The inn was called the Wayward Rest, and it was exactly as simple as its name suggested.
I'd found it by asking three different people for directions to "somewhere cheap and clean," and each had pointed me toward the same narrow street in Thornhaven's outer district. The building was two stories of weathered wood and stone, with a painted sign showing a traveler slumped against a milestone. Inside, the common room smelled of old beer and wood smoke, but the floors were swept and the tables looked sturdy enough.
The innkeeper—a broad-shouldered woman with gray streaking through her dark hair—had taken one look at my road-worn appearance and quoted me a price that was probably fair. Two silver for the night, including a simple meal. I'd paid without haggling, too exhausted to care if I was being overcharged.
The room was barely large enough for the narrow bed and small table it contained, but it had a door that locked and a window that opened. After two months of sleeping in caravans and shared rooms at waystations, the privacy felt like luxury.
I'd eaten the meal—vegetable stew and dark bread—without tasting it, then climbed the stairs to my room and collapsed onto the bed fully clothed.
Sleep had taken me immediately.
---
I woke to morning light streaming through the window and the distant sounds of the city coming to life below.
For a moment, I didn't remember where I was. Then it all came rushing back—Thornhaven, the System Church, Priestess Numina's colorless eyes, the blinding light of the ceremonial array, the blue screen floating in my vision.
'Futanari Knight. Realm Surveyor.'
I sat up slowly, my body stiff from sleeping in my clothes. My pack sat where I'd dropped it by the door. John Maxima's sword leaned against the wall beside it. Everything was exactly as I'd left it.
But I was different now.
I had classes. I had skills locked away in my soul, waiting to be learned and mastered.
I just had to figure out how to access them.
Priestess Numina had said I could view my System interface by focusing my intent on wanting to see my status. I'd tried yesterday, standing in the church with my head still spinning from the ceremony, but nothing had happened. She'd told me it might take time, that the connection between my consciousness and the System was new.
Maybe now, after a night's rest, it would work.
I swung my legs off the bed and sat on its edge, my hands folded in my lap. I took a breath and tried to clear my mind of everything except the desire to see my information.
'Show me my status. Let me see what I am.'
Nothing.
I tried again, concentrating harder. 'System interface. Status screen. Character sheet.'
Still nothing.
Frustration bubbled up in my chest. How was I supposed to learn my skills if I couldn't even access the interface that described them?
I stood and paced the small room, trying to think. Numina had made it sound simple—just focus your intent. But what did that even mean? How did you focus intent? Was it like concentrating on a difficult task? Like trying to remember something you'd forgotten?
I stopped at the window and looked out at Thornhaven's morning streets. Merchants were setting up their stalls. People hurried past on unknown errands. Somewhere in this vast city, other adventurers were probably waking up, checking their System interfaces as easily as breathing, planning their dungeon runs and party formations.
And I couldn't even make mine appear.
'Please,' I thought, and I wasn't sure if I was asking the System or myself. 'I need to see. I need to understand what I am.'
And just like that, it happened.
A rectangle of blue light bloomed in my vision, hanging in the air about two feet in front of my face. It was translucent—I could still see the room through it—but the text on its surface was perfectly crisp and clear, written in that same geometric font I'd seen during the ceremony.
I gasped and stumbled backward, my hip hitting the edge of the bed.
The screen moved with me, maintaining its position relative to my sight. When I turned my head, it turned too, always staying centered in my field of view.
It was real. It was actually real.
I'd known it would be, of course. I'd seen the screen during the ceremony, had felt the System scanning me. But seeing it now, in the mundane morning light of a cheap inn room, made it feel different. More immediate. More 'mine.'
The screen displayed a simple menu:
```
SYSTEM INTERFACE
Jane Maxima
[STATUS]
[SKILLS]
[CLASSES]
[INVENTORY]
[SETTINGS]
```
My hands were shaking. I reached out tentatively, wondering if I could touch it, but my fingers passed through the blue light without resistance. It wasn't physical. It existed only in my perception.
How did I navigate it?
I focused on the word STATUS, thinking 'select' as clearly as I could.
The screen changed immediately:
```
STATUS
Name: Jane Maxima
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Classes:
- Futanari Knight (Primary)
- Realm Surveyor (Secondary)
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 7
Endurance: 8
Free Stat Points: 2
Active Bonds:
- Ramada (Mother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
- Tam (Brother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
Health: 90/90
Stamina: 80/80
```
I stared at the numbers, trying to process what they meant. My attributes were... average? Below average? I had no frame of reference. But the bonds—seeing my mother and brother listed there, seeing the tangible benefits of our connection—made something warm bloom in my chest.
Even here, hundreds of miles from home, they were still with me. Still making me stronger.
I focused on CLASSES next, and the screen shifted again:
```
CLASSES
PRIMARY: FUTANARI KNIGHT
SECONDARY: REALM SURVEYOR
[View Details]
```
I selected the details option, my heart hammering.
The screen expanded, and I began to read.
---
**FUTANARI KNIGHT**
*In the thousand years since the dragons descended, humanity has learned that strength takes many forms. The Futanari Knight embodies this truth—a warrior whose power flows not from solitary might, but from the bonds forged in intimacy and trust. Where others see weakness in connection, the Futanari Knight finds unbreakable strength. Where others fight alone, the Futanari Knight stands surrounded by those who have chosen to stand beside them. This is not a path of isolation, but of unity. Not of conquest, but of devotion.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:**
The Futanari Knight is a rare combat class available only to individuals with futanari physiology. This class specializes in frontline combat enhanced by interpersonal bonds. The knight's power scales with the depth and number of intimate connections they maintain, making them uniquely suited to party-based adventuring and long-term relationship building.
**Core Philosophy:** Strength through connection. Power through trust. Victory through unity.
**Primary Attribute Scaling:** Strength, Constitution
**Secondary Attribute Scaling:** Charisma, Endurance
**Class Limitations:**
- Requires futanari physiology (cannot be changed or transferred)
- Maximum effectiveness requires maintaining multiple intimate bonds
- Power scaling caps at 75% of theoretical maximum to prevent unnatural attribute inflation
- Bond maintenance requires ongoing emotional and physical investment
---
I had to stop reading and take a breath.
The description was beautiful in its way—poetic, even. But it also made the reality of my class impossible to ignore. This wasn't something I could half-commit to. If I wanted to be a strong knight, I would need to do exactly what terrified me most.
I would need to let people close.
I forced myself to continue reading.
---
**REALM SURVEYOR**
*A surveyor's greatest tool is their map. And a realm surveyor requires an exceptionally useful map. To know the land is to master it. To chart the hidden paths is to own them. To see the architecture of a place—its bones and blood, its secrets and strengths—is to transform the unknown into the understood. The Realm Surveyor walks into darkness and returns with knowledge. They venture into chaos and emerge with order. They are the cartographers of the impossible, the documentarians of the deadly, the ones who make the unmapped world known.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:**
The Realm Surveyor is a specialized exploration and documentation class focused on dungeon analysis, terrain mapping, and environmental research. This class excels at gathering and organizing information about unexplored territories, making them invaluable to adventuring parties and commercial expeditions alike.
**Core Philosophy:** Knowledge is power. Understanding is survival. Documentation is legacy.
**Primary Attribute Scaling:** Intelligence, Wisdom
**Secondary Attribute Scaling:** Dexterity, Perception
**Class Benefits:**
- Enhanced spatial awareness and environmental analysis
- Perfect recall of mapped territories
- Ability to identify valuable resources and strategic positions
- Future skill unlocks enable commercial map production and sale
**Class Limitations:**
- Requires active exploration to gain experience
- Skills are primarily non-combat focused
- Maximum effectiveness requires extensive travel and documentation
---
I felt my chest loosen slightly as I read the Realm Surveyor description.
This was what I'd hoped for. This was the class that would let me explore, document, contribute in ways that felt natural to me. The mapping, the analysis, the careful observation—these were things I could do. Things I wanted to do.
If the Futanari Knight was the class that terrified me, the Realm Surveyor was the class that gave me hope.
I focused on the skills section, and the screen shifted to show my available abilities:
```
SKILLS
FUTANARI KNIGHT:
- Ethereal Glaive
- Harem Forged Strength
- Heavy Armour Proficiency
REALM SURVEYOR:
- Auto Map
[View Details]
```
I selected Auto Map first, needing to see something that felt safe and manageable.
---
**AUTO MAP**
*The world unfolds before you like a scroll being written in real-time. Each step reveals new territory. Each glance adds detail to the growing tapestry of your understanding. The land becomes known as you walk it, transforming from mystery to certainty with every passing moment. You do not simply see the terrain—you comprehend it, internalize it, make it part of yourself. The map is not something you carry. It is something you become.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:**
**Function:** Automatically generates detailed maps of all terrain within your line of sight. Maps are created in real-time as you explore and are stored permanently in your System interface with perfect recall.
**Display Options:**
- Full interface view (detailed, interactive map display)
- Corner-pinned mode (minimap visible even when interface is closed)
- Maps show only what you have directly observed
**Active Focus Ability:**
When you concentrate on the mapping process, you can mark specific features:
- Landmarks (natural and artificial)
- Troop movements and patrol patterns
- Potential resource locations
- Strategic positions and chokepoints
- Custom annotations and notes
**Resource Cost:**
- Passive mapping: Minor stamina drain
- Active mapping with focus: Moderate stamina consumption
- Current limitation: 5 minutes of passive mapping with your current stamina pool
- Can be toggled on/off at will to conserve resources
**Recall and Storage:**
- Perfect memory of all mapped territories
- Maps persist indefinitely regardless of distance or time
- Can review previously mapped areas through interface
---
I read the description three times, feeling wonder build with each pass.
This was incredible.
I would never get lost. I would always know where I'd been, what I'd seen, where resources might be found. And with practice, I could copy my maps down and turn my exploration into actual income.
This was a skill I could use immediately. A skill that would make me valuable to any party, any expedition.
I wanted to test it right now.
I focused on the skill, thinking 'activate', and felt something shift in my awareness. It wasn't dramatic—no flash of light, no surge of power—just a subtle change in how I perceived the room around me.
And then, in the corner of my vision, a small blue rectangle appeared.
It showed the room I was standing in, rendered in simple lines and shapes. The bed, the table, the door, the window—all mapped out in perfect geometric precision. As I turned my head, the map updated, showing the angles and dimensions of the space with mathematical accuracy.
I walked to the door and opened it, peering into the hallway beyond.
The map expanded immediately, adding the corridor to its display. I could see the stairs at the end of the hall, the other room doors, even the approximate dimensions of the building's layout.
It was working. It was actually working.
I closed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard. The small map remained in the corner of my vision, a constant presence now that I'd activated it.
I could feel the stamina drain—faint but present, like a gentle pulling sensation somewhere behind my ribs. Not painful, just... there. A reminder that the skill had a cost.
I focused on the map and thought 'deactivate'.
The blue rectangle vanished, and the pulling sensation stopped immediately.
I could turn it on and off at will. Perfect.
I returned to the main skills menu and stared at the other three abilities, my earlier excitement fading into apprehension.
I needed to read them. I needed to understand what I'd been given.
But I was afraid.
I selected Ethereal Glaive first, choosing the skill that seemed least complicated.
---
**ETHEREAL GLAIVE**
*From the depths of your soul, you call forth a weapon that exists between the physical and the ephemeral. It is yours and yours alone—forged from your essence, bound to your will, unbreakable by any force but your own dismissal. The glaive is not merely a tool of war. It is an extension of yourself, a manifestation of your commitment to the path you have chosen. When you hold it, you hold a piece of your own spirit made tangible and deadly.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:**
**Summoning:** Once per day, you may summon your Ethereal Glaive as a free action. The weapon appears in your hands instantly, requiring no material components or preparation.
**Duration:** The glaive persists until you consciously dismiss it or until you summon it again the following day.
**Properties:**
- Weapon Type: Two-handed polearm (glaive)
- Damage Type: Slashing and piercing
- Material: Solidified magical energy (appears as translucent blue-white metal)
- Weight: Weightless to you, immovable to others
- Reach: 8 feet (standard glaive reach)
**Special Characteristics:**
- Cannot be stolen, disarmed, or separated from you against your will
- Passes through non-living matter when dismissed (cannot be trapped or pinned)
- Deals full damage to incorporeal and ethereal creatures
- Glows faintly in darkness (provides dim light in 5-foot radius)
**Limitations:**
- Only one glaive can exist at a time
- Resummoning destroys the previous instance (resets any damage or wear)
- Cannot be wielded by anyone except you
- Requires both hands to use effectively
**Scaling:** Damage and properties improve as you gain levels in Futanari Knight class.
---
I stared at the description, trying to imagine it. A weapon I could summon from nothing. A weapon that was literally part of me.
It sounded powerful. Useful. The kind of skill that would make me a real warrior.
But I'd never used a glaive before. I'd barely used John Maxima's sword, and that was just for practice forms Tam had shown me. How was I supposed to learn to fight with a weapon I'd never even held?
The Adventurer's Guild would have trainers, I reminded myself. People who could teach me. I didn't have to figure it out alone.
I took a breath and selected the next skill.
---
**HEAVY ARMOUR PROFICIENCY**
*A Knight is most at home in their armour. It is your second skin, your strongest ally, your last defense. You who were made to walk the path of the Knight go forth without struggle, for your armour is no burden for you.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN**
**Core Mechanic** you can wear heavy armour without any negative status effects. While equipped, heavy armour gives +1 Strength and +1 Stamina.
**Duration** passive skill, does not end while in heavy armour.
---
Simple yet useful. I wonder what is considered a negative status effect. Maybe loud noises? I'm sure the Guild could help me make sense of it.
After reading the skill, there was nothing left but the one skill. I knew I couldn't avoid it any longer
The one I'd been dreading.
---
**HAREM FORGED STRENGTH**
*Power flows through connection. Strength blooms in intimacy. The bonds you forge with others become the foundation of your might, transforming affection into armor and devotion into devastating force. You are not diminished by your relationships—you are elevated by them. Each person who chooses to stand beside you, to trust you, to open themselves to you, becomes a wellspring of power that enhances every aspect of your being. This is the heart of the Futanari Knight: the understanding that true strength is never solitary.*
**MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN:**
**Core Mechanic:** You gain permanent or semi-permanent attribute bonuses based on the intimate bonds you form with others. Bonds are categorized by depth and type, with each category providing different benefits.
**BOND TYPES:**
**Physical Bond:**
- Requirement: Intimate physical contact (sexual or deeply intimate non-sexual)
- Benefit: +1 Strength
- Duration: 2 weeks from last intimate contact
- Maintenance: Must refresh through repeated intimate contact
- Limit: No maximum number of physical bonds
- Notes: This is the most basic bond type and provides the smallest benefit
**Romantic Bond:**
- Requirement: Mutual agreement to enter a romantic relationship (requires minimum 25% emotional connection)
- Benefit: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
- Duration: Persists as long as the romantic relationship endures
- Maintenance: Requires ongoing emotional investment but not constant physical presence
- Limit: No maximum number of romantic bonds
- Notes: Romantic bonds are more stable than physical bonds but require genuine emotional connection
**Harem Bond:**
- Requirement: Formation of a committed harem (minimum 3 romantic bonds must exist first)
- Benefit: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 to any attribute of your choice
- Special Benefit: If bonded individual is also futanari: +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +2 to any attributes of your choice
- Duration: Permanent as long as harem structure is maintained
- Maintenance: Requires active management of multiple relationships and group cohesion
- Limit: No maximum harem size
- Notes: Harem bonds represent the deepest commitment and provide the greatest benefits
**Emotional Bond:**
- Requirement: Deep emotional connection (50% connection threshold = close family/best friend level)
- Benefit: +1 to any single attribute of your choice
- Duration: Permanent regardless of distance or time apart
- Maintenance: None required once formed
- Limit: No maximum number of emotional bonds
- Notes: Emotional bonds can exist alongside other bond types with the same person
**CURRENT ACTIVE BONDS:**
- Ramada (Mother): Emotional Bond → +1 Free Stat Point
- Tam (Brother): Emotional Bond → +1 Free Stat Point
**SYSTEM LIMITATIONS:**
- All attribute bonuses are capped at 75% of theoretical maximum to prevent unnatural stat inflation
- Bonds must be genuine; the System can detect and will reject false or coerced connections
- You cannot force bond formation—all bonds require willing participation from both parties
- Breaking bonds (especially romantic/harem bonds) may result in temporary attribute penalties as you adjust
**STRATEGIC NOTES:**
- Physical bonds are easiest to form but require constant maintenance
- Romantic bonds provide better stability and stronger benefits
- Harem bonds are the most powerful but require significant emotional labor to maintain
- Emotional bonds are "free" benefits that persist indefinitely
- Diversifying bond types provides both immediate power and long-term stability
**SCALING:** As you gain levels, bond benefits may increase and new bond types may unlock.
---
I read it twice.
Then I read it again.
Then I set the interface to show just my current status and stared at the two bonds I already had:
```
Active Bonds:
- Ramada (Mother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
- Tam (Brother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
```
My mother and brother were making me stronger. Right now, even though they were hundreds of miles away, their love was literally enhancing my capabilities.
That part was beautiful.
The rest...
I dismissed the System interface with a thought and sat down heavily on the bed.
The skill wasn't as bad as I'd feared. It didn't require me to do anything immediately. I could form physical bonds or romantic bonds or even harem bonds at my own pace, when I was ready, with people I actually cared about.
But it also meant that if I wanted to be a strong knight—if I wanted to maximize my potential—I would eventually need to do all of those things.
I would need to be intimate with people. Multiple people. I would need to form romantic relationships, manage a harem, navigate the complex emotional landscape of multiple partners.
Me. Jane Maxima, who could barely hold a conversation with strangers. Who had spent eighteen years hiding what she was. Who had never even kissed anyone, let alone...
I put my face in my hands and tried not to panic.
One step at a time, I told myself. One step at a time.
First I needed to allocate my 2 free stat points.
Second, I needed to get to the Adventurer's Guild. I needed to register, find training, learn how to actually use my Ethereal Glaive and my mapping skills.
The rest—the terrifying, impossible rest—I would figure out later.
I had time.
I pulled up my status sheet again
After some consideration I put my points into Constitution and Wisdom.
```
STATUS
Name: Jane Maxima
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Classes:
- Futanari Knight (Primary)
- Realm Surveyor (Secondary)
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 7
Endurance: 8
Free Stat Points: 0
Active Bonds:
- Ramada (Mother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
- Tam (Brother) - Emotional Bond
+1 Free Stat Point
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 80/80
```
I stood, splashed water on my face from the basin on the table, and began gathering my belongings. The morning was already well advanced. If I wanted to reach the Guild before midday, I needed to move.
I strapped on John Maxima's sword, shouldered my pack, and took one last look around the small room that had been my first real home in Thornhaven.
Then I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, ready to face whatever came next.
The Adventurer's Guild was waiting.
And so was my future.