I thought about what Homer had said; it-he was right. These were normal classes that did show up in every video game or board game. But it was the skills and stat points that you focused on that made them powerful and well-rounded. It was also hitting me that this was real. My decisions mattered. This was going to be my life. If I didn’t take it seriously I could be screwed. Or worse, dead. I took a deep breath and started pacing the neverending whitespace.

  “If this was a video game I would pass over the Ranger. The magic guns are cool, but guns aren’t really my thing,” I said out loud to myself. So there was one down. No Ranger. “Okay, I like the idea of having actual magic and the Mage might be good. I could be a ranged healer. Though that would mean most anytime I wanted to level up by fighting I’d have a harder time. Or I’d have to be with a group of people”.

  “Hey, Homer,” I said to the void.

  “Yes Kieran?” Homer responded.

  “How are we going to level up?” I asked.

  “Tens of thousands of Dungeons of various levels are currently being formed. Earth is fundamentally changing while you and the other are in here. The animals, the magic abundance, the flora. It is all changing. When you leave here after choosing your class and first profession, you will see a brand new world. Much will look the same. But there will also be very noticeable differences. You will level up by fighting beasts or fighting one another. You will earn treasures and loot as you conquer dungeons. You may also level up as you explore your new world. Skills may level up as you use them. Bartering and trading will help your Charisma. Reading certain books will help your Intelligence. Exercising will help your Strength and Constitution. And so forth”.

  “So,” I tried to figure out my words, “If I become a healer mage and focus on healing people, I could level up by using my healing skills?”

  “Yes,” Homer replied. “Though be aware that it may take longer for you to level up if only focusing on one skill. As your stat in Wisdom increases so too will your overall level. However, when your Wisdom stat maxes out, which until you reach level ten is a stat level of twenty, your overall leveling will increase at a much slower rate.”

  “I see,” I said. “So the best way to level up overall is to fight and gain experience points. Or find a party as a healer that I can trust and raid dungeons with them and share experience points by healing them while they take down the big baddies.”

  “Correct,” Homer said.

  “Well, I guess that rules out the healer Mage. I don’t want to have to rely on others for my leveling. I could go down the battle Mage route though. Homer, if I chose Mage how much mana would I have starting out?”

  “You would begin with 90 mana,” Homer replied. “As you use it, your mana will replenish slowly. Slower if you are currently in battle. By eating and drinking certain foods, plants, or potions, your mana will recover faster.”

  “And what spells does a Mage start out with?” I asked.

  “All Mages begin with two spells, one a minor healing spell that costs 50 mana per use. They also have a weak firebolt spell. This costs 15 mana to cost each. Damage is variable from 10-25 points depending on several factors including range and magical resistance of enemy. At level three the Mage is allowed to choose one of five different spells. These spells are procedurally chosen and I cannot offer anymore insight into those at this time. At level ten the Mage is given five more spells with the option to choose two spells. However, when choosing a profession it is possible that you may be given the option to add a spell to your skill set.”

  I scratched my head at that. 90 mana wasn’t a lot to start out with if I was going to be alone. That would mean I’d still need a party to find. It wouldn’t be impossible. I’m sure I could hang with Braden and some others from work who were most likely also taking this seriously. But it would still mean I was dependent on others for leveling, at least in the early levels. The same couldn’t be said for the Rogue. The Rogue might not hit hard, but it still had a sword and dagger and could probably get a spell or two. And the early dungeons might not be too difficult. Which made me think about something.

  “Hey Homer, what happens if I die?” I wsan’t really sure I wanted the answer, but I needed to know.

  “Then you die,” Homer responded. No emotion in his voice, no empathy. Just matter-of-fact.

  “Oh,” I said. That really made me rethink the going at it alone thing. If I was alone I might not be able to heal. If I couldn’t heal, the chances of me dying significantly increased. If I was in a group, there’d no doubt be a healer. Or, and my mind immediately went back to being a healer Mage. Then I wouldn’t have to reply on others for my healing. This decision was impossible.

  “However,” Homer cut off my thinking. “As you level up and increase your stat points, there may be certain skills that can be chosen that allow for revivals. You may also become strong enough to revive yourself should that become necessary. At the early levels, if you die, you will most certaintly be dead.”

  Now that was interesting. Certain skills that allowed for revivals or just getting strong enough to revive myself. I wondered how rare those skills would be. I had an idea of which class I wanted to be. As much as I like the Mage, the Rogue was more versatile. Plus I could be alone and feel comfortable diving into dungeons. But I could also play a melee role in a group.

  “Alright Homer, I think I’ve chosen my class,” I said, a little hesitation in my voice.

  “Very good,” Homer replied. “And which class have you chosen?”

  “I’m going with the Rogue,” I said forcing confidence into my words this time.

  “Of course. And you’re certain with your decision?” Homer asked.

  I paused for a moment and thought it through one more time. And then I nodded, “Yes I’m sure”.

  A golden light washed over me and the next thing I knew I was standing in the same dark forest green cloak I had seen in the image. I had a dagger on my left side and the short sword with etchings on my right. As I am left handed I was impressed that the system knew that and adjusted.

  “Here are your current stats,” Homer said.

  A window popped up in my vision and made me blink and focus my eyes. There were a number of stats on the screen and Homer’s voice came through:

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  Active traits: Strength: 3, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 7, Intelligence: 18, Wisdom: 6, Charisma: 10. Passive traits: Stealth: 10, Dagger Proficiency: 12, Short Sword Proficiency: 12, Perception: 13, Deception: 10, Acrobatics: 15. Gain levels to increase active and passive status points. Gain levels to add passive stats.

  Those stats weren’t terrible. Pretty basic for any starting character. I would have been surprised if other classes had anything significantly higher. I liked the stealth and perception. Acrobatics was good too. I assumed those levels would increase as I leveled up overall and put skill points into my active stats. The idea of adding passive stats was interesting too. I wondered what other passive stats there could be. Then Homer cut off my train of thought.

  “Now you will choose your first profession,” Homer said. “Your profession can add passive traits as well as adding status points to your active traits. It will also influence any tools and gear you may be given before leaving this space. You will choose one profession out of five options given. At level ten you may choose a specilization within your chosen profession of choose a new profession. You may have only one profession at any time.”

  I nodded and five symbols appeared in front of me, much like the class symbols. The first symbol was a beaker with skull and crossbones in the center. “The Poisoner,” Homer’s voice came. “Much like other professions of the Rogue, the Poisoner relies on subtly while crafting poisons and antidotes to accomplish their mission. The Poisoner will be given the active trait of Crafting and the passive trait of Potions. As the Poisoner levels up both of fthese traits, the poisons and antidotes that are created become more powerful. They will also gain proficiency in general potion making. The Poisoner will also gain a keen understanding of flora and fauna that could aid them in crafting these potions. Choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue’s Backpack filled with two vials of basic poisons, two healing potions, and two general antidotes”.

  The poisoner could be fun I thought. Making potions and poisons and antidotes. Could turn that into a lucrative business in the future. I focused on the next symbol, a hand gripping a dagger. I had a feeling I knew what profession this was.

  “The Assassin,” Homer said. “The Assassin is all about making precision kills on their targets. They master stealth attacks, hiding in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The Assassin will increase the active traits of Dexterity and Intelligence by two points. These traits will be maxed out until you level up to level five where your traits can reach a max level of thirty-five until you reach level ten. Your passive traits of Dagger Proficiency and Short Sword Proficieny will gain three levels. Your passive trait of Perception will increase two levels. And your passive trait of Stealth will gain five levels. Upon choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue’s Backpack with six shivs, rope, and the assassin’s slippers which increase stealth by three points”.

  The Assassin could be a very interesting build. I didn’t have to be evil, I could be morally grey. Killing those that threatened to disrupt society. I could level up and maybe build an assassin’s guild. People could come to us and pay a fee to have someone killed. Plus it might make getting through dungeons a bit easier if I was alone. I could use that exceptionally high stealth stat to sneak my way through and kill the beasts before they noticed me. Either way, the Assassin excited me more than the Poisoner. I focused on the third symbol; a set of tools.

  Once again Homer spoke, “The Thief. The Thief is skilled at breaking and entering, stealing what they need for profit or information. The Thief will increase the active traits of Dexterity by two, Intelligence by one, and Charisma by three. The Thief will increase the passive traits of Stealth by three, Perception by three, Deception by five, and Acrobatics by five. The passive trait of Luck will be added. Upon choosing this profession, you will be given the Rogue’s Backpack with three shivs, Thieve’s tools, and the Midnight Cloak. The Midnight Cloak decreases the chance of others noticing you while wearing it.”

  I focused on the fourth profession, a black hood from a cloak cut off at the neck. “The Spy,” Homer said. “The Spy focuses on stealth and charisma to complete their missions and achieve their goals. The Spy will increase the active traits of Intelligence by two, Charisma by six, and Constitution by three. The Spy profession will increase the passive traits of Stealth by three, Perception by five, and Deception by ten. Upon choosing the Spy profession, you will be given the Rogue’s Backpack with an extra dagger and the Malmuna Amulet. The Malmuna Amulet is a necklace that allows the wearer to increase their Charisma trait past its maximum level by three points. It also adds three skill points to Charisma, which affects the passive traits of Perception and Deception, for every five levels you gain.”

  That Charisma boost would be amazing. I wouldn’t have to spend skill points on Charisma. The Spy was a true contender for a profession. It would allow me to persuade people to join a group, or possibly talk people out of kicking my ass. Plus, let’s face it, spies weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The world was going to change the moment I got out of the void. Some things might be the same but who knew if cars or phones or any technology were going to work anymore. My head started spinning again and I took another deep breath. I focused on the last symbol, a bomb with a pair of scissors cutting the fuse.

  “The Saboteur,” Homer’s voice eased me back to the task at hand. “From disarming to producing, the Saboteur specializes in the art of traps and explosives. The Saboteur profession will increase the active traits of Dexterity by two, Constitution by five, and Intelligence by one. The Saboteur will increase the passive traits of Perception by three, Deception by three, and will add the passive trait of Luck to their status. Upon choosing the Saboteur profession you will gain the Rogue’s Backpack with three light traps, the explosive disarming toolkit, and Bombmaker’s Goggles. The disarming toolkit allows for the user to increase their luck while disarming explosives. The Bombmaker’s Goggles add extra status points to Constitution and Luck while equipped. This Profession will also add the active trait of Crafting to your status.”

  Wow. The Saboteur sounded amazing. And the added Constitution boost would help make me not so squishy. “Homer,” I began. “How many hit points do Rogues have with their base Constitution?”

  “At level one the Rogue has 250 hit points without any modifiers. This number can be increased by wearing gear that increases Constitution or by leveling up and placing status points into your Constitution status,” Homer replied.

  I nodded at that. I figured as much. Rogue’s in video games usually can’t take too much damage and 250 hit points didn’t sound like much. “What class has the highest base hit points?” I asked Homer.

  “That would be the Berserker with a base of 650 hit points,” Homer said.

  So, Constitution will be a priority for me, I thought to myself. Which means leveling up will need to happen quickly. If that’s the case, I couldn’t be the Saboteur. As much I that it would be a cool profession to choose, I couldn’t rely on making explosives and traps to kill beasts in the dungeons or out in the wild. Which left the Poisoner, Assassin, Thief, and Spy. With the Poisoner and Thief, I’d be in the same position as the Saboteur. I’d have to focus on crafting things to get the job done. If I chose the Spy or Assassin, I could possibly choose one of the other professions at level ten, while still getting boosts to my stats that could help me in the short term. I’d be losing out on the Constitution boost, but I felt that those two professions were more combat focused for the Rogue.

  “Alright,” I said. “Homer I’ve chosen the profession I want.”

  “Of course,” Homer said. “And which profession have you chosen?”

  I hadn’t really, it was truly a fifty-fifty right now. I could have gone with either. And looking back now, I wonder what would have happened had I flipped the coin tails side up rather than heads. “I’m choosing the Assassin,” I replied.

  “Understood Kieran,” Homer said. “And this is your final choice?”

  I had one more chance to change what would become the trajectory of my life. So what did I do, I nodded my head and mentally hit the accept command that had popped up in my vision.