I'm always looking for help for this idea, and I apologize in advance if the story gets wacky or confusing. This idea of mine isn't exactly easy for me.
"First things first, you need your class. You're a fighter, obviously, so you'll get a random class that meets your current skills. Don't worry, you can change it up however you want." Jaune nodded dumbly and followed his companion to the chrome colored stone building, and it was massive!
"'Classes', as we call them, are distinguished into a few main categories, the Monster Hunter, Beast Masters, the Mage, the Seven Science Tiers, Melee, Ranged and Hybrid. Monster Hunters are the only branch that blends Magic and Science into a single function, using the rifles you saw earlier, other firearms and magic and melee.
"I'm a member of the Ranged, a Huntress. You'll find Ranged carrying long range magic, bows, swords and basic Nature Magic." She paused as she saw Jaune processing this. "Don't worry Newbie, you're given a hand book and some explanations whenever you need them, and you can store the info you get in a Grimoire, the world's form of a magical journal that stores whatever you want and opens whenever you want."
Jaune nodded along and followed her past the solid bronze doors, blinking as he looked into a coliseum like interior that was far bigger than the outside made one believe. Shaking his head, he followed Rebecca down some stone steps into a solid stone booth set on the ground level, and he had to shield his eyes as, despite there being no visible light source, the building got brighter as he entered.
"Judging by your physique, I'd wager you being a light weight in Melee, maybe a Monster Hunter or Beast Master, but I'd say you're leaning more towards the Hybrids, maybe in the Battlemage category. If you do, I'll help set you up at one of the local guilds. It's a good start."
Jaune nodded once more and looked around inside the stone booth, where a small fire encircled by black stones flickered and cracked slightly, the color shifting from orange and red to light blue and dark purple. Odd.
"Why am I being given a 'Class' so early though? Not that I'm complaining, but I kinda just woke up not to long ago…" Jaune trailed off in confusion, eyes watching the fire change colors in a mesmerizing pattern.
Rebecca didn't seem to mind his questions, if anything, she seemed happy to answer them.
"Well, when a Newbie comes through the Gate, they're classified as either a Fighter or Civilian caste. Don't be mistaken, a Fighter or Civilian can easily change castes, and despite the names, the two castes have many different branches and tiers. A Civilian caste can be anywhere from a farmer to a blacksmith to a aristocrat, even to a political leader. Fighters can be healers, combatic warriors, scientists, even something more peaceful like an instructor or sensei."
Rebecca looked at him, into his eyes despite him not looking away from the odd fire.
"There's always been more Fighters and people with potential to be Fighters, so around~- a hundred years back?- law was placed that any and all with Fighter potential be given a Class and introduced early to the Guilds, so they can get the gist of what was expected, if they wanted to continue, and access to Mage Guild libraries, where Civilians would only be allowed into normal libraries and specifically marked ones for them to learn customs and the like.
"There was a lot more to it, but it was mostly around that time, where there was more violence around thanks to bandits and an increase in monsters, but those times had settled, and there was no reason to take the law down. It worked after all."
Jaune nodded and hummed, and despite his rather bland answer, he couldn't hide his interest and wonder twinkling in his eyes.
"I guess the 'shop' you mentioned earlier will be tied to this 'Class' selection thing?" Rebecca nodded, and Jaune would have continued had a new member not entered the stone room.
"I see we got another one here, hm?" Jaune looked away from the fire at the direction of the elderly woman's voice, and he took a double take as the new member was small, and looked no older than Ruby. But that voice was so old yet young, firm and wise sounding...like a female Ozpin..
Rebecca nodded with cheer, "Yep! He seems like a quick learner, so after this I'm just gonna help him at the Shop and set him up at the library in the Mages Guild, get him up to speed."
The young-older woman nodded and flicked a white braid of hair of her shoulder, her-what did Blake call it? A yukata? Kimono?- was embroidered in red serpents and gold leaf patterns, a click-clack of hard sandals hiding under the robes and she placed a golden wreath on her head, studded with bright green emeralds and other shiny stones that glowed slightly.
"Name's Yuri'ken, handsome. How about yours?" Jaune blushed and startled a bit, "J-Jaune Arc ma'am." Yuri'ken hummed and nodded. "Nice name, rolls off the tongue." Rebecca decided to tease him and leaned on his shoulder, "And I love it." Both women giggled at his red tomato of a face.
Rebecca decided to be merciful. "Relax Newbie, Yuri here has always been a tease." Yuri'ken nodded and began calmly walking to Jaune.
"She isn't wrong, while this job has always brought a fiery passion to my soul, it gets bland doing the whole formal skit. Now, stick your right arm out, into the fire please." Jaune looked at Yuri'ken incredulously. Did she honestly want him to burn himself?
He looked at Rebecca and received a smile and nod, so the young blonde slowly stretched his hand into the fire, and he couldn't stop the shiver that went through his body as the fire was cold.
The fire went into a deep purple hue, with bright blue crackling through it like electricity, but Jaune felt no pain, not even heat, despite the heat that hit his body that started from his shoulder to the rest of his body.
Jaune's mouth opened and closed like a fish on land, and he ignored Rebecca's laughing behind him as Yuri'ken got on her knees and reached into the cold fire, holding his tensed arm with soft hands, which began to glow a bright gold.
Jaune was about to voice his concern and confusion had a deep warmth and calming chill not started sweeping through his body, and he felt a deep, white hot burning in the back of his skull.
Strangely, it didn't hurt.
He registered the white hot feeling, but the pain that would normally accompany it didn't show up, if anything, he felt his muscles relax and the fire in his skull spread through his body in a numbing, calming warmth. Strange...but so relaxing.
His eyes grew heavy, and he wanted so desperately to allow the blissful sleep to take over, but the shockingly cold current accompanying the warmth shocked him awake, and he began relaxing again as deep gold streams of something coiled over his arm and around and through his body!
To him, the blissful experience lasted slow, relaxing hours, but as it faded and he pulled his arm out of the fire subconsciously, his sense of time came back and he realized it hadn't been more than a couple minutes.
Yeah, thanks Rebecca. No need to point to your floating clock like that. Wait, what?
He took a double take, but Yuri'ken's calm voice stopped any questions. "Well, a Battlemage. Seemed kind of obvious." Rebecca groaned behind him, and when his eyes met hers questioningly, she responded with an odd smile.
"I was kinda betting on you being a tank. Like, massive greatsword, plate armor, strength to crush mountains. You kinda look like that." Jaune, to be self deprecating, honestly couldn't see that. With his arms, he'd be surprised to be to lift a greatsword of her imagination. That was more Yang's territory, pure strength that is.
Yuri'ken -a rather odd name now that he put his mind to the thought- simply shook her head.
"Rebecca, you really need to learn how to read people. I didn't need to even look for his Marks to know he'd be a Battlemage or a Ranger or something equally blended together." Jaune cocked his head to the side. "Marks"? Were those the symbols Rebecca said determined he was a warrior?
"So, I'm a Battlemage? What would that entail?" Rebecca leaned against the wall with a sigh, her hand on her chin in thought while Yuri'ken's hands began moving in circles and small, hexagonal patterns, leaving a golden trail forming a pentagon with seven circles in the middle. Jaune was to captivated to notice Rebecca thinking behind him.
"Just hold still Jaune, this will just alter your soul." Wait, wha-!?
Jaune never got to voice his opinion as pure, white hot fire traveled from the hand that left the fire into his entire body, and this time, the pain was immense. He could see why Yuri'ken wanted him to hold still, this was torture!
He felt his body glued to the spot as a burning, broiling fire in the deepest depths of his body pulsing around him, and he began to notice a bright white glow that threw spots in his vision, and as he finally got his voice back, preparing to scream, it ended, leaving a numbing, painfully welcomed cold that circulated in him.
"Wha-what was that!?" Jaune could feel a phantom ache in the center of his chest, deep and he couldn't place it until Yuri'ken's previous words struck home. That was in his soul.
"Sorry about that Jaune," Yuri'ken sounded legitimately apologetic, "I'm well aware of how it hurts, but if you had known beforehand, the process would've been much more painful with you expecting it." Jaune...really couldn't fault that logic, no matter how unnecessarily pissed he wanted to be.
"It's-it's alright, just a slight shock...you really altered my soul?" Jaune's disbelief could be heard for miles. Despite the pain in the deepest parts of his body that didn't feel like organ pain, he couldn't place it physically.
Yuri'ken had a disarming smile, so innocent and apologetic. "Yes, my deepest apologies. In training, Soul Seers, myself, are given huge tasks and responsibilities with Class unlocking, which involves touching your very soul." Sounds rough "And this responsibility leads to a minor lack of sensitivity, something necessary to cause the least amount of possible pain."
Jaune blinked twice, mulled over what he heard and nodded. Made sense. He'd like to cause the least amount of pain as well to anyone who didn't deserve it if he could help it, especially if it was his job.
"To be honest, it's unlucky you're a Newbie." Jaune frowned. "Why is that Yuri'ken?"
"Please, call me Yuri. I'll be the one to check up on you anyways." Jaune opened his mouth, but Yuri lifted a finger, silencing him. "The reason it is unlucky is because the way I altered your soul just made you capable of gaining the abilities that are common here, and live on this world without pain or resistance to the planet's natural magnetic and magical pull"
That did sound like a problem.
"So now, you should be able to walk around like normal. I'll also be your 'doctor' if you would, the person you'll check up with until it's confirmed your body is fully used to this planet and the magic that travels through you." That was nice of her.
Jaune had another question though.
"I know this is normal here, as I've seen and heard, but wouldn't this type of thing be, I don't know, more ceremonial? More, life changing?" Rebecca hummed in acknowledgment as well as Yuri.
Rebecca answered.
"Smart question, but when you live the rest of your life with this new ability and connection to the planet's magic and normal life, it simply becomes a part of you. It seems amazing and important at first, but it quickly becomes another part of you. There's nothing special really, thousands upon millions upon billions of people of all races and ethnicity share the same powers and abilities, so there really isn't any reason to romanticize it."
Jaune was a little disappointed as Yuri confirmed that, but he nodded and accepted it. It was kinda like being a Hunter in training, he supposed. It was grand at first, but it quickly becomes a part of your life and you grow comfortable around it, and the amazing appeals is lost as it becomes a daily part of life for you.
"I see...Well, I look forward to, uh, living here I suppose." The girls giggled, and Jaune was now positive that Yuri was far younger than she seemed.
"We look forward to having you." Yuri bowed, with Jaune and Rebecca returning it. "Now, I look forward to our first appointment, Jaune! It will be interesting to see how your soul adjusts to life here." Jaune hummed and walked out with Rebecca, the sun blinding them both slightly.
"I see you've befriended Yuri already. She's a nice girl, very trusting, so don't ever let me or anyone else catch you trying something, you hear?" Jaune gulped and paled slightly as a hidden dagger was shown on her waist, the first inch of white steel shining in his eyes.
"Y-yes ma'am!" Rebecca nodded.
"Good man. Well, I suppose we should you start educating you on life here. I'll get you a hand book and set up at the Shop, but we can start with the races while we walk." Jaune nodded and felt giddy. Based on what he's seen and been told, this world was very fantasy like, with science being an equal power alongside magic and older themes.
"Well, you can't really tell due to the magic altering her features slightly, but I'm sure you noticed how Yuri'ken's named is rather odd? And how her age was hard to tell?" Jaune blushed and nodded. That obvious?
"Don't worry Newbie, it's normal for the new guys to notice and be curious." Rebecca waved her hand like she was dismissing something petty. "Yuri'ken is a Dwarf, but you can't tell because the magic changed her skin tone to paler than normal, shortened her ears and caused some physical changes. Side effect of being a Soul Seer, or Class Unlocker.
"Her kind is really old, intelligent and powerful both in science and magic. I believe the Dwarves were the ones that brought the notion and influence of science to this planet, and as you have seen from the little we've passed, it's progressed quite well." Jaune nodded, intrigued. Now that he thought of it, the robots were kinda elvish in design, like the story books and video games he played as a kid.
Rebecca smiled slightly and looked to the sky, a passing shadow catching Jaune's eye as he stared slack jawed at the bright steel air ship that passed overhead, four metal wings slowly moving like flapping wings and the body shaped like a teardrop, and as he looked closer, he could see elegant designs and the outlines of people walking on top. A commercial ship?
"Her species are the Dwarves, but they're more commonly known as the Dwemer."