Diana walked to the Skyline, the restaurant they were using due to it being close to the bridge and their new suites. Even as Robert's wife, the times they had access to a suite were rare. That was a plus in this whole situation at least.

  She still couldn't believe all that had happened in a single day, from the huge hurricane to the pirates and all that in between, it certainly was busy.

  Oh, and I can't forget the system, what a fascinating thing...

  "Diana darling, you're here," A voice dragged her to the present. She looked up just to come face-to-face with her close friend Mary.

  Mary was someone Diana met through parties or meetings similar to the one they were having before they found themselves in this world. She was William's wife, a charismatic old lady who stole the spotlight whenever she appeared. As an experienced theatrical actress, she knew how to steer conversations and match people's energy. She was one of the most social people Diana had ever met.

  "Of course I would come," She said as she smiled at her old friend, as she continued jokingly, "It's the first meeting of our small club isn't it?"

  "I knew you would get me," Mary said as she clapped her hands. Diana had always held a hint of envy toward the old lady. She exuded this youthful feeling and energy that made people forget how old she really was. Diana could only hope she could be like her when she made it to that age.

  Diana was led by Mary to the small table where the others were. Seeing all the faces turn to look at her, she smiled apologetically as she said,

  "Sorry if I'm late. Getting all that knowledge from Robert and making sure I didn't write it wrong took longer than I thought."

  "It's alright," It was Natalie, Freddie's little sister who spoke. She was a university graduate who studied neurolinguistics. She had this lazy disposition about her that made her seem a bit disinterested in most things. "We have just been getting comfortable with each other."

  "Yup," Annie, Dex's wife said as she fixed the hair of her daughter Tracy to her right. To her left sat the shy daughter of Jackie the bosun, Tiffany, her hairstyle looked suspiciously similar to Tracy's. "We haven't even touched on Classes yet, that's what you got us here for right?"

  "Good to know," Diana sighed in relief. "And yes. The others tried to get us as much information as they could from the natives so we could make some good choices."

  The restaurant at that moment had most of the family members or friends of the core crew of the cruise ship, or those whose work didn't have them stuck with something to do. There was a mix of men and women all sitting around a big table while chatting.

  "Here are some snacks," Raymond said as he brought a few packets of different snacks and sweets. He then sighed as he sat down, "Seriously though, I'm getting tired of just serving leftovers. I'm looking forward to cooking something for real."

  "Don't worry darling," Mary comforted the chef, "I'm sure that you're going to get your chance soon."

  "If it's alright with you we can start?" Diana asked as she took her phone out.

  Having her phone and the ability to use and charge it felt a bit weird in a situation like this. Being in a fantasy world with your smartphone seemed to be breaking some kind of setting rules. Seeing them nod at her, she took a second to gather her thoughts before starting,

  "As I said before, the purpose of this meeting is to share what has been found so far about the system and how it works. How Classes and skills work and what is the optimal way to take advantage of them. The first thing that we should start with is Classes. Classes seem to be a part of the system that you get introduced to at the age of 15..."

  She then went on to explain about the Classes and how they were affected by your actions and your life till the point of choosing one, and about skills and the problem of either tiering up skills or going with a different one altogether after level 10. At this point, she made sure to emphasise the idea that a single tier 10 skill would most likely be way more useful and powerful than a hundred tier 1 skills. Diana noticed Natalie frowning when she mentioned that last point for some reason.

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  "Now that that part is dealt with," Diana took a sip of her water before continuing, all the speaking was making her throat dry, "Is there anything you want to ask or talk about? I know it's hard for all of us, but we are in this together and we should depend on each other."

  "I'll start I guess," It was Mary who spoke first, the old lady catching the attention of everyone at the table with her voice. "Classes, Skills and all that aside. I think each of us is dealing with this situation we find ourselves in, in a way that suits us the best. Some of us might be more comfortable with facing it headfirst and without anyone's help. And others need someone whom they could rely on and talk to. Just know that no matter which of those you are, you can come to me if you need someone to talk to. I'll always be ready to listen."

  Diana found herself relaxing at the old lady's gentle and calming voice. It was to the point where she even suspected if it was the effect of some skill or the like, but she soon discarded that. The old lady has always been like this, ever since she first got to know her. It was just who she was as a person, a gentle grandmotherly warmth that made people relax without realising it.

  "Now that the heavy matters are out of the way," The old lady said with a light chuckle, her voice turning even more energetic, "Why don't we have some fun and talk about Classes and skills! Can you believe it? Magic! It's magic!"

  Diana struggled to hide her smile at the old lady's near maniacal cackle. She learned the hard way how deep into the system and all things magic this seemingly gentle old lady was when she found out about her class and skills.

  "You might be wondering what Class I've chosen," The old lady continued, "Well, you are looking at a Matriarch of Stage. Unfortunately, I'm still a level 2 so I've only got 2 skills." Her voice turned a bit less spirited at the end there.

  "Mary, we've talked about this, not everyone might be open to talking about their skills and Classes," Diana used that chance to take control of the situation, she didn't want to put the people who didn't want to share in a difficult spot. "That aside, I'm an Otherworldly Siren, it leans both towards me being a cruise ship singer and from another world. I think I could grow it to something worthwhile later on, and when I saw it during the Class selection, it was as if it called to me, I couldn't ignore it."

  "I understand that feeling," It was Mrs. Raily who spoke. The old lady seemed to be absent-minded ever since all this started, Diana made a note to put more effort into trying to interact with her. She didn't know what the problem might be, but she wasn't going to let anyone be ignored. "Once I saw the Class I chose, I never even considered the other choices."

  "Same," Martin, Ricky's twin brother and a mathematics professor, Diana didn't know which branch, said. "My Class is something that spoke to me deeply, I'm still thinking about it and how to work it into our new world, so, unfortunately I don't feel like talking about it for now."

  If there was one person Diana was scared about, it would be that man. From what she knew, he had a weak body since youth and it showed. He was extremely pale and so thin that it was concerning. He had a scholarly air about him though, and the quiet voice he spoke in only added to that.

  "Oh, that's unfortunate," Mary said dejectedly. She bounced back fast as she turned to poor Mrs Raily and asked excitedly, "What about you? What is your Class? If you don't mind saying, that is."

  "You don't have to worry," Mrs Raily just smiled at Mary's reaction, "I don't really mind. Honestly, it doesn't sound as glamorous as yours, getting kinda embarrassed now. My Class is Healer of the Broken."

  "Oh, what does it do?" Diana's interest was piqued, she couldn't surmise what the Class was just from the name. It had something to do with healing for sure, but adding broken after that was a bit odd. She doubted only bones were included in that after all.

  "The description was a bit vague too," Mrs Raily said, "It said, You are a different kind of healer. While others heal the body and its ailments, you focus more on the soul and the mind. Your presence on its own is a relaxing breeze in their tumultuous lives."

  "So some kind of magical therapist?" Natalie said deeply as she held her head lazily.

  "That's what I thought too," Mrs Raily nodded slowly, as if her mind was somewhere else. "I can even guess why I got it. Honestly, I'm glad I did, I feel that a class like this might be of help to us soon."

  "I can see that," Mary's demeanour was a bit off as she spoke this time. She then stood up, made sure to meet everyone's line of sight and said, "I don't know if you've noticed this, but I think our idiotic relatives, friends and loved ones are aiming to shoulder most things on their own. They think that we are their little precious passengers, only here to be protected and hidden from the dangers of this world. Most of it is powered by guilt for sure. But those idiots don't know that operating under that much stress would break them eventually. I don't know about you, but I won't accept that! Us being here isn't their fault no matter how much they think it is."

  Diana would be lying if she said that she didn't feel the same, hell, she was part of the crew, she was just a singer yes, but she was part of them, and yet she found herself on the sidelines. She was glad for her husband for what he was doing, showing care for her and all, but this sure wasn't the way to go about it.

  "This is why I wanted to talk to you here," Mary said to the more than 15 faces there, "No matter what those idiots think, work hard, level up, study your choices with each other, do all you can. Prepare for the worst because it might just find us. And when that happens, when this ship needs us just as much as our stupid loved ones out there, we will be there, fighting for it with them.”

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