Otter whirled around. "Did anyone else just get a System notification?"

They all instinctively raised their wrists, scrolling through glowing screens.

"Nope," said Jasper, shaking his head.

"Nothing here," Sage murmured, brow furrowed.

"I just got access to a Class," Otter said.

Erin's eyes went wide. "Well, don't just stand there!" she said, half-laughing, half-panicked. "Tell us what it is."

Otter swiped through the menu. His wrisplay shimmered, then displayed a prompt in glowing text.

New Class Available.

Choose Your Class.

Available Classes: Luckborn

He blinked. "It says… Luckborn. I've never heard of it."

"Sounds made up," Jasper said.

"Most Classes do," Liora replied.

"You gonna read it aloud, or keep us guessing?" Levi asked, only half-teasing.

Otter hesitated. His wrisplay shimmered in his palm. "Give me a second," he said. "I want to read it first. Make sure I understand."

"Fair," said Sage. "Take your time."

He turned slightly away from the others, letting the screen fill his vision. His fingers trembled slightly as he swiped again, bringing up the Class details.

Description

Woven into the tapestry of fate are rare threads that shimmer with possibility—these are the Luckborn. Touched by the mysterious forces that govern chance and destiny, they wield improbable fortune as others wield blades or spells. In battle and beyond, improbability becomes their ally; the arrow bends, the storm parts, the coin lands just so. Whispers speak of ancient powers and long-forgotten pacts tied to their strange gifts, though none can say for certain where this luck begins. Wherever chaos reigns and outcomes teeter, the Luckborn stands—an enigma, a miracle, a myth in motion.

Otter felt a chill run through him as the text glowed softly on his screen.

Core Traits

Primary Stat Luck

Life Force 6/Level

Skill Points Special: see Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Luckborn are proficient with all simple weapons, plus one martial weapon of choice. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Class Features

Jack of All Trades- Luckborn can assign skill points to any skill without restriction.

Beginners Luck- Whenever a Luckborn attempts a skill in which they have no ranks, they may roll 1d20 + their Luck modifier as a special check.

If the total is 20 or higher, they immediately gain 1 rank in that skill, and it is treated as a Class Skill from that point forward.

With a 19 or less, it remains an untrained skill and receives no bonuses on subsequent skill checks until they reach the next level, at which time, they may try again.

Luck's Whisper- Luckborn are subtly attuned to the murmurs of fate and chance. Whenever the Luckborn passes within 5 feet of a hidden object, trap, secret passage, concealed clue, or otherwise unnoticed feature, they become immediately aware of its presence. Upon triggering this awareness, the Luckborn must immediately make a Reflex save. Failure requires a price.

Lucky Shot- You may add your Luck modifier to attack and damage rolls with ranged or finesse weapons.

Accept: Yes No

Without hesitating, Otter touched Yes.

A warmth blossomed deep inside him and quickly spread through to his extremities. He suddenly felt full of energy, like he could run ten miles without slowing.

Levi leaned closer, eyes wide. "So? What's it do? What's it called?"

Otter glanced at them all, then back at his screen. "It's called Luckborn."

Jasper gave a low whistle. "Well, that explains… everything about your entire life."

Erin grinned. "I knew there had to be a Class for being impossible."

He double-tapped the screen, sending it back to his profile view.

There it was, right below his name and Level.

Name: Dwayne Shi'longh Bennett (Otter)

Level: 1 XP: 1800

Class: Luckborn Life Force: 6

He finally had a Class.

Then he took a longer look at the screen, and his eyes widened. "Wait. I've got eighteen hundred experience points?"

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"That can't be right," Milo said. "You just got a Class. You should be starting at zero."

Otter tapped the icon. "That's what I thought."

Sage tilted her head. "Maybe the System's been tracking your experience all along. Even before you had a Class."

Jasper blinked. "So being Classless doesn't mean being worthless."

Erin nodded. "Makes sense. He's been training, fighting, risking his life. Why wouldn't that count?"

Just then, another message popped up.

You have enough XP to Level Up.

Level Up now?

Yes No

Otter stared at the glowing [Yes] icon. "Well," he muttered, "only one way to find out."

He pressed it.

New Class Features Unlocked.

Stat Flux- On level up, each Stat has a 16.66% chance to increase by 1. This replaces typical Stat increases at later levels.

Recalculating Base Stats.

A cascade of numbers and text streamed across his tiny display, before finally settling.

No Stat bonuses indicated.

Well, that's disappointing, thought Otter. But still pretty cool. His disappointment was short-lived, however, as new text appeared.

New Feature Gained: Bend Luck

Bend Luck – You gain a number of Luck Points per day equal to half your level (rounded down). You may spend a Luck Point to gain advantage on any roll.

He had learned all about rolls and other System mechanics last semester. It still didn't make complete sense to Otter how everything worked. How would he know if he had made a roll? But having an advantage in a crucial moment could only be… well… advantageous.

+6 Life Force

+4 Skill Points

Assign Skill Points now?

Yes No

Otter considered only briefly before deciding he wasn't ready to make those decisions yet. He would need time to think through his options, and now was not the time. "I just got bumped to Level 2. I think Sage's theory was correct."

Erin threw her arms around him. "That's amazing!"

He hugged her back, smiling. "Feels weird," he admitted. "Like I've been climbing a mountain for years, and now I'm finally standing on a ledge."

Jasper grinned. "Wait till you see the view."

"Or fall off," Milo muttered, though without venom. "Still not sure the System is done being weird."

That comment brought Otter back to reality. The thrill of gaining a Class, of finally being seen by the System, ebbed as a deeper, colder awareness settled in. He hadn't just leveled up. He hadn't just changed his own fate.

He had changed the System.

Fundamentally. Permanently. Irreversibly.

A pressure settled behind his eyes—an almost physical weight. Despite the warmth still buzzing through his limbs, a chill crept up his spine. "You're right, Milo. We need to prepare ourselves for what comes next."

"And what would that be?" asked Levi.

"I don't know. I had the compass to guide me up to this point."

Erin cocked her head. "Well, we've done what we came to do, right? How about we go home?"

Milo nodded vigorously. "I like that idea."

"Great. So what's our exit strategy?" Levi asked.

Otter didn't have an answer. No one did. They cast their gazes around the room but saw no doors, no archways, no suddenly appearing passages.

"Wonderful," griped Levi. "No exit strategy. That's a basic tenet of dungeoneering. Always have an exit strategy."

"Not helping," said Liora, stepping beside him.

Otter frowned, rubbing his temple. "Gale said there was a way back."

"Did he say what it was?" Milo asked, glancing at the walls again as if a door might blink into existence.

"No," Otter admitted, "but most of what he wrote had layers. Hidden meanings. Remember the statue room? Maybe that line about a way back was more literal than I thought. Spread out. Start searching the room. There has to be something."

They scattered, each fledgling adventurer taking a different section of the room as they looked for something—anything—that would help them escape. After only a moment, something about the room changed. Shadows began flickering, even though there was no firelight to cause it. Wisps of darkness curled at the edges of things. It reminded Otter of the illusory schoolhouse.

Then Sage froze. "Something's coming," she hissed.

Otter straightened. The hair on his arms rose. The air changed—not colder, not warmer, just stranger. He couldn't describe it. It felt like being watched. Not from any one direction, but from all of them. A presence was threading through the edges of the room. Something significant, but slippery. It felt like trying to remember the face of the shadowy figure in the alley.

"What is it?" whispered Milo.

Sage didn't respond because at that moment, the presence spoke. "That which is hidden… is not lost." The voice came from no direction, yet seemed to speak directly into Otter's ear, into all their ears.

Somehow, Otter knew exactly who was speaking to them. He twisted up his courage and responded in a hoarse whisper. "Hello Altheris."

The voice came again, low and layered. It carried the weight of centuries and the softness of secrets. A feminine cadence, but not gentle. Sharp, like a knife sliding under skin. "I am the whisper in the night, the keeper of secrets, and that which hides in the shadows."

"We need to get out of here."

"The eye that sees beyond shall find the path, but hurry you must. My sister self works quickly. Already, agents of the Architect approach. Find the path. Trust the key that sees through veil and vow."

It was now or never, Otter decided. Time to ask his question. "Where is my father?"

There was a moment of silence before the voice answered. "One question. One answer. Elias Bennett is caught in a web of despair, bound and guarded by those who twist fate for their own ends in the shade of the Shattered Spire."

Otter wanted to shout a hundred more questions. Where was this Shattered Spire? Why was being held captive? Who were those that twisted fate to their own ends? But the voice slithered away. The presence retreated just to the edges of perception. He knew he'd gotten as straight an answer as he was likely to get, and his heart soared. His father was alive.

"Um, what was that about?" Levi asked.

"Altheris," said Sage in a reverent tone. "At least, one of her aspects."

"What about our way out?" Jasper asked. "She said something about that, right?"

Pulling himself back to the moment, Otter repeated, "The eye that sees beyond shall find the path. Trust the key that sees through veil and vow."

"Ugh, why couldn't she just tell us?"

"I think that's the whole Keeper of Secrets thing."

"Would everyone be quiet!" Milo shouted. "I'm trying to think. She said we need to hurry because someone is getting close. I'm willing to bet it's that Marcus guy. I don't know about you, but I really don't want him to catch us. I mean, we already did the thing he told us not to. I'm guessing he's going to be a lot less friendly than before."

That got everyone to focus.

"The key that sees through veil and vow. What does that mean?" asked Erin.

Levi rubbed the back of his neck. "It's metaphorical, right? Some item, maybe—something that can see through illusions or deception."

"'Veil and vow,'" Sage repeated softly. "The veil must be illusion… or secrecy. The vow could mean protection. A ward, maybe? Something sacred?"

"Or something hidden behind a promise," Liora added, almost to herself.

Otter furrowed his brow. "She said eye that sees beyond."

"That could mean vision," Milo said, pacing. "Divination magic, or… something enchanted to see what's otherwise hidden."

Otter's hand drifted down to the compass hanging from its chain. "Wait. See through." He held the artifact up. "The compass doesn't just point to where you want to go—it sees the path. It showed us the symbols. It spun and glowed and reacted to my presence."

"But it isn't doing anything now," said Levi.

Otter inspected the compass closely. The glass face of the compass was cracked. The symbols around the edges no longer glowed. The needle inside swung lazily back and forth. He had an idea. Gingerly, he twisted the face. It moved. Then, with urgency, he unscrewed it until it came free from the casing. He held up the lens and peered through it, sweeping it back and forth across the room.

There—at the far side of the chamber—he saw a faint shimmer. A thin line of light etched across the wall, only visible through the cracked glass.

Otter's breath caught. "It's there."

He stepped forward, holding the compass out like a monocle. As he moved, more of the outline became visible. A doorway, perfectly camouflaged to mundane sight, glowed like silver thread behind the lens.

"Found it," he said.

Milo let out a sound between a laugh and a groan. "Thank the gods. Let's hope it leads home."

Otter nodded, then turned to the others. "Let's not waste any more time."

One by one, they stepped through the portal.

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