The night was quiet, with a gentle breeze. The only sounds the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal animals. Daniel and Brad were walking slowly along the wall, their eyes scanning the darkness.

“That was some fight today, huh? Those ants were something out of a sci-fi movie.” Daniel said as they walked along.

Brad nodded in agreement. “Yeah, never thought I’d see something like that. It’s amazing how everyone came together, though. You know, fighting side by side.”

“True. It’s in these moments you really see what people are made of. Speaking of which, have you noticed how everyone’s been… I don’t know, kind of bonding more since all this started?” Daniel observed towards Brad.

Brad agreed. “Definitely. It’s like we’re all in this together now, for better or worse. And hey, speaking of bonding, have you noticed Maya? She’s really been stepping up lately. Pretty impressive… and not to mention, pretty.”

Daniel chuckled lightly, acknowledging Brad’s observation. “Yeah, she’s been doing great. But you know, it’s not just about who’s cute or not. We’re all here trying to survive. Though I have to admit, Evelyn’s been catching my eye.”

“What?” Brad asked in surprise. “Aren’t you married?”

“So?” Daniel responded. “I can admire can’t I?”

“Sure.” Brad rubbed his chin. “But I don’t think she’s all that. She kind of looks like a librarian.”

“I know right.” Daniel chuckled. “Looks all prim and proper but I bet she is a freak in the sheets.”

“Dude.” Brad laughed. “Isn’t your wife a librarian?”

“No.” Daniel defended himself. “She’s an English teacher. It’s totally different.”

“Uh huh.” Brad responded. “I think I’m crushing on Maya. She is totally cute. I want to ‘bond’ with her, if you know what I’m saying.”

“You know there are two Maya’s here, right?” Daniel asked.

“What? Really?” Brad looked surprised. “Then who am I talking about?”

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“Uh. There’s the young Maya.” Daniel looked up and away as he tried to recall what he knew. “She’s got the wavy brown hair. And the older Maya was just visiting from college and she’s got the long braid.”

“Oh, the long braid one.” Brad answered.

“Uh, wasn’t Maya your student a couple of years ago?” Daniel asked.

“So? she ain’t now.” Brad answered. “She was hot then, and she is hot now. Maybe even hotter.”

“Gross.” Daniel answered.

“At least I’m not married and lusting after other woman.” Brad rejoined.

“You make it sound biblical. ‘Lusting after other woman.’” Daniel mocked Brad. “I’ve heard the rumors about you from wife.”

“What?” Brad asked. “What does she know?”

“Sometimes you don’t wait for your students to graduate?” Daniel said.

“That was just a vile rumor.” Brad hotly rejected the accusation.

“He doth protest too much, methinks.” Daniel said.

The two fell silent as they continued their patrol. The silence was awkward and it was finally broken by Daniel.

“So, what class did you get?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t know if I want to tell you.” Brad said. “You’re being mean to me.”

“Sorry, dude.” Daniel apologized. “I won’t do it again.”

“Well, I had a hard time choosing.” Brad explained. “I was offered a total of five classes. Guardian Historian and Warrior Scholar were the melee classes.”

“They sound the same. What do they do?” Daniel asked.

“The Guardian Historian was a warrior. I would wield ancient weapons from different time periods each with unique abilities and significance. And the Warrior Scholar is pretty much the same. The Warrior Scholar focuses on melee combat with a focus on swords, spears and shields. I would have received buffs for allies to help control the pace of battle.”

“Those both sound cool.” Daniel said. “What did you pick?”

“Argh.” Brad said. “It’s terrible. The magic classes were pretty cool. I was offered chronomancer. A time mage! I could have been a time mage.” Brad groaned.

“I got another one called Cultural Mage. It sounded a lot like Guardian Historian but with magic instead of weapons and finally there was Arcane Archivist. Sounds like a mage with an emphasis on written spells. I also got bonuses to filing.”

“That’s weird.” Daniel said. “You know it seems weird. You aren’t the first person I talked to that has classes that are geared towards them personally. How does the system know so much about us?”

“I don’t know.” Brad said. “Anyways, I picked the warrior. I am now a Guardian Historian. I’ve always liked to hit things.”

“Really?” Daniel asked. “I would have picked the time mage one. That sounds really powerful.”

“You’d think so, but the description for the stats gains would make me a glass cannon. A strong wind would knock me other. Have you seen the things wandering around out there? It’s a nightmare. I needed power now. Hey, what did you get?”

“I went with a knight class. It’s called Mason Knight. I use a hammer and can create or dismantle obstacles with my hammer. I can control the flow of combat in close quarters.” Daniel said.

“Did you have any other choices?” Brad asked.

“I did.” Daniel admitted. “But I think I had the same idea as you. It doesn’t look like we will get an opportunity to grow strong if we start weak.”

“I don’t know, man.” Brad answered. “Some of the spells I see flying around are pretty cool.”

“Time will tell.” Daniel said.