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Chapter 245: The Family Glorp
🕑 Added 2025-10-11 16:00:29 +0000 UTC“You’re doing too much again, Glorp! Dave’s going to be mad!” Orglina yelled as Glorp shut the door to the room he had asked his family to meet them in.
He ignored her complaints, much like he ignored the fact that he said this was a family-only meeting and that she had brought along Red anyway. In truth, he was somewhat happy she had. It added another person to his plans, and he was grateful to bear for everything she had done during the attack. It was likely that he and his sister would have both been killed without her help.
He took one last quick glance over his class before closing out the menu. He had been studying in detail before his family arrived. He had plans that directly involved class choices that he wanted to discuss with them, and using his own as a reference point seemed like the right idea.
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Courier
The Courier is a basic class for someone who wishes to move items from one location to another. It is one of the most rudimentary classes, but despite that fact, it possesses many opportunities for growth for those willing to push at the edges. Finding those use edge cases allows a user to quickly push against the lowered expectations others may have of the class.
Path of Delivery {10/10 Timely Deliveries}
Path of Delivery focuses on the host’s ability to get from one place to another without losing the material or message they need to carry. While many begin this path walking, most quickly begin to run. A few of the most dedicated may find even swifter courses.
-Move Your Ass {1.5E4/1.5E4 Experience} <Skill>
You’ve got places to be. The Move Your Ass skill helps you navigate crowds as you travel, quickly finding a path as you head for your destination. Further ranks increase your ability to pass through the thickest of crowds undeterred.
-Move Your Ass\Run {50/50 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Move Your Ass bonuses now synergize with any skill that contains the word run. The ranks from those skills apply to Move Your Ass as long as the skill itself would be active when otherwise using Move Your Ass.
-Move Your Ass\Swim {50/50 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Move Your Ass bonuses now synergize with any skill that contains the word swim. The ranks from those skills apply to Move Your Ass as long as the skill itself would be active when otherwise using Move Your Ass.
-Move Your Ass\Drive {50/50 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Move Your Ass bonuses now synergize with any skill that contains the word drive. The ranks from those skills apply to Move Your Ass as long as the skill itself would be active when otherwise using Move Your Ass.
-Move Your Ass\Fly {0/250 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Move Your Ass bonuses now synergize with any skill that contains the word fly. The ranks from those skills apply to Move Your Ass as long as the skill itself would be active when otherwise using Move Your Ass.
-Tracking {100/100 Levels}
Couriers need to get where they need to get. To that end, Tracking allows the user to keep their destination in mind at all times, creating a mark in their vision of where they need to go. This effect directly opposes other effects at obscuring a destination, and the mana cost will fluctuate based on attempts to overcome concealed targets. Should the user’s core mana prove insufficient for the current task, the mark will vanish.
-Tracking\Persistent Marker {0/150 Levels}
Utilizing Persistent Market allows the Courier to maintain the last location their destination was at within view, regardless of mana costs. While this will not account for the potential of the destination to change locations, it will always point true to the initial location tracking targeted until the destination has been reached.
-Persistent Market\Log Book {0/300 Levels}
Log Book allows the Courier to keep a list of locations visited. This allows for easier travel in the future and can decrease mana costs associated with tracking abilities. As with all tracking, this will only mark the original location of the destination and cannot be changed even if that destination has been moved.
-Transporting {2.0E5/2.0E5 Experience} <Skill>
A Courier’s life often requires the delivery of goods and not just messages. The Transporting skill helps with that, allowing for items to be safely stowed and locked away on their person. This allows the Courier to remain unaffected by an item they carry as long as it remains safely within the transporting field. Further ranks increase the number of items that may be carried.
-Transporting\Shelf Life {100/100 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Anything being transported within the Courier’s Transporting ability is sealed under a time statis field. As long as the transportation field holds, it will be as though no time has passed from the moment the item is placed within the field.
-Transporting\Bump in the Road {100/100 Levels} <Skill Enhancement>
Physical obstacles no longer affect anything within the transportation field. Only the willful movement of the courier may move anything within their transportation fields as long as they are able to maintain them.
Path of Utility {5/5 Edge Cases Discovered}
There are unlimited ways to use anything. Almost none of these use cases will be the way the object was original intended to be used. The Courier on the Path of Utility becomes an expert in finding the best edge case for the situation. Understanding that the round peg often fits in the square hole is the first step on this path.
-Hammerspace {1.0E3/1.0E3 Levels}
Unused space exists everywhere. Between all frames of existence, from the smallest particle to the largest star, there is a constant emptiness. Hammerspace allows the Courier to become aware of these spaces and how they may be linked together.
-Hammerspace\Storage Space {50/50 Levels}
Not everyone wants their dedicated storage tied to the System. Most have no choice. The Courier who has discovered Hammerspace has gained a risky alternative. Within these empty spaces, they can begin to store things of their choosing. This does not cover retrieval.
-Hammerspace\Recall {100/100 Levels} <Skill>
The Recall skill allows the Courier to retrieve things stored within Hammerspace. The mana used to do so will directly influence the rate of success. The user must know the exact item they wish to Recall. Further ranks in the skill decrease the mana costs.
-Hammerspace\Ambient Collection {150/150 Levels} <Skill>
Ambient Collection allows a Courier on the Path of Utility to collect left behind objects for later potential use. Anytime the Courier passes by a refuse heap, discarded object, or anything of the like, there is a chance that some of the items within will be moved to Hammerspace. Further skill ranks increase this chance.
-\Ambient Collection\Making Do {0/200 Levels} <Skill>
No one can predict everything they will need, or even know they will need it when the moment strikes. Making Do allows the Courier to draw forth an item from Hammerspace that was placed there without them needing to know what the item was. It will not tell them how or why it will be useful to the given situation, but the item will never truly be useless. Further ranks in the skill increase the usefulness of the item found.
-Borrowed Talent {50/50 Levels}
Whenever the user is around a member of a different class, they may replicate their class abilities. Doing so will still require the same prerequisites. This means that a novice cannot just replicate a master level ability.
-Borrowed Talent\Acquired Talent {100/100 Levels} <Skill>
Borrowed Talents may be held as an Acquired Talent as long as at least one hundred hours have been spent in their use. Unlike most skills, skill ranks in this skill each apply to an Acquired Talent, and the only way to move a Borrowed Talent to an acquired one is to utilize a free skill rank.
-\Acquired Talent\Woodworking {5/5 Woodworking Skills} <Skill Enhancement>
The Woodworking class feature allows all woodworking-related skills to synergize together, to further speed up the construction of anything built with lumber.
Acquired from Handyman Class (Trolke Grilson)
-\Acquired Talent\Mastered Talent {10 Levels}
This ability may be unlocked more than once. Every time it is used, it applies to a new Acquired Talent. All Master Talents become a core part of the user’s class when they fortify their core, removing the need to use a skill rank to hold the talent.
Current Mastered Talents
Woodworking
-\Mastered Talent\Path Evolution {0/1000 Levels}
Path Evolution allows a Courier to take their Mastered Talents and combine them together to fully unlock a new class path within the Courier orb. It requires ten Mastered Talents, and every time it is triggered, it may cause the class orb to undergo an evolution.
Times Unlocked: 0
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Glord, Gorpila, and Lorgela soon joined their youngest sister in the room. Glorp smiled, still always happy to see them all together like this. And that was a big part of why it was time for this talk.
Dave needed help. He would never ask for it. That just wasn’t who he was, but he needed it nonetheless, and Glorp had just the family to start working on that. There were too many things the man was trying to do on his own, things that he needed to start delegating. So Glorp had had the idea to take the first part of it off the man’s hands, even if he suspected he wouldn’t let them do it alone just yet.
“So, what’s the family meeting about? Are we about to fight more jesters?” Glord asked as he grabbed a seat at the table.
“No. At least I hope not. I actually want to talk to all of you about the future,” Glorp replied. He looked over each of them as he did.
Orglina, being the youngest, had naturally grown the most since they had arrived on Earth. A lot of her old fears had finally started to subside, and she had been coming out of her shell before the attack. He hoped that hadn’t changed. She was smarter than any of them and likely to go far given the chance. That was part of why he wanted her involved here.
Glord was nearly the complete opposite of Orglina. He had found a spot more inside himself than before. He didn’t act out or get into fights, as had been an old problem of his. No, instead, Glorp had found his brother trying to learn about the local plants and animals. He especially seemed interested in all the different trees. Something about the nature he was now surrounded by had helped him find a sense of calm he had always been lacking.
Lorgela looked so much like their mother, and she had the same fierce attitude. If she had been older, she’d have easily been the one to take care of them all. But now, hopefully, that burden would never pass to her. She would be free to find her own purpose.
His oldest sister hadn’t surprised him at all. She had just continued being herself, and he was just as happy for her as he was for all his other siblings. She was free to learn and follow her passions. All that had changed was how much access she had to follow them. While currently she was training under Rabyn, he knew that would only be the start. Much like himself, she would want to learn it all if possible.
“Did you find Uncle Glarppp?” Lorgela asked, looking hopeful.
“Not yet, but Pryte is trying,” Glorp answered with a reassuring smile. He wasn’t sure if the man was alive or not, but if he was, he would find him. “No the reason I asked everyone here is we need to start planning for the future.”
“Wait, is something happening? We don’t need to leave, do we?” Orglina asked with fear in her voice.
“No, no, nothing like that. Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. What I mean is that we need to be able to help Dave more. I want you all to start thinking about what kind of classes and training you want to start working on. It’s time for Glord and Orglina to form their cores, I think as well. I want us all to start working on dungeon delves together. That way, we can take some of the pressure off the others,” Glorp answered.
“Oh my god! You want us to form a dungeon delving team! That’s amazing! Wait, can Red come? She could be our muscle!” Orglina shouted, her tone that of pure child-like excitement at the news.
“Yes, she can. Well, assuming she wants to, I guess. Do you want to Red?” Glorp asked, looking at the large bear.
“I do wish to protect my new friends. If you would have me, I will learn what I can to help,” Red answered, giving them all a grin that showed off just how sharp her teeth were. “Plus, I suppose I should not let the moose show me up.”
“Okay, good. Then I guess that’s settled. So onto the harder parts. Without Mel here to whip us into shape, we are going to have to do it ourselves. That means no more slacking. Every single day, we are going to train for this. And if you two don’t have your cores formed by the time we leave for the delve at the end of the week, you can’t come,” Glorp said seriously.
He also intended to find them their own classes. At least, other than Gorpila, she was set. Whatever Rabyn had given her, he would trust that it was what was best for her. Some ideas floated around his head, though finding them might be difficult. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.
“Um, is Orglina old enough for a core?” Lorgela asked, interrupting his train of thought.
“From what I understand, it shouldn’t be that big of a problem. Now to do this best, both she and Glord will need to spend a lot of time around the cloud tree, as that’s where our mana flow is the strongest,” Glorp explained.
Truthfully, the answer was she probably wasn’t, at least not conventionally, but they were well past conventionally, and he already talked to Karlinovo and Quarilyn about this. There was no real reason she couldn’t form her core. It was just usually held off on to give people more time to grow.
This was because most people only had the Arena as an option to get any kind of start in life these days, and kids just didn’t do well there. Glorp knew he’d never have survived that first floor if he hadn’t run into Connie and Dave, and he had zero intention of sending his family down that path anytime soon, either. No, he had a different direction in mind.
The Spiral had a massive shortage of those willing to take on dungeons. This was the perfect opportunity for him and his family to find their spot within the empire. What they really needed to do, though, was find a way to add a dungeon core to their group. It wasn’t that he wanted to be like Dave and Corey. It was more, that he wanted the extra insights that could be gleaned by adding one. Plus, it would help him know when they were in over their head and needed to call in Dave for backup.
“I wanna be a battle druid!” Glord shouted out, joining his younger sister in her excitement.
Glorp wasn’t remotely surprised by his choice. “We will figure out all your classes as soon as we can, but keep in mind some may be harder than others to find.” This was easier said than done, but he had access to at least two former librarians who he had a feeling could help.
“Can we get a class for Red? Can primal mana beasts have classes?” Orglina blurted out as she leaned against the bear.
“I don’t actually know,” Red replied.
“Neither do I. I didn’t even think about that. Actually, no, I think I read about it once. There was a dog named Daisy, I think. We should talk to Elody, I’m sure she’d know,” Glorp added. It was a topic he knew very little about.
“Well, I think it’s decided, big brother. We are about to form our little dungeoneering team,” Gorpila said with a giant smile.
What he hadn’t told them yet was the pile of dungeon delving books he had been grabbing from the recovered archive’s collection every chance he got. There was going to be far more to this training than just the physical aspects. They were going to learn every tiny detail they could about dungeons, monsters, and whatever else was needed to make sure they stayed safe while they did this.
He wondered briefly that since Red wanted to join them, perhaps the other primal mana beast would as well. Was it even able to speak yet? That was something to look into later.
There is this strange shock that often runs across the faces of your friends and family once you start to question any sort of blind obedience. I was warned that by accepting this calling, it was something I’d experience far more than I thought possible. And while I’m not sure that is exactly how I’d phrase it. It is a truth, one of the few universal ones, I think.
It seems that the more I examine the framework that governs our lives, the more I uncover rules, laws, or even just routines that so many people go about in their daily existences, never questioning. It isn’t so much that this upsets me. I understand that examining the actions you take on that level requires a mental labor that most people have neither the time nor the desire to do.
I just wish I weren’t forced into the role of pariah every time I dared to do it myself. It is not a sin to demand explanations before actions. I will not do something solely because that is the way it has always been done.
The Diaries of Xxlptr Paladin of Anarchy
Comments
David Ellis
How many bits is an extra extra large pointer? 🤔
Ty
woo!
