around you, and then redirect it for a targeted purpose. This is the energy you will use for all of your abilities. That brings us back to the other ability you've unlocked, [ABSORB]. This ability is self-explanatory. You should try it now. You simply must focus on the energy and draw it toward yourself and into your body. This is an act of will, so you cannot simply hope that it will happen, you must make it happen.

"Okay, I'll try."

Darren closed his eyes, trying to sense the environment around him.

You don't have to close your eyes.

"Oh, I don't?" He chuckled at that. It just seemed like something he was supposed to do.

Nope.

"Well, okay then!"

With his eyes open, Darren tried again to sense the energy around him. It didn't take long for him to feel something, like a buzzing, in the air. It reminded him of lightning, which brought back to mind one of the notifications he saw earlier. He made a mental note to ask EDS about it in a moment.

The more he focused on the energy, the more apparent it became to him. He could sense it everywhere around him. He pushed his awareness out further, still able to sense the energy even hundreds of yards away from him. He smiled.

This is pretty freaking cool.

It wasn't just the energy he could sense, though. When he focused, the voices of those still partying became clearer and louder, as did the music coming from inside the sorority house. The smells seemed more potent, too.

His body felt like it was charged with electricity. Remembering what EDS said to do, he willed the energy nearby to move toward him. Like a flash of lightning, the energy zipped through the air and struck him. The jolt was uncomfortable, but not unmanageable.

The waves of POWER flooded through him, and the feeling was more intense than anything he'd ever felt before aside from when he was before the Great King. It took several minutes before the energy began to settle down. He could feel that it was still within him, ready and waiting to be unleashed.

"Well, EDS, that's... wild."

A word of advice. Don't take too much POWER in at once, because it could kill you.

"It could kill me? That's comforting..."

Just trying to keep you safe. Now, the [IMBUE] ability is just as simple and intuitive as the [ABSORB] ability. In fact, you will be able to understand all of your abilities intuitively. Plus, I will be here to assist you as more abilities are unlocked.

"You know, I think I like you, EDS."

That's good to know. I think you are acceptable as well.

Darren laughed aloud at that, drawing a few glances from those closer to the house. He realized he must look totally nuts out there talking to someone no one else could see or hear.

"I wanted to ask you, earlier I saw that I'd unlocked something called a Lightning Affinity. What's that?"

Your Affinity is the way in which you will most naturally be able to use POWER. You have unlocked the very rare Lightning Affinity, meaning that you will be able to create and manipulate electrical energy. You will also be able to charge your body, again, not too much at once, and move as one with the Lightning.

"But isn't this POWER I absorbed electrical energy?"

Not quite. POWER is energy, but it is more complicated than that. The easiest way to explain it is that POWER expresses itself in various ways, and to you, it does so in the form of electrical energy. To others without the Lightning Affinity, it won't feel the way that it does to you, and it will accomplish different things.

"Okay, well, I'm definitely going to have to experiment with that."

Indeed. You can now choose your second Specialization.

"Oh yeah, I'd kind of forgotten about that." He looked at the list of Specializations once more.

"Can you tell me more about the Commander Specialization?"

Certainly. Commanders are typically the leaders of other men and women. They have abilities that allow them to exert control over large-scale conflicts. They specialize in tactical awareness and the commanding of others to achieve the desired goal of victory. Commanders also have special abilities that allow them to strengthen, or buff, their allies, and to weaken, or debuff, their enemies. In addition, Commanders are the only Specialization able to establish and lead an Order, though other Specializations are able to establish and lead Guilds.

"That's interesting. Is an Order different than a Guild?"

Yes, an Order is different than a Guild in a few ways. Orders are led by a Commander and primarily serve a military function. Members of an Order are bound to their commander, and as a result, are granted certain buffs that are unable to be found elsewhere. Anyone knighted by a Commander becomes a part of his Order. In addition, the size and strength of a Commander's Order have a direct positive effect on the personal strength of the Commander himself. Guilds, however, are service-based. While Guild members will also engage in combat and defense of Earth, they also serve the public by completing jobs for them in exchange for compensation.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." This was all so much to take in at once. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but the party-goers had begun to trickle inside as the wind grew stronger. He could feel a slight mist in that same wind as it whipped across the street and through the front yard.

"I think I'd like to choose Commander as my second Specialization."

Specialization choice logged. Specialization choice accepted.

Once more, that warm energy filled him, spreading from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. It didn't feel as uncomfortable this time as it did before. Just like before, it subsided after a few moments, and a series of notifications popped up on the screen.

Congratulations, you have chosen the Commander Specialization. 

-You will now have greater influence over battlefields, which will allow you to access buff and debuff abilities exclusive to your Specialization. 

-You have unlocked the [KNIGHT] ability! 

-You have unlocked the [ORDER] ability! 

-You have reached Level 3! 

-You have received a Title Level Up, Storm Knight Level 2 

-Congratulations on your progress!