Emotions ran high amongst the congregation for some time and it was difficult for any of them to articulate their thoughts as they waited for the emotional high to leave them. Every time they came close to being able to hold a conversation, an ant would appear, tell them to get to work and the mere fact of being able to process the Colony’s pheromone language drove them once more into paroxysms of joy, driving away all rational thought.
Beyn himself experienced waves of euphoria so powerful he nearly lost consciousness several times before he was able to make a break for the interior of the church building. His flock rushed to follow him and they huddled in a corner out of sight until they were able to calm themselves to the point of holding a whispered conversation.
Beyn raised his face to look at the barely controlled expressions of his brothers and sisters in faith and tried to contain the roaring of his spirit. He needed to be calm in this moment and provide leadership. He was trained for this, he was the closest thing to a System expert in Renewal and the creation of a brand new class in this place was an extraordinary miracle.
He cleared his throat and began to whisper to his people.
“Brothers and Sisters,” he began, “what has occurred today is a miracle.”
He paused to gather himself.
“A miracle,” his voice came out a little stronger this time and the others watched with bated breath as their leader stopped once more to master himself.
“I apologise. What has occurred here today… IS A MIRACLE!” He roared, his face instantly flushing with excitement.
Once unleashed, his spirit could no longer be a contained.
“A MIRACLE! A MIRACLE! A MIRACLE!” He drew a deep breath and thrust his remaining hand to the sky. ” A MIIIIIIRRAAAAAAAA… “
The others watched with wide eyes as Beyn became more and more red and his voice higher and higher in pitch until the priest’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted dead away. Brother Thomas leapt forward to catch the fallen clergyman’s head before it cracked into the stone floor as several others stepped forward with expert timing to lower their leader to the floor. With long practiced precision, they rolled him onto his side and made space to allow him to breathe as they patiently waited.
After a few minutes, Beyn regained consciousness and sat up immediately, causing his head to spin.
“I’m sorry everyone, I’ve disgraced myself again.”
The others frantically waved their hands to indicate he shouldn’t worry about it. Beyn accepted their feelings with gratitude and tried to speak once more.
“We have witnessed… something very special here today. I can tell you that as someone trained in this knowledge. It can only be said that our powerful desire to aid the Colony, combined with our fervour, has been recognised by the System itself and given us a path forward. Let us commune and confirm the details of our new Class.”
For the next few minutes the flock spoke in hushed tones, unwilling to lose themselves to emotion in this critical moment. Together they were able to make note of the abilities their new class gave them and check to see that they were all identical.
The name of the Class: Antmancer!
It suggested to Beyn that it was a type of mage or support class, specialising in ants somehow. The stat gain per level was an interesting blend of three main stats rather than the high priority given to two that most classes experienced.
Per level, +2 Toughness, +2 Cunning and +3 Will. A gain of seven stats is more than respectable. Beyn could only think that this was the power of a newly formed Class. The stat gain was an important clue to the purpose of a Class, Beyn knew as much. It was a signpost. Even without considering the Skills that were gained, he could tell that this would be a mental focused Class that required endurance. Toughness and Will, the defensive pair were emphasised here. The Cunning would provide power to the Skills they had.
The all important Skills. It took some time for the group to whisper to each other before they were confident they understood all that the System was telling them. The Core Class Skill was a magical passive that allowed them to understand pheromones at rank one. Beyn told the group he thought it highly likely that as they ranked up the Skill it would allow them to communicate back. To produce pheromones of their own, through mana, and speak with the ants as easily as they spoke to other humans.
Each of them only received one other Skill upon accepting the Class: Formica Sapiens inspiration. By utilising it, they would be able to provide powerful bonuses to both ants and other humans. Once they’d confirmed the description, the nature of this glorious happening became clearer to the one-armed priest.
Their purpose was made yet more clear. They were to be the bridge between the ants and those around them. They would allow the humans of Renewal to fight alongside the Colony, for only when they battled alongside both would the Antmancers level.
“We must prepare,” Beyn whispered, “for the crusade.”
