“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jack began, projecting his voice across the crowd without the need of a microphone or loudspeaker. The wind carried each of his words through the open arena where a few thousand faces sat in attendance, eager to hear Jack’s words. “Esteemed guests, families, friends, and our founding class of courageous pioneers. Thank you for joining me in this grand opening of the Jack of All Trades Academy.”

The crowd cheered and clapped and whistled and echoed sounds of excitement.

Jack swept his gaze across the founding class of one-hundred-and-one students. He had studied each student’s profile. Their personalities, dreams, wants, goals, likes, dislikes, fears, talents, and traumas were all fresh in his mind. He knew them as words on paper, learning all one might be able to learn from paper alone.

“And a special thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring us to this point.” Jack motioned across the construction crews, logistical teams, the academy’s staff, and the myriad other unsung heroes whose tireless efforts had transformed Jack’s whimsical dream into reality. And then, Jack’s eyes smiled as he locked eyes with Nicholas’, his not-so-surprising extra student who sat beside his wife and talented son.

Again, the crowd cheered and clapped and Jack paused, allowing enough time to thoroughly express his gratitude.

“Three years ago, a shadow was cast over our world and humanity was thrown into unimaginable turmoil. And in this darkness, we seem to have lost our way. In our desperate struggle for survival, we have forgotten what separates us from other species, what makes us powerful, what makes us great. Heroes are needed, yes,” Jack nodded toward Leonidas who sat on the stage nearby. “We need those to lead us through the darkness and to charge headfirst into battle. We need those who willingly and enthusiastically risk their necks for all of humanity. But, we cannot forget the foundations of our society. We are the cleverest of creatures. We bubble with a curiosity not seen in the animal kingdom. We learn, we adapt, and we thrive in the face of adversity. The Hittites, a name which most of you have never heard, were the world’s first blacksmiths. The Egyptians were perhaps among the first shipwrights. Modern agriculture stemmed from practices the Chinese had honed for centuries. Yes, warriors are needed to protect our world. However, they cannot fight alone.”

Jack paused and the crowd listened in silence.

“As you all may know, I am Jack Trades, the founder and first Headmaster of JATA,” Jack nodded toward Kevin, Nicholas’ son, thanking him again for suggesting the perfect name. Kevin’s work had pleased Jack so much that Jack had offered him a permanent position on staff as lead designer for everything JATA-related. Unsurprisingly, Kevin wholeheartedly accepted. “To the one hundred and one of you who have joined me as our founding class. Welcome. Thank you for putting your faith in me, in us. “Archimedes once said, give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. JATA shall be the fulcrum, and you all shall become the levers. Here at JATA, your minds will be opened to the impossible. You will learn all you can about the system, mana, and skills of wide varieties. You will become the lifeblood of humanity. You will build the weapons of the future. You will help to feed, house, and support those who cannot support themselves. You will become experts in your fields. And, then, you will go into the world and share this knowledge. This knowledge is not meant to be hoarded. It is not meant to be sold. It must be shared. It is our turn, your turn to protect our warriors and protect our world which has given us so much.”

The crowd cheered.

Jack knew it wasn’t his best of speeches. He hadn’t practiced speechwriting in all of his eternities. It had never even crossed his mind. But, as he finished, a notification chimed, and a new skill was created, Oration. Excitement washed over Jack. His intentions were genuine. He wanted to share his knowledge and provide humanity a chance to survive the games. However, now, a new desire sprouted. He felt skills generating, growing within him as he taught the Treent children, as he guided Nicholas, and now as he spoke to his students. He wondered who had more to gain, himself, or his students.

“Now,” Jack raised his hand to silence the crowd. “I’ll hand it off to one of JATA’s founding members who needs no more introduction. Please welcome to the stage, the great, the legendary, the hero of humanity, the one and only, Leonidas Greenheart.”

Leonidas spoke words of inspiration. He was no stranger to public speaking. He had been a seasoned veteran of war turned political activist before the world went to hell. And, he was humble. He acknowledged humanity’s flaws. He acknowledged his personal shortcomings. He too had focused solely on growing stronger. But, Jack had opened his eyes. Jack had shown him the possibilities of a bright future. The crowd listened to every word. Leonidas had fought for all of them. Risked his life for all of them. Never wavered. Never gave in. The crowd deified Leonidas just as Leonidas and the Treents tried to deify Jack.

Robin addressed the students directly next, and she silenced the crowd in a way that neither Jack nor Leonidas could. All eyes gazed upon her like the angel she appeared to be, dressed in a stunningly luxurious diamond-encrusted white gown that could fill even the happiest of brides with envy. Her words however were not as kind as Jack’s nor as inspiring as Leonidas’. She warned the students of the reality that awaited them. Jack planned to teach them mana meditation and manipulation while promoting the growth of production and collection abilities, including agriculture, horticulture, construction, crafting, blacksmithing, and a dozen other trades. She, however, would not allow them to graduate without a thorough education in physical fitness and combat. Their bodies needed to be hardened to withstand the mana. Their senses honed to protect themselves. She assured them that they would feel pain they hadn’t known. That they would need to grit their teeth and fight through the most tiresome of exhaustions. And, she promised, that if they followed her instructions and gave everything they had into their training, the results would be galactic. Each would graduate a skilled player, mana-wielder, warrior, and educator with a budding mastery over several unique skill sets.

The crowd roared.

Next, the Dean of Students stepped forward to address the class. She was a first-round player but hadn’t seen combat since the tutorial. And, as soon as Jack had read her profile, he knew that he needed her. Flying halfway across the world, he met with Dr. Ingrid Johansson and was prepared to beg her to head up his school. She refused to believe him at first, thinking that his words were some kind of practical joke. But, when saw his player card and searched his name, her jaw hit the floor. She protested still, swearing that her ability was not as special as Jack believed. Her Eye of Insight alone would’ve caught Jack’s attention. It was a lesser version of his Eye of Truth. It gave tidbits of information: hints and snippets. Jack felt that he could help her evolve it. But, even more amazing was her second ability. It appeared simple. Useless. And yet, the possibilities were endless. Jack assured her that her Educator ability was exactly what they needed. Still, she was hesitant. So, Jack brought out the big guns. He sat her down and walked her through some basic mana meditation. He adjusted her body, supplemented her energy, and guided her understanding. Jack left a few hours later, leaving behind his information and thanking Dr. Johansson and her wife for their time, reiterating that even if she wasn’t ready to accept immediately, JATA would always have a position available for her.

The next morning she accepted the job.