Jay looked away from his class options and scanned the second mansion’s gymnasium. He hadn’t been too focused on his surroundings when they entered YoAnna’s other home. Looking around distracted him from the big important choice he had to make. It was a good distraction.

They were standing around the center of a granite platform thirty yards wide and long and three feet tall. Circles and runic scriptures spiraled around the surface under them, shining in myriad colors while subtly shifting into different states of matter. Going from solid to liquid, then to gaseous, and then to plasma before restarting.

The air thrummed with power around them. Clothes, long strands of hair, jewelry, every loose thing flapped and trembled from the indoor magic currents. YoAnna watched from off the platform, ensuring their safety throughout the ceremony. She had explained earlier the Class Selecting platform helped channel her power as a Multiverse System Guide. If she did it herself, she’d have to go to them one at a time instead of all at once.

Jay found it all pretty nifty, especially the visual effects. Hella dramatic, which sold what could be the most important choice as an introduction to the System.

The rest of the gymnasium was unlike a school gym. The floors were either matted or covered in sand. Water flowed around the perimeters where black braziers lit the area with blazing firelight. The walls had racks of eastern and western weapons that ranged from ancient history to times of old flintlock pistols and rifles. Nothing modern, though, which made Jay wonder what gear he would use after he finished his selection.

“What are you picking?” Rick hissed to his twin.

“[Fighter],” Tim admitted. “You?”

“[Fighter]!” Rick cheered.

The Junker Twins dapped. Twin rainbow torrents shot up from their feet and washed over them both. When Jay stared long enough, he could faintly glimpse blue boxes fading in and out rapidly around the twins. Jay couldn’t read what the boxes said, but the transformation must be powerful for their personal boxes to show.

Jay hadn’t known them deeply, but they seemed like the most random picks out of everybody here. He’d heard through the grapevine they were drug dealers and that their folks’ business at the local junkyard was a front for illegal stuff. If any of that was true, they were far from the type of people you’d pick to save a dimension. But they had been the first to back him when he was up against the Divine Four to reach YoAnna.

Drug dealers? Hood rats? Juvie attendants? Did it matter if they were really cool guys deep down? Jay would have to get to know them better in the future. The same could be said for the other Champions outside of Mike and Lilith.

“[Fighter]!” Dennis shouted, surrounded by a rainbow torrent and flickering blue boxes. “How can I not choose that?”

Mike and Lilith shared a look.

“[Mage],” Mike admitted.

“[Crafter],” Lilith replied.

Locking in their choices, they were next on the rainbow-and-blue-box light show. The Divine Four didn’t say a word as they made their choices soon after. Brit concluded her choice next.

Then there was Jay and Frank.

The agent looked down past his nose. “Getting cold feet, Luckrun?”

“There’s only one choice.”

“That can’t be. We’re all getting the same five choices.”

“So, what’s keeping you? Scared of the wrong choice?” Jay asked.

Franklin gave him a smoldering glare. “[Fighter] is a good, stable, and much-needed class.”

“It’s what you’ve been told to get, right?” Jay laughed at him. “Damn, dude, you’re already here. Why not go on the wild side and do what you want?”

“You’re going to need more than that to knock me off my game,” Frank said, looking away. “Unlike you, I didn’t have someone divine looking out for me. I’m not going to jump the rails now.”

Frank made his choice, leaving Jay as the last man.

“What’s keeping you?” Mike yelled over the roar of the rainbow torrents and flickering blue boxes.

“There’s only one choice!” Jay replied. “And it’s a gamble!”

Almost everyone rolled their eyes.

“Knowing you, it’s the choice you shouldn’t choose,” Mike pointed out.

Jay returned to his options.

[Fighter]: Bare a magical sword. Hoist a hardy shield. Ball your hands into gloved fists. Shoot a bow and arrow. Stalk through the shadows. Fight as necessary until the battle is won. Your path is as numerous as your tools and the magic you can employ in the face or backs of your enemies. Every Class Level Up delivers +1 Resilience, +1 Strength, +6 Free Attribute Points.

“[Fighter] would’ve worked better on edgy middle school me,” Jay commented.

“Hey!” Dennis glared. “Being a [Fighter] isn’t edgy! It’s manly and honorable.”

“I think I’m leaning toward the ax, like a head-chopping madlad,” Rick told his brother. “Maybe pair it with another ax or a knife. Or maybe I can do a giant magic ax like that one game, Tim.”

“Nice, go God of War on a fucker,” Tim replied. “I’ll go Hawkeye. Shoot out the eyes.”

“Okay, maybe it can get a little edgy,” Dennis admitted.

Frank sighed.

Captain Casey shifted nervously.

[Mage]: Bend the elements with your mind, read runic symbols containing great secrets, cultivate magic at ancient sites, use rituals to summon monstrosities and calamities to lay waste to your foes, do the unimaginable as a mage. Your path is wondrous and ruinous when you surpass your mortal limits. Every Class Level Up delivers +1 Intellect, +1 Poise, +6 Free Attribute Points.

“[Mage] is definitely Mike’s thing,” Jay said. “I won’t steal his thunder.”

“Thanks!” Mike said. “It’ll be a little annoying if we’re both shooting thunder magic at the same time, honestly.”

“Thunder magic, really? Can you be any more uninspiring?” asked Planner Hailey. “A Hermoine Granger, you are not, when simply putting an illusion over a pitfall is more than enough to deal with a bad guy. But of course, we must always assume our powers are for fighting. Where’s the wonder? Where’s the singing with nymphs? Or riding unicorns through a mysterious forest guarded by ents and dryads where you must present a mythical flower for safe passage through an impossible to traverse mist containing the ancient temple of a fallen goddess, who once loved and lost?”

Mike gawked at her. “Ah, well, but lightning going zap-zap is kind of awesome on its own.”

“I can’t believe I’m Third Nerd behind you.”

[Medium]: Spirits exist and are ready to lend their aid or be commanded. The deceased have yet to pass and are yours to smite or be used. The power of the very gods can run through your veins. Your faith is the guiding hand that’ll turn the tide, whether to heal or hurt, support or curse. Every Class Level up delivers +1 Perception, +1 Conviction, +6 Free Attribute Points.

“Don’t even say anything,” Brit cut in before Jay spoke.

“He was about to slander [Medium], wasn’t he?” asked J-Prez Emily.

“I was going to say [Medium] should go to people more responsible than me,” Jay said with a big grin.

“You smell that stank?” Brit asked.

“The stench of someone lying through his teeth,” Emily replied. “How can I not smell it? It’s as bad as unwashed boys gaming and mountain dewing all day. I wrote a hit piece on that once.”

“Did you name it Jay’s Stank?”

The girls cackled.

“Can we get more supportive [Mediums]? Yeah? No?” Jay asked. “Nevermind. On to the next.”

[Crafter]: Vast forests hold herbs that can cure the deadliest ailments. Deep mountain veins contain epic ores that await to be smelted and shaped. Mystical silk sewn into a ball gown serves to wow high society and conceal the knives hidden in the seams. To craft is part art, part science, all skill. Every Class Level Up delivers +1 Agility, +1 Discovery, +6 Free Attributes.

“Cool,” Jay said. “I see why you chose [Crafter], Lil.”

“It’s practical,” Lilith said. “And it has a lot of uses. More than putting sharp metal things into skulls or electrocuting simpletons to death.”

“And it’ll make us money!” cheered Financer Macy.

“That, too,” Lilith agreed. “Will you join us as a [Crafter], Jay?”

“Nah. I’ll leave that to you girls.”

[Freak]: Throw away safety and gamble away your humanity to become one with your affinity. You may hope to come out more man than monster. But the power that’ll fill your veins will be yours to bend fully, regardless of your new inhumanity. Damn the consequences and dance outside of the lines with your craze. Every Class Level Up delivers +8 Free Attribute Points.

“There is only one choice,” Jay said, barely loud enough to be heard.

“Hurry it up,” Frank growled. “We don’t have long until we deploy.”

“No, don’t hurry, please,” Mike said. “I’m not sure if that choice is safe.”

“It’ll be interesting. I’ve been wondering about [Freak].” Frank flashed Jay a mean smile. “Let him test it out and see what it does. It’ll be good knowledge for the agent that’ll replace him.”

“Human trials are frowned upon for a reason, jerk,” Mike said. “Jay, if you choose that one, there’s no going back. The other Classes are flexible from the sound of them. But that one will change you deeply and lock you into one affinity with no takebacks. What if you get slime affinity? You want to get stuck with that?”

“Please get that affinity, slimeball,” Frank said.

“Yeah, it’s a risk,” Jay said, looking at YoAnna. She graced him with a reassuring smile. “But it’s the only choice. I know what my affinity is gonna be. If it’s like The Last Airbender, the show, not the movie, it’s air.”

Being able to ride gusts of wind and flip through the sky sounded epic to him.

Jay chose the [Freak] Class.