Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The [Brackets]

I awoke to find one of the girls had placed a blanket around my shoulders, but I was still sitting at the table. Lanterns and a few candles lit the kitchen area, and Keke and Cannoli sat across from me nursing mugs of a steaming beverage. Keke had exchanged her swimsuit for an outfit nearly identical to her photo on the iPaw—a dress similar to Cannoli’s, complete with a sailor’s cap placed between her ears.

“You’re finally awake,” Keke said.

Cannoli sighed in relief and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Like I got hit by a truck and tossed into the ocean. But hey, catgirls. “Fine.”

“Good. You slept all day—it’s the middle of the night,” Keke said. “But now’s a good time to show you our favorite spot on the island.”

“In the middle of the night?” I yawned and brushed a hand through my hair. The blanket slipped from my shoulders.

“Yes. Um, this way, we can avoid the others living here.” Cannoli traced one finger around the rim of her mug. “J-just for now, that is.”

“We’ll be able to teach you some stuff, too. About how to live here,” Keke added quickly before I could ask why we were still hiding me away. “It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah. Alright.” My energy had returned, it seemed. I’d always been a night owl, anyway, so this was my time to shine. They slipped on overcoats and led the way.

The air was crisp and the moon full. Keke led me through the forest while Cannoli trailed close behind me. I would occasionally look back at her and try to strike up a conversation, but most of the time, she would look away and stammer some unintelligible mumbled words. I didn’t mind too much, though—she was just so damn cute to look at.

“We’re here,” whispered Keke.

I could see why it was their favorite spot. Through the twisting and turning of trees came a clearing. Here there was a small pond with water more delicious-looking than any bottled water I’d ever seen. The stars sparkled inside the slight ripples, and the reflection of the moon looked bigger than I’d ever seen it. If you’d asked me before what I thought of my hometown, I probably would’ve shrugged. However, compared to this island? My hometown was shit.

“So, what now?” I asked.

Keke folded her arms and giggled to herself. “You’re going to pick a Class!”

I frowned. “Already?” As much as I wanted to learn a class, I found my stare drifting to Keke and Cannoli’s feminine features, my eye and mind wandering off to the village in the distance where more catgirls awaited my discovery.

“You can’t operate in this world without a Class. That’s just common sense,” Keke retorted.

Rude. “What about you two? What did you pick?”

“Um, well I—” Cannoli worked the hem of her dress with nervous fingers.

“No, Cannoli. Don’t tell him,” Keke said, shaking her head. “Let’s have him use the iPaw to find out.”

I reached for the device and pulled it out of my back pocket. It expanded at the touch of my finger, and the screen lit up in an array of pinks, purples, and yellows. 

Cannoli timidly took to my side to see what I was doing. 

“Can you help a guy out?” I asked.

“I think so.” Cannoli offered her hand, and I placed the iPaw in her palm. 

So, some of us do have manners around here. Huh, Keke? 

Cannoli used a single finger to scroll through the screens, her frown deepening with each touch. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand any of this.” Cannoli handed it back to me, and I could see she was on the party management window. What was she trying to do?

“Like I keep telling you, Cannoli. He has to do it himself,” Keke interjected.

“What do you mean?” I frowned.

Keke held up a single finger, and her other hand rested on her hip. “On an iPaw, we can only see limited information. Things pretty much anyone with a brain could recognize, like pictures and colors. Words, however—” Keke took a couple of steps forward and, using the point of her finger, she tilted my screen down, so it was horizontal between us. “We can’t read them. It’s like a jumbled mess.”

“Numbers?” I asked.

“Those too.”

Wow, great system. 

“Goodness, Keke! How do you know all of this?” Cannoli asked, eyes wide.

Keke scoffed. “Everyone who’s anyone knows that.”

Cannoli blushed and toyed with her hair in silence.

Guess I’ll just roll with it. “So what now?”

“You pick a Class. Like I said. Somewhere in there, it should show you our Classes.”

Cannoli at least got me to the correct screen. Hitting the back button at the top-left corner zoomed out, and two portraits were displayed—one of me and the other of Keke. Below Keke’s image was the [Scout] class.

“A [Scout], huh? Didn’t picture you the type,” I said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Keke bristled.

“Why isn’t there a picture of me?” Cannoli asked, pointing to Keke’s image and mine.

“I’m not sure. The three of us are kind of a party, right?” I shrugged.

Cannoli’s image popped up beside Keke’s.

“Oh! There I am!” Cannoli cried gleefully. “Yay!”

I chuckled and looked back to the screen. Cannoli’s Class appeared to be an [Acolyte]. That one wasn’t too surprising.

Beside my name was simply the class [Novice]. Instinctively, I clicked on my portrait, and a bright message in capital letters stated [CLASS CHANGE AVAILABLE]. The screen faded, and several sprites that looked like me dressed in different getups appeared in a circular formation. It reminded me a lot of an old tactics RPG I played when I was a kid.

“Nostalgic,” I whispered.

“Did you find it?” asked Keke.

“I can try again if you would like,” Cannoli offered.

I shook my head. “Thanks, but I think I got it from here.”

I chanced to tap on one of the sprites, and the system responded as expected. A secondary screen popped up labeling the [Warrior] class’ base attributes, starting abilities, playstyles, and a brief description. Playstyle listed it as a bruiser—a type of damage dealing tank proficient at protecting others. 

Protecting others, huh?

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My mind drifted, and the image of rushing to these girls’ rescue put a smile on my face. A powerful fighter capable of swinging a mighty axe through the air, blood spilling wherever he struck, impossible to kill and wholly terrifying. Yes, this was the class for me. I pressed my finger against it again, and a message popped up.

CHANGE TO [WARRIOR]?

Before I could hit [Yes], another popup appeared below with the portrait of a catgirl I’d never seen. She seemed to be more mature and sophisticated than my immediate companions, with a straight face and long dark hair.

“Hello, [User Matthew],” she stated in monotone.

Are you joking? “I said my name is Matt!” I cried.

She continued. “My name is Ai, and I will be your guide. Before you change to a class, I will give you a tour of the many systems and mechanics of your iPaw.”

“Now? Not when I was mashing buttons before?” I asked.

“You did not require my services before, [User Matthew].”

I grimaced. So it was voice-operated. Well, hopefully, that wouldn’t come back to bite me somehow.

“She’s pretty. What is she saying?” said Keke, peering over my shoulder.

“You can’t hear her?” I was suddenly very aware of the warmth of Keke’s chest against my back.

“I can hear her just fine. But I don’t understand a word she’s saying.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Ai’s not talking any differently than we are,” I murmured. “Do you understand what I’m saying to her?”

“No.” Cannoli moved behind my other shoulder, bumping Keke slightly to the side. I could feel their hearts beating. “It’s like you switch languages. It’s weird.”

Man, did it suddenly get hot out here? I cleared my throat. “She’s offering a tutorial. Can I just skip it?”

“I think you should listen to her,” said the fidgeting Cannoli. Her fingers rested on my shoulder and seemed to move around constantly. “Tutorials are good, right? They teach you things? That means they’re important, and you should pay attention.”

If this were a game, I would have skipped it immediately. Honestly, I would have skipped it here if it weren’t for the two of them. “Fine. I’ll listen. Guide me, Ai.”

“Thank you. To begin, it seems you have already learned how to switch classes. Please be advised that currently, you are in [Civilian Mode]. While in [Civilian Mode], you will be unable to perform any of the abilities or attacks you have learned up to this point unless specifically stated otherwise. Do you understand?”

No option for [Yes] or [No] appeared. I waited for a few seconds, passing looks between the shrugging Keke and Cannoli. I tapped at the screen a couple of times, and still nothing.

“Do you understand?” Ai asked once more.

“Yes?” I said aloud.

“Good.” Ai continued. “While in a [Combat Zone], you may change to a [Combat Class] at any time. Be advised, however, that you cannot switch to another [Combat Class], nor can you switch back to [Civilian Mode] once a [Combat Class] has been selected. If you wish to change to a different [Combat Class], you will need to find a [Sanctuary].”

“What’s a [Sanctuary]?” I briefly wondered why brackets appeared around certain words, even if I said them out loud.

“A [Sanctuary] is a place of safety. Typically they are villages, homes, or places of worship. Please look to the Northeast corner of your screen. You will see a pair of locked swords. This icon indicates that you are in a [Combat Zone]. While in a [Sanctuary], the swords will disappear, and a blue star icon will take its place. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?”

I sighed. “Yes.” 

Ai didn’t respond. Instead, she blinked her eyes, and her face moved through a handful of idle emotions.

Had she fallen asleep? “Ye—”

“Thank you. Moving on, please direct your attention to this [Skill Tree].”

The screen changed again. This time, the pixelated warrior was situated over to the left side. Several blue points branched off from his position—some of them led to dead ends, others to more options on the tree. There were so many points, so many branches. More than I was used to from your typical RPG.

“That’s… a lot,” I admitted.

“I understand this may seem overwhelming. Please be patient until I am finished. This is your [Skill Tree]. As you can see, you have no Skills.”

“Harsh.”

“However, with each level gained in a Class, you will gain access to [Class Points]. Please be careful how you choose to spend these points, as they cannot be reversed or redistributed. Be wise in your decisions. If you require further assistance with any of this world’s rules, simply tap [Ai] in the Northwest corner of your screen. Otherwise, you may call upon me at any time with your voice. This concludes the class tutorial. Thank you.”

With that, Ai disappeared, and I was brought back to the [Class Selection] screen. My finger hovered over the [Warrior] Class, my mind suddenly indecisive.

“So, what happened?” asked Keke.

“Well, I know how the Classes work now.”

“Great! Why don’t you try and pick one?” said a smiling Cannoli.

“It’s gotta be [Warrior].” I tapped my finger against the screen, pausing for only a moment when the options for [Yes] and [No] appeared. When I tapped [Yes], the iPaw flew from my hand. It turned and faced me, the screen glowing white. Fear raced through my veins, but Keke and Cannoli’s expressions were glimmering with joy. So I shut my eyes and told myself that I’d be okay.

Moments later, the light faded, and I opened my eyes. My hoodie and jeans were replaced with brown furs and black leathers. My hair was more unkempt than usual and in my right hand was an axe. The iPaw glided into my left hand like a feather, and Ai appeared once more.

“Carrying such a device can be cumbersome. If this device becomes an inconvenience at any time, simply state, ‘Disappear, iPaw,’ and the device will vanish temporarily. If you wish to retrieve it once more, state, ‘Appear, iPaw.’ For the purposes of this demonstration, the iPaw will disappear once this message is complete. If you require further assistance, I am at your command. Thank you.”

With that, the iPaw disappeared in a blue-white flash of light. There was a pause between us, and I exchanged looks with the two girls. Their mouths were shut tight. Maybe they were waiting for me to do something.

“I’m a [Warrior]!” I said enthusiastically.

“A defender class,” Cannoli said wide-eyed.

“S-so, you’re going to protect us?” said Keke, a touch of pink decorating her cheeks.

“You bet! I’m starting to get pumped up now!” I raised the axe above my head in what I hoped was a show of my brute force. My wrist quivered and I quickly lowered it, hoping neither of them noticed.