Alejandra Albright stood in the center of a clearing made up of magical trees and watched quietly as a talking sword that used to be a fairy taught magic to her children. And it didn't even make the top ten list of weirdest things that had happened to her. Today.

"Since I assume you all will be acting as a group from this point forward," the sword said from where it stood embedded point-down–at its own request–in a fallen log, "we should focus on choosing classes and professions that synergize well with the callings, classes, and professions that are already extant within your group, while also conveying enough individual ability that the individual in question is not unduly hampered or left at a disadvantage if they are separated from the rest."

And the sword talked like a board-room big-wig, using more three-dollar words than Alejandra could have strung together in a month.

Still didn't even move the needle on the weird-o-meter.

"I call dibs on fireball magician!" Olivia said, practically vibrating where she stood. "I wanna make things go 'boom'!"

"Maybe hold off on that, Shortstop," Matty said fondly, giving their daughter's hair a playful ruffle. "Let's at least see what the professional thinks before we jump into 'boom' territory."

"No fun at all," Liv grumped, folding her arms and glaring at her dad.

"So are we gonna focus on, like, stuff that ties in to our Consul powers and stuff?"

"Potentially, but not necessarily. Consul powers are higher-tier abilities tied directly to the managing and functioning of the Empire… Or whatever you choose to call that entity over which you will raise your banner." Allie thought she heard a tiny bit of censure in the sword's words. If she had to guess, the creature was still a little put-off by Matty's hard shut-down of the idea of conquering the world in the name of some ancient creed or nebulous 'prize'. Well, wasn't that just too bad. Her children would not be conquerors, not if she had anything to say about it.

"So while some classes or professions may indeed work well with the Consul abilities, it is more likely you will choose classes that offer different or even competing abilities to those that come with those granted by the Consul."

"So where do we start?" asked Isabel, arms crossed over her chest and leaning against one of Billy The Tree's trunks. "I mean, some of us already have classes, right? So what do we do? And do we choose our callings now? Or figure out how to work towards them? Or what?"

"Callings cannot be chosen, they can only be discovered. It has been this way since time immemorial. They also are unique to the individual, shaped not by the rules and boundaries of the system but by the interaction of your spirit and soul with the energy of the System. Each calling is unique to its adherent, as are its powers."

Toraline quivered and shifted with a wooden scrape, the sword turning to face Matty.

"Matthew Albright. You are a Warden Of The Hearth. The Arts that calling conveys are designed not just for the defense of the individual, but for the defense of the home front. Your shield covers multiple allies at once. Your strength and stamina increase exponentially while upon territory claimed by your Empire. And you have the ability to grant your allies a respite from war with an impenetrable barrier."

The sword shifted again, swiveling in the log to face Alejandra.

"Alejandra Albright. Your are a Harbinger of the Consuming Flame. The Arts of your calling are centered not just around war, but around conquest. Your chosen weapon is a powerful tool on any battlefield. Your [Make A Hole] power is strong enough to turn the tide of battle or unsettle powerful foes. Your strength increases proportional to the number of foes you face, and you have the ability to grant a portion of that strength to your allies.

"Together, the two of you form a solid offensive and defensive core around which we can shape an effective fighting unit."

"Oh! I get it!" Lucas blurted out. "So Mom's the DPS, Dad's the Tank… I guess I get to be the Healer, right? Because I've already got the chir–the chirur— The stupid profession whose name I can't say right, right?"

A soft wave of laughter went around the clearing, including a rustling titter from Billy.

"Inelegantly stated, but accurate," Toraline said primly. "Lucas Albright, you already possess a basic healing ability, but a Class with more powerful Arts will be of benefit. But more than that, you are the smallest and weakest of all here, so in addition to healing abilities it would behoove us to select a class for you that gives you a modicum of offensive ability and protection."

"So like a combat medic," Alejandra said thoughtfully, eyeing her son.

"I thought combat medics were unarmed?" Dinah said, blinking. "Wasn't there a movie about that?"

"It used to be like that," Alejandra said. "But modern medics are trained to fight. If for no other reason than to be able to protect their patients. Benny, my old medic back in the Desert, used an M239–Uh, a light machine gun," she said, adjusting from the technical term when she saw the blank look on everyone's faces. "And he was a terror with it when the shi–when the stuff hit the fan."

"Okay, so maybe something like a druid?" Olivia said, reaching up to Hoolio on her shoulder and taking the scrolls the owl started pulling from the Somewhere. "Something that can whoop up on folks while also having a bunch of healing abilities? Or maybe…"

"When Caesar ruled, there was a Class known as eques capsarius, a mounted soldier with healing Arts that had mobility to reach parts of the battlefield where the fighting was fiercest and also enough strength to engage in battle if it were needed."

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"Does that mean I'd get a horse?" Lucas asked, eyes going wide. "Yes! Heck yes! I choose that!"

"No fair!" Olivia groused. "I want a horse!"

"You have an owl!"

"It's not the same thing! I can't ride Hoolio!"

"So get a spell that makes him big or something!"

Olivia opened her mouth, then snapped it closed, her eyes going big and unfocused as her brother's words sank into her brain.

"No," said Matty and Alejandra together.

"No flying on giant owls," Matty said.

"At least until we figure out a safety harness or something," Alejandra amended, seeing the crestfallen look on her daughter's face.

"The class has been renamed, it seems," Toraline the sword said with a sound like a metallic cough. "But the Arts and Skills it entails are similar. Consul Olivia, if you would bring forth the scroll for the class 'Hannibal's Physician', I think that would be an excellent choice for Lucas.

"Hannibal?" Isabel made a face. "As in 'Lecter'? Why in the world would anyone want that kind of class?

"No wait, this isn't bad," Olivia said as she opened up the scroll. "C'mere Luc, take a look. See? You get a long-range healing Art, a mount, and something called 'strength from weakness', which looks like you get stronger the more you heal. Hey this isn't bad at all! You also get a skill that shows you just how hurt someone is, and you can use it on enemies too. Oh that would be sweet if we're in a tough battle and need to even the odds!"

"And I get a horse?" Luc asked again, grinning.

"Yes, you get a horse," Olivia rolled her eyes. "What do you guys think?" she asked Alejandra and Matty.

"Sounds workable to me," Matty said with a shrug. "Toraline, you recommend this?"

"I do. It will fill several of the current gaps in your party makeup quite nicely. And the added mobility of a mount will allow your son to flee the battlefield more effectively should it come to that."

"Sold," Alejandra said, nodding decisively. "How does he get it?"

"Place your hand on the flat of my blade, young Consul," the sword said. "I will guide you to the proper selection."

It took just a couple seconds. Lucas came forward and gingerly touched the magic sword, and then after barely a pause let out a little gasp. The familiar golden light limned his body, and Hoolio let out a happy hoot and flapped off of Olivia's shoulder to swoop around Lucas's head, deposit a scroll in his hand, and then winged back to his original perch. Lucas blinked several times, then unrolled the scroll a touch dazedly, looking over its contents.

"It says I'm a "Hannibal's Physician" now… Oh cool, I do get a long-range healing ability! It's called 'Across the Alps', and I can use it on anyone I can see. But it gets less powerful the farther away I am." He frowned and raised his eyes from the scroll. "Hey, it says I get a horse too. Where's my horse?"

"Actually," Olivia said, reading over his shoulder, "it says 'mount'. So it could be like a pony or a donkey or something too. Something you can ride."

"It's okay, I'm not prejudiced," Lucas said loftily. "I'll love them no matter what they are."

There was a sound in the distance, outside the clearing. The sound of something moving with slow, deliberate footsteps.

Something big.

The family turned to stare in the direction of the footsteps. They were coming closer. And they did not sound like hoofbeats.

"Uh… Mom?" Lucas shifted closer to Alejandra, his eyes wide. "What's going on?"

"I still don't get the whole 'Hannibal' thing though," Bel said, frowning and limbering up. "I mean, what does a random cannibal story have to do with anything? And how would a system based around an ancient roman dude even know about it?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Alejandra saw Dinah blink.

"Wait," the girl said, eyes going wide. "Wasn't there some famous general named Hannibal?"

Something went click behind Alejandra's eyeballs, and she felt her jaw sag open. They couldn't mean that Hannibal…?

The thought had barely registered when something trudged into view through the underbrush and past Billy's trunks. The fact that the tree was not actively defending against the interloper was at least not actively hostile. Which, given the thing's size, was at least some comfort.

It was half-again as tall as Matty, with large floppy ears, green silken fur, and a body that looked like a cross between a hippo and a diesel train. It had six legs that ended in wide flat almost cylindrical feet, tusks almost as long as Allie's arm… And a trunk.

If Boris Villejo had been told to come up with a martian elephant, this would have been right about the result Alejandra would have expected.

The creature trundled forward until it was in front of Lucas, who had gone stock-still and bug-eyed at the appearance of what Alejandra assumed was to be his new mount. The creature looked down at Lucas with two eyes that were larger and more expressive than a normal earth elephant would have possessed, then it bowed its head to her son and waggled its ears. A soft trumpeting noise came from its mouth, and its long prehensile trunk came up to take and by god shake her son's hand.

"That's not a horse," Lucas said woodenly, still staring.

"So unfair," Olivia groused.

======

The Record of Lucas Simeon Albright, Artifex Thou hast yet to Unlock Thy Calling.

Thou art a Hannibal's Physician of the 1st Rank

Thou Art a Chirurgeon of the 1st Rank

Thy Condition is: Healthy

Thy overall rank is: Peasant

The Arts available to thee are:

Healing Balm (Chirurgeon)

Across The Alps (Hannibal's Physician)

Strength From Weakness (Hannibal's Physician)

Eye For The Injured (Hannibal's Physician)

The Skills available to thee are:

Diagnose Ailment (Chirurgeon)

Fast Mount(Hannibal's Physician)

Thy Powers as Consul are:

Expedite Research

Spark Of Genius

Reverse Engineer

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