"I think we should probably do the one with the humans," Erin replied, "Just to be safe."

"Borrrrring," Layla absently called out as she moved her hands over the symbols.

"Are you objecting, or complaining, Layla?" Jack turned to her.

"Complaining, mostly," she smiled, "We can do the human one if you guys think it's safer. Besides, I dig Final Fantasy, and it says they have magitech."

Jack and Erin pushed the massive needle into position, furthest to the left, and Rory pushed the lever toward the nock. It thunked into position, a quarter of the way down. Layla pushed lightly against it, and it snapped forward another quarter, issuing the same bass clunk, "Pretty sure it has to be unanimous."

Erin and Jack placed their hands on the lever at the same time, both smiling a bit as their hands touched, and pushed forward.

As the lever finally came to rest in the massive arrow’s nock, the white glow of the Alabastris sigil spread across the gold filigree and swept down the giant mill wheel and onto the floor, where it rushed back toward the door the four had entered from earlier. The runic script across the wall now glowed a faint white, leading them back toward the circular cave where they first awakened.

“Betcha five of whatever currency this world runs on the circle room is gone,” Jack turned to Rory.

He grinned, “You’re on, mate. There’s no way. Nothing we’ve seen is more complicated than LED lights… and…. mmm... infographics that translate themselves. I should not have made this bet, should I?”

Erin stifled a laugh, “No, no you shouldn’t’ve.”

Jack and Rory began to walk slowly toward the awakening chamber but noticed almost immediately the hallway was significantly longer than before. Erin followed up, keeping step with Layla, who was starting to look a little less pale and a little more present.

At the end of the hallway, now just over the length of a football field, the passage spilled into a titanic chamber, so tall and deep the four couldn’t make out a ceiling or the edges of the room. The pristine white runes running along the wall spilled down onto the floor and shot out to a raised dais about thirty yards into the room. On the dais was a four-sided obelisk, about four feet tall.

As the group malingered at the edge of the chamber, they each felt a searing sensation on the palms of their left hands, crying out or swearing as the pain reached a fierce crescendo.

“What the absolute shit was that?!” Layla spat as she turned her hand over, finding a circular mark etched into her hand like an obsidian brand.

“It looks like a snake, biting its own tail. What’s the name for that? Orbados? Oramus?” Jack wondered, “It’s… is this thing moving?”

“Yeah, mine’s definitely moving. It’s like the runes in the arrow chamber. It just says ‘chosen’ though, right?” Erin stared down at her hand, watching the serpent revolve slowly.

“Yeah, chosen by what though? Look, the same symbol is on the pillar there,” Rory replied.

The glowing runes on the dais seemed to pulse slowly, crawling up the obelisk to reveal a shallow handprint, etched with the symbol of the chosen. The four approached slowly, Erin the first to step onto the dais. The stone responded with a gentle, welcoming light rippling out from her footsteps, and the symbol of the chosen grew brighter as she neared. She reached out for the hand print, and as the others begin to protest, placed her hand on the obelisk. A pale green rectangle appeared in front of her, floating at chest height.

Welcome, Chosen of Ouroboros.

Your Mark of Ouroboros is currently charged. Additional Options will be available to you.

Awarded trait Traveler: Able to speak to and understand all creatures of Ayrgard that have a language.

You have pending Options.

“I found the interface, guys,” Erin looked up, her mouth turned up into a fierce grin.

“Well, you didn’t disintegrate, so let’s go, I guess. Rory, you owe me five money,” Jack smiled.

“This is proper fucked, you realize that, yeah?” he replied.

“Shut up and START THE CHARACTER CREATOR!” Layla yelled and slapped her hand onto the obelisk.

The dais was engulfed in a flash of white light, and when it faded, it was lit by four green circles, centered on each of them. Similar panels of pale green appeared in front of each, though the content was gibberish to all but the intended Chosen.

Erin Amanda Ward, Chosen of Ouroboros

Your starting Seal is Blood Brothers of Alabastris. You have been awarded the trait Mindlink: You can communicate with your fellow Chosen without speaking.

Your current Race is Human. Do you wish to change this? [No.]

You have pending Options.

Jackson Avery Holt, Chosen of Ouroboros

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Your starting Seal is Blood Brothers of Alabastris. You have been awarded the trait Mindlink: You can communicate with your fellow Chosen without speaking.

Your current Race is Human. Do you wish to change this? [No.]

You have pending Options.

Rory Elliot Poole, Chosen of Ouroboros

Your starting Seal is Blood Brothers of Alabastris. You have been awarded the trait Mindlink: You can communicate with your fellow Chosen without speaking.

Your current Race is Human. Do you wish to change this? [No.]

You have pending Options.

Layla Skye Wolfe, Chosen of Ouroboros

Your starting Seal is Blood Brothers of Alabastris. You have been awarded the trait Mindlink: You can communicate with your fellow Chosen without speaking.

Your current Race is Human. Do you wish to change this?

[Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.]

"Wait, wait, wait... Did this window just give us some kind of telepathic party chat?" Jack asked.

"Guys, I have a list of Races. Like half a dozen local to the human place, then a really, really big list that’s greyed out,” Layla whispered, "Also, yes, definitely telepathic party chat."

“You picked YES?!” Rory’s mouth dropped open.

“My body is a shit-show, Rory. Not everyone can have picture-perfect club abs,” she shot back.

Erin gave Rory a withering grimace, “What are your options, El?”

Your starting Seal is Blood Brothers of Alabastris.

You may change to the following Races without expending your Mark of the Chosen’s charge.

[Remain Human]

Dwarf, Goldblood Clan

Dwarf, Mountainheart Clan

Elf, Sidhe

Half-Elf

Ironfolk

Expand Restricted Races

“Looks like a few common races for the starting area, plus a really, really long list of stuff I have to burn my cheat code to pick.”

“Your cheat code?” Jack looked up from his panel.

“Yeah, your ‘Mark of Ouroboros’? It’s a cheat code. It’s ‘charged’, and we can use it to pick stuff we shouldn’t have access to. Like starting in Braedenfel as a Troll instead of a Nifling. There’s a couple hundred other races here, and I haven’t even scrolled halfway down.”

“How do you even know that?” Rory looked up from his panel.

“It’s in the race selection description,” she stuck her tongue out at him and grinned.

She suddenly flung her hand across the panel, rapidly scrolling down until she slammed her hand into the glowing green surface.

“I know that face, El. Whatever you’re about to do, don’t-” Erin was cut short by an explosion of crimson light and a throat-tearing scream that seemed to go on forever.

“EL! EL! LAYLA!” Erin screamed over and over, shielding her eyes from the burning red glow.

Finally, the light began to fade. “I’m fine, Erin,” Layla’s voice dripped out of bloody glow, the same, and yet very different, "But that shit hurt." She was taller, but not much. Her pajamas, however, hung very differently on her new form. From her mid back, a pair of black leathery wings poured out of her t-shirt, and a spaded tail slowly poked out of her bottoms. As Erin looked up from the tail, she saw that Layla had grown a pair of curling gold and black streaked horns, like marble, above her eyebrows at the hairline. Her face hadn't changed, really, but she seemed softer, more appealing. She turned to Erin and grinned, showing a set of dainty fangs and shimmering golden irises.

“Holy shit, my head doesn’t hurt!” she shouted., “And I have boobs! And hips!”

“What the bloody fuck have you done to yourself Layla!?” Rory choked out.

“Fuck you, Rory. You’ve been gorgeous your whole life. I took my shot, and I don’t regret it,” she shot back.

“Layla, are you… are you a succubus?” Jack gaped.

“Fuckin A. Check it out,” she spun the panel around, the words resolving into legible print from the gibberish of before.

Your charge has been expended during Race Selection.

Racial Class: Succubus (Demon)

Class Level: 1

Key Attributes: Guile, Mind, Will

Key Skills: Charm, Deceive, Endurance, Intuit, Puppetry, Wind

Alluring Mana: Learn and rank up Puppetry hybrid magic without corresponding ranks in Wood element.

Enticing Mirage: Able to assume a form pleasing to mortal creatures. Moderate mana cost. Lasts until next dawn or dusk.

Exhausting Appetites: Substitute the Lust of mortal creatures for food and drink. Exhausting Appetite drains a moderate amount of Stamina from your victim. Victims with zero Stamina lose consciousness and sleep until they regenerate any amount of Stamina.

Dietary Requirement (Moderate): Weaken without Mortal Lust, suffering maximum Health, Stamina, and Mana penalties.

Vulnerable I (Day): Vulnerable to Day magic spells. Suffer additional damage from Day-aspected attacks. Uncomfortable in direct sunlight.

“You have… to… you have to have sex to live?!” Erin just stared.

“I don’t think I’ll have any problems. Do you?” Layla ran her hands down her hips.

“No, I guess not,” Erin's mouth slowly twisted into a smirk.

Each panel pulsed faintly.

You have pending Options.