Mercy wants to get a 6th step class as soon as possible. Okay then.

A refresher on the class system, if you'll allow it. (I will ignore the non-combat classes for this exercise. I'll also ignore the 2 hidden variants of each regular class, since they offer different abilities, but fit into the class tree in the same spot as their originating class.)

There are six 1st step classes. Get to level 10 in a 1st step class and you get to choose one of six 2nd step classes. Assuming you meet the attribute requirements, which are pretty low, honestly.

Example: Level up Mage (1st step) and you unlock the 2nd step classes Wizard, Caster, Mentalist, Witch, Magician and Imbuer.

Level up a 2nd step class to 10 and have your stats up to snuff, and you'll unlock a single 3rd step class. Nothing complicated here.

Level up the 3rd step class to 10, however, and you unlock one "standard upgrade" 4th step class, but also a bunch of other 4th step classes depending on your stats.

Relevant example: Mercy already leveled the 3rd step class Runist to 10, and unlocked the main upgrade for that class, Enchanter. But she also has access to Genius, Detonator, Gear Heart, Justice, Cartographer, Raconteur, Archmage, Psion, Necromancer aaand Conjurer. Assuming she meets the stat requirements for each one.

So you get lots of options for your 4th step class. Which comes in handy for unlocking 5th step classes.

To unlock a 5th step class you need relevant stats up to 45, plus two different 4th step classes at level 10. Which two classes you get to level 10 makes a huge difference though. Each 4th step class can combine with four other 4th step classes to unlock a 5th step class.

Example: Enchanter can combine with Conjurer to unlock Synergist (hey I know that one!). Combine it with Scoundrel to unlock Runescrapper. Match Enchanter with Toxicologist to unlock Envenomer. And lastly (and importantly) combine with Justice to unlock Enshriner.

Which, wouldn't you know it, Mercy's 3rd step class unlocked both Enchanter and Justice, so she's not too far from her 5th step class. She's already at Enchanter 9, she needs 11 more levels to unlock Enshriner. Which, at the rate we've been grinding, is doable in about a week.

Most people don't conveniently have access to 2 linked 4th step classes, and have to start leveling up a 1st or 2nd step class, then a 3rd step class before unlocking their required 4th step. Remember that the XP you need to gain a level is based on your current class levels, not the class you're gaining levels in. So you don't get to quickly gain levels in low step classes if you need to branch out. Mercy is saving a LOT of time having access to both Enchanter and Justice.

But Mercy wants to hit 6th step. And 6th step classes are yet another whole different thing.

Each 6th step class is unique. It's created by the person gaining it. I created Astral Pathbreaker. My brother created "red lighting bitch face" (probably not the real name). We've got a few other 6th step guys and gals on our side, that I know of. Frost Olympian is the class of a famous Canadian hockey player. Nightmare Bringer became the class of some horror author. There's an Air Force lady with Jet Shifter. (She can literally transform into a jet.)

Creating a 6th step class requires having 250 in at least one attribute, and level 10 in at least one 5th step class. At least that's what it takes according to the Dracosys documentation. The other, hidden requirements are purpose and concept.

You have to have a purpose to gain a 6th step class. Everyone we know of who gained one was in some terrible situation when they got the opportunity. You can't just be grinding out fetch quests and killing 100,000 boars and suddenly become 6th step. There has to be a situation that almost requires the 6th step for you to survive.

The other big hurdle is that, even subconsciously, you have to know what your true power really is. For me it was multiclassing. For Canadian guy it was excellence on ice. Horror writer guy knew he was capable of terrifying people and things. The Air Force lady knew the jets she worked on were the most powerful weapons on the planet (debatable, if you ask me, but it worked for her.)

So to get to 6th step Mercy needs 21 levels, and to make sure she's putting her attribute points in the right spots to hit 250 in at least one. Which she's probably fine with already. She has 181 Toughness, because she didn't want to get beaten up again. Truthfully, if she wasn't so damn tough, my shadow clone's Astral Star copycat attack probably would have killed her. It certainly would have killed Odysseus, Ivy or Quins.

6th step is certainly possible for her. We just don't know what it'll look like.

-----

7/23

1st Studio Lot (Studios 1-5)

9:50 PM

"So aside from 21 levels-"

Mercy corrects me. "I'll need 22 to actually take the first level in the new class."

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We're on the deck of the Broken Crow. Up here we can keep enough distance from each other that I don't have to wear my fucking armor. Sorry, I've just been in my armor A LOT lately. I can breathe in it, but damn does it get sweaty.

"Right, 22 levels. You need to know what your true power is. Have you thought about that?"

She closes her eyes to think. Her yellow and white floral print sundress slowly flutters about her feet. Her shoes are sky blue flats. Her dark brown skin is deepened and enriched by the contrasting light colors. Her vibrant purple hair falls in gentle waves around her shoulders. The wind presses the thin dress against her, outlining her thick, seductive curves.

I don't believe in God, but I do know there's a goddess.

She opens her eyes and smiles at me. "Perv," she calls me.

"Only for gorgeous Pakistani girls, I assure you."

"Flirt."

"Tease."

She slides a hand down her chest, onto her belly, then over to her hip. "I'm not a tease if I follow through."

I turn around, walk over to the ship's mast and bash my head into it. Ahhhhhhhhhh she's so hot. I headbutt myself again. I can't touch her while I have Scourge. But GYAT DAYUM! I knock my head into the wood one more time.

"You okay?" she calls. She's on the verge of laughter.

"Fiiine," I reply, wiping blood from my forehead.

She giggles. She doesn't giggle often. I take it as a small victory.

"So there's something I feel like is true," she starts. "About me. And it's in my powers, too. It's... Improving. My costumes let me gain powers, become a different person. My enchanting powers let me increase stats and abilities. And when I get Judge, you said that class has access to area buffs."

"And debuffs, but yeah."

"But, I think that all works for me. For who I am. For who I've become. I want to keep getting stronger for me. I want to keep improving, keep upgrading, not just my stats and levels, but also who I can be. What my life is like."

I wait for her to explain, even though I think that I already understand her.

"After I was almost murdered, I got into cosplay. I wanted to be someone else. Anyone else. But I got into costume and people thought it was awesome. I got a lot of perv messages, of course, but I also got a lot of people asking about my techniques, my sewing style. I even learned more myself just so I could try to be someone people could look up to, instead of... just another domestic violence victim."

"When we met, I was still wounded. Broken. But spending time with you, spending a lot of time with you, without it being sexual, it made me feel wanted. I felt myself trust you, and that made my life better. So much better, honestly."

"And then you got us a house, and I felt like it was this huge upgrade, not just in where I'd live but that you were really serious about us. That we were becoming something even better."

She turns to the side and looks out into the false sky of the dungeon. Stars shine overhead, glowing brightly in a way that they never could above the light-drenched sky of Los Angeles. Inky darkness set shimmering by starlight.

She continues, blushing. "And I even kinda popped the question because I wanted to move forward, upward, to something better." She turns back to me with a fond smile. "You are something better, you know."

I find myself blushing. It's so hard sometimes, to be really loved by someone who's so incredible. It sometimes floors me that she believes, fully, that I'm worthy of her.

I wipe what is certainly not a tear from my eye. "Yeah, I think I know that now."

She smiles contentedly. She has so many smiles, each different. Each one a treasure.

"So my true power, I think, is getting better. Upgrading. Improving. Getting stronger every day."

I think about her build. And then I think about her stat and ability build. She's got a heavy stat investment into Toughness. She's got costume powers. Wants to always get stronger.

"So you might get something to do with making armor, I guess? I'm not really sure."

She nods. "I can sort of feel what it would be like. Power that builds the longer a fight goes on. Costume changes as I hit certain thresholds. If, no when I get there, it'll be cool."

I just admire her for a minute. She's really something. It's not the first time I've just had to stop and admire her.

"I lied," I say, and see her eyebrows raise. "I lied when I said that it wouldn't change how I felt about you, when you told me about your trauma." I take a breath. "It made me admire you. I was still pretty deep in my PTSD, and seeing you go through something just as terrible, but still be able to smile afterwards, well, I think that changed me a bit. You gave me hope."

Mercy bites her lip. She bounces on one foot. "I really need to kiss you, you know."

I find my own fists tightly clenched, trying to hold myself back. "Same."

She looks down. She looks away. She looks up at the fake stars in the fake sky. "We need to talk about what happens after you get the ability to cure Scourge."

I look at the same fake sky. "I'll probably have to travel around a lot, maybe across the world? I'll have to cure as many people as possible. You interested in a world tour?"

Her smile is bittersweet. I don't think I've seen that smile before. "No. I have to get stronger. I'm going to keep fighting, so I can catch up with you. I already talked to Madeline. She says she can use me to rotate out her team members, give them a break one at a time."

The concept of being away from Mercy had never once crossed my mind. I don't know what to say. My super Intelligence tells me that it's a good plan. Good for her, good for Madeline's team. My super Wisdom tells me this is something Mercy wants, something she needs. My super stats do not prevent my heart from breaking just a little. I feel like I've just been kicked in the stomach.

"I guess that makes sense. I hadn't really thought about the team. I'll have to ask what the others want to do." I feel like my words are hollow, just conveying what has to be done, without me caring about it at all.

"Sorry," she says.

"It's okay."

"We'll still talk every day we can."

"Of course."

"Sorry."

My breathing is slow and heavy. I feel terrible. "I must really be crazy about you."

She tilts her head at me. "You're basically obsessed."

"Totally obsessed. That's okay, right?"

"Oh, you don't know? All the romance novels nowadays are about hot guys totally obsessed with a girl. Never wanting to be apart from them. Wanting every part of them." Her breathing is slow and heavy. Her voice has lost all sense of playfulness. "Not relenting until their partner is totally, fully satisfied in every way possible."

The air between us is thick with our desire. Our eyes are locked and we are both trying very hard to not rip off our clothes.

"So you're saying I'm in a romance novel?"

"Yeah, totally, if there weren't any monsters around. I'd be the overweight-"

"Thick and sexy"

"-Mary Sue, pining for the hot guy at work, hoping he'd notice me. And you'd notice me. And then we'd do it like every three chapters. Probably at work."

I have to blink stars out of my eyes because I'm on the verge of losing my mind. "Sounds like I should read more romance novels."

"Mmmm, you'll need something to keep you warm at night."

Fffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk I want her so bad.

I bash my head into the airship mast again.

I turn back and find Mercy gone. The door down to the crew cabins is open. I follow her a bit, find her cabin door closed and locked, and back away slowly. Trying the whole time not to just shatter the damn door and take her.

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