Aura released the breath she had been holding in a small sigh, a slightly relieved smile appearing on her face. While Fortress remained firm after making his declaration, whispers came from the lines behind her and the gathered crowd. Paying them no mind, Aura inclined her head slightly to Fortress before turning and beginning to make her way back to the line. Catching sight of both Jackie and Violet, she offered an encouraging smile and nod of the head as she passed.
Okay, that was way more stressful than it should have been. I mean, suspicions about the guy aside, Fortress is intimidating. I don’t think that even the fire chief was that… much of a hard ass…
Her face briefly turned melancholic as she thought back to her old job. A flood of emotions and thoughts that were being held back threatened to spill forwards. It took a great deal of willpower to push them back down again. While she had already fully accepted that this was reality, right now was not the time to process everything that went along with it. To process the implications of it all, or to process the fact that she may well never see her friends or loved ones again. Luckily, the sound of Jackie’s voice cut through the storm that was building in her mind as the other girl began her own declaration.
“My name is Jackie. I have 10 Mana, 20 STR, 15 VIT, 20 AGI, 25 DEX, and 10 ATU. My Innate Skill is Balance Form. With it for every four Points of AGI, I get an additional point to my DEX or STR. As for my intentions, I wish to be a soldier.”
Once more, whispers started to spread among the lines. Having reached the back of the line, Aura was better able to see the reactions this time. Many of the women in front of her were shocked, and she had briefly noticed pitying looks sent her way as she passed by them. Meanwhile, some of the men who had been rejected from being a soldier for one reason or another looked angry. While those who had been accepted had been giving her, and now Jackie, more complicated looks. Before she could make sense of them though, the voice of Fortress cut through.
“Approved, you will be a soldier.”
The silence that fell remains after the declaration. Through the slight distortion of her still open menu, Aura could see Jackie turn from Fortress and give Violet an encouraging nod. Having been pulled from the storm that were her thoughts, it gave Aura a chance to focus on the window that was still in front of her. She had been in something of a daze as she made her way to the back of the line and did not really acknowledge that she had not closed the menu page that showed her spells on it. She hadn’t really taken the chance to look at them beyond confirming that she had magic. And given that it may have been the main reason she had been allowed to be a soldier, getting an idea of them probably was not a bad idea. So, she began to read the information that was presented to her.
As far as spells went, they were basic ones. Mana Bolt gave her a ranged magical attack. While Wound Closure could let her do some light healing. All in all, perfect for what she had intended to build her character as back when this was all a game. But now that it was all real, it brought with it plenty of other questions.
So… this is my magic. The chant is empty, so I guess that means I can make my own. As well as the fact that I will have to actually speak to use magic. But… I have magic! For as much of a nightmare as all of this is, this is like a dream come true. And the spells have levels to them as well. Does this mean that they can grow stronger with use? And how do I get more spells then these two? With how everyone fell silent when I mentioned that I could use magic, I kind of doubt anybody in this place can teach me. But does that mean I need to find scrolls, or a teacher, or can I just develop spells on my own?!
As the excitement bubbled up in her, Jackie passed by and give a smile and a nod before taking position behind her. On seeing that, a quick glance towards the front showed that Violet was standing in front of Fortress now. Reaching up quickly and dismissing her menu by pressing on the ‘x’ in the corner, Aura would focus in on Violet.
“M-My name is V-Violet. My stats are 20 Mana, 5 STR, 10 VIT, 25 AGI, 20 DEX, and 20 ATU. My Innate skill is called Talented Learner. With it, I can learn other skills and spells more quickly. I-I also have a spell as well! It is called Wound Closure, and allows me to heal wounds and restore HP. I-I would like to be a soldier.”
Overall, it sounded like Violet had an intention in mind when it came to creating her character. Low physical damage stats but high AGI and ATU just screamed of intention to take a more support role in any party. And that Innate skill of hers leaned into that idea as well. Overall, Aura could certainly see the benefits in having her in any kind of group. If circumstances were different, she could even see partying up with her. Given that both had the ability to heal, a lot of dangerous things could be handled. At the very least, she could hopefully find out how that would go as soldiers.
“Denied. With VIT as low as yours, you will be killed before you can make use of this healing magic you have. Instead, you will be a Runner.”
The silence that had fallen after Fortress started to speak was shortly after broken by hushed whispers. They were far too indistinct to tell what was being said, not that Aura was giving them much mind. No, she was instead focusing on Violet, trembling slightly as she stood in front of Fortress. Given everything that the girl had been through today, from waking up in a new world to being in a body of the opposite gender, she had not been dealt a good hand. So, this rejection looked like it could be the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back. Before either herself or Jackie could move towards the trembling girl, the Matron would step out of the crowd and towards her instead.
Fortress gave the Matron a slight nod as she appeared, saying nothing as she guided the trembling Violet back to the line. The other women in line give looks of pity, while the men didn’t even look her way. When she grows close Aura made to reach out to give a hug, but a stern look from the Matron froze her in place. That same pressure from the first encounter falls on her, stunning her just long enough for the Matron to get Violet back in line. With the lines restored, Fortress’s voice sounds out once more.
“Thirty-six male soldiers, and only two female soldiers. Every squad of soldiers requires ten members, which means two of the women will be having their roles changed. Hannah and Mary, you are taken off field tending duty and will be soldiers instead. And with that, the Awakening Day has come to an end. People of Fortress, return to your work. Matron, take the newly Awakened to a mess hall for their meal. After that, guide them all to each of their places of work.”
And with that short speech, Fortress gave a firm nod before turning his back and walking to his retinue of men. All of them circle around Fortress, and they begin to make their way through the streets of the settlement. The crowds, meanwhile, quickly disperse as people begin to get back to their work, with very few lingering. Still somewhat held in place from the Matron’s earlier look, Aura doesn’t turn to try and comfort Violet despite the desire to do so. Instead, simply watching as the Matron strode between the two lines of young men and women.
“As Fortress has declared, the Awakening Day ceremony has concluded. While I shall lead you all to the mess hall, do try to recall where it is. For starting tomorrow, you will be expected to make your way there on your own. While we walk, you may mingle with your peers. Do not, however, fall behind or get lost.”
Having said that, the Matron continued walking and slowly the two strict lines begin to break apart and form more of a crowd that began to follow her. Some of the native young women would crowd around two of the others in their group, presumably the two that had been forced into Soldier duty. Aura and Jackie quickly turned to comfort Violet, only to see that she was not in as bad of a state as they had worried. While the girl had been trembling standing in front of Fortress and had looked a little pale after being rejected and walking back to the line, right now she looked a fair bit better than expected. Still, checking on her condition was a high priority in Aura’s mind.
“Violet… you look like you are taking this better than I thought.”
“I’ll say. I mean, I kind of guessed you were okay when I didn’t hear you sobbing behind me. But you honestly look kind of relieved I guess?”
Aura’s gentler tone was contrasted by Jackie’s brasher one, and a slightly strained smile grows on Violet’s face at their concern. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, Violet spoke in a softer tone. All out of a desire to not be overheard by the unorganized mass that was quickly forming from the two lines.
“I…Thank you both for being concerned for me. Standing there in front of Fortress was honestly… intimidating. I just felt so small standing before him there, and I kind of figured that he wouldn’t allow me to be a soldier. Pretty much everyone that became one had at least twenty STR after all. But I wanted to at least try to see if he would allow it. And… I was hopeful that maybe the fact that I could heal would make me seem a little more valuable as well.”
The three of them have begun to walk as they talk, keeping their small group a little separate from the mass that had formed. Though, vaguely Aura caught the eyes of some of the young men that were probably also like them. And as such began to subtly guide the three of them to the other group. She had to admit to being a little impressed that Violet had caught that bit about who all ended up becoming soldiers. Which brings a stray thought to mind.
Did… Did I really have to mention that I could cast a spell?
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There was a chance that had not been a necessary thing honestly, which could mean that by doing so she had just drawn more attention to herself. Of course, she could put that off for later and instead focus on what was going on right now. Which was mainly Jackie chuckling a little bit at Violet’s attempt.
“Well, it would have been nice to have you join us. But honestly, you could still join us later. While this all obviously isn’t a game anymore, it is still based off one, right? I know that when I get a couple of levels at least I plan on heading out on my own. And I hope that you two will join me at least.”
There was confidence in her voice as she said it, and Aura cannot help but feel a slight sense of unease at those words. While there was some truth in the statement, she just had a bad feeling about Fortress in general, both the town and the man. She certainly had no ambitions to just stay in the town, but she felt it would not be that easy to just leave. A glance at Violet showed that she had a similarly unsure expression as well. Before anything could be voiced, more voices spoke up.
“And with those three as well it makes ten. Groups of ten are around the right size for boss battles and the like.”
“Except there are no obvious boss battles here. Outside of that Fortress guy and his group. And you heard what Calen said, they are way stronger than any of us can take on alone.”
“Not only that, but not all of us are going to be able to get some levels. Only the ones who are ‘Soldiers’ will be doing any fighting from the sounds of things.”
Thanks to Aura’s subtle guidance, her group of three did eventually make it to the group of seven young men that had stood out from the crowd earlier. It was only due to the noise from one hundred other people talking that was keeping the conversation private, a lucky coincidence. All ten of them did stand out after all, given their varied appearances and the like. From different heights, builds, hair styles, and facial structures it was clear that all of these guys had taken the time to model their ‘characters.’ Aura’s group doesn’t go unnoticed either, with the one who was called Calen giving a nod as they approach. He was the most normal looking of the bunch of them. Standing a little taller than herself and with short black hair. An easy smile grew on his face before speaking up.
“You guys really should be paying better attention to who is around us. We are lucky that it isn’t any of the… people of this town that overheard what we are talking about.”
His statement finally gets the others looking and had them noticing Aura’s group. There was some nervous chuckling all around as they realize their own inattentiveness, with a slight undercurrent of tension. Which was understandable, given how all of them have been thrust into such an unreal situation. All of them were friendly enough but one of them, who Aura vaguely recalled was named Ryse, sent a glare her way.
“I agree that we should be careful about being overheard. I am Aura by the way it is nice to meet you all. Even if the… circumstances could be better.”
“That is certainly an understatement. But still, it is good to meet you, Aura. I’m Calen.”
As Aura and Calen exchanged greetings with a shake of hands, everyone else began to do so as well. That undercurrent of nervousness and tension remains, and most everyone seems to know the rest of the young men and women that were native to this town were watching them. They were outsiders here, and even if they didn’t have their stories straight a front of unity needed to be established. A quick conversation confirms that everyone did start in the same circumstances after all, but the young men were a little pushier about wanting to know where they had come from. Much like how Aura did, Calen took a bit of a leadership role among them and quickly got them all on board that they were from the same settlement. While that did lower suspicions, it had brought up more questions that went unanswered by the time the Matron had come to retrieve them all.
As the group converses, Aura splits her attention between them and getting a good eye for their surroundings. She was meant to be a ‘soldier’ after all, and while she doesn’t really know what that will entail it probably will involve patrolling this place. Yet as she looked around, she couldn’t spot any soldiers. Most of the other people on the streets were quickly moving from one building to another, meaning that they were probably Runners. The whole place felt strangely empty. Which when combined with the rough looking shape of most of the buildings, and the fact that the ‘road’ they were walking on was essentially just compacted dirt, made the whole settlement feel almost abandoned or destitute.
Soon enough, they reach a building that was larger compared to the others. The odor of filth that had been lingering in the air was soon replaced. A mixture of food cooking and being burnt wafts through the air. Heading into the building, the best comparison that Aura could make was that of a cafeteria. Long, rather rough looking wooden tables and benches filled the room. At the far end of said room was where the smell had been coming from, and she could see some of the people of the settlement. They were cooking, throwing various vegetables and the like into a large metal cauldron to boil. The conversation between everyone stopped as the Matron cleared her throat.
“Everyone quiet. What I want you to do is separate into lines based on what duties you were given by Fortress. You shall eat in your groups so that I may more easily escort you all to where you need to be. We will start with the Soldiers, then the Crop Tenders, Herbalists, Runners, and finally General Labor.”
Thanks to the pressure that came from the Matron, there was no room for argument. Aura cannot help but wonder if that pressure was coming from the woman’s innate skill, or something else. Either way, with them being split up she quickly turned to Violet. The girl had grown to have slightly better spirits since they started to converse with all the guys. All the while keeping her true gender a secret still. Some of that unease had creeped back into her expression, and Aura quickly embraced her in a hug to keep her calm.
“Things will be okay Violet, I promise. I don’t really know how all of this happened, but we will figure it out. I don’t know how, but we will.”
A somewhat choked sob escaped the girls’ lips as she slowly returned the hug, nervous voice speaking up.
“I hope so, I really do. Just… I don’t know if it is possible but if you get some free time try to visit me, please?”
“Of course.”
Giving Violet one last smile as she confirms she will not just abandon her Aura broke the hug. She caught Calen’s eyes and nodded firmly before speaking up.
“We will need to see about organizing some kind of get together between all of us. Yeah?”
“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll leave getting every one of the ‘soldiers’ together to you, sound like a plan.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
After that short exchange, Aura broke away from the smaller group of her fellow, “players”. Catching up with the other five, she gave Jackie a small smile before joining the line to get some food. With the prospect of it so close at hand, the hunger that she had been pushing aside finally starts to rear its head. Which was another dose of realism to this situation. The food itself was enough to make her wish that hunger was not something they needed to worry about. As each of them made it to the front of the line, they were handed a stone bowl which was filled with the most unappetizing slop she had seen. While all the vegetables were thrown into a pot of boiling water, what they were given was not a stew. The thick consistency, and various lumps floating within, was unappealing. The smell was best described as a mixture of cooked potatoes, carrots, and grains.
On being given her own bowl, she took a seat next to Jackie and one of the guys, Darek. At that, she had the slight realization that there were no utensils. A glance towards her fellows revealed that they noticed this too, and looking towards the people of the town she watched as they ate it in one of two ways. They either were digging in with their hands or tilting the bowl back and treating it like a drink, despite the consistency. With no real choice, everyone took the bowl in hand and began to drink the slop. As expected, the texture of the food was horrible with the taste being bland.
Even without conversation, the meal itself took some time to finish off. Some of the other groups were being served at this point, and as they were the Matron approached their table.
“Alright, finish up and let’s get going.”
That short statement was enough to get the few people unfinished with their meal to eat quicker, having finished already let her watch the others. She noticed how even the guys acted complacent to the Matron, even Maul who was Fortress’ son. Soon enough though, the meals were finished with the bowls left on the table. While filling enough, it wasn’t something that could be called appetizing. As the last person sets down their bowl, the Matron nods and starts to walk towards the exit to the building, with everyone else rising to follow along. Aura caught Violet’s eye one last time before they leave, settling in pace alongside Jackie.
“So, it seems like this is actually happening. Do you think it is too much to hope that we will get to fight something and get stronger quickly? Or do you think we will just be on some kind of patrol thing?”
Jackie started speaking softly as they walked. It was a good thing to consider of course, but just from glancing around this place, Aura was unsure.
“Honestly, I think we might. There are no soldiers that patrol around or anything. And I’ve also noticed that people aren’t really loitering about either. Fortress, is a rather strict place as far as I can tell.”
A slight hum was all the response Jackie gave and based on the muttered conversations coming from their fellows, they were overheard. Speculation about exactly what they will be doing was rife, and that amount of noise draws the attention of some of the natives. It would be Fortress’ son, Maul, who speaks up in a loud enough tone to show that he had heard their conversation.
“It’s hard to believe that new arrivals would be trusted to defend Fortress and its people. They don’t even seem to know what kinds of threats we face. We are probably all going to have to pick up the slack for them.”
He looked over his shoulder as he said it, Maul’s words silence most conversation. His eyes locked onto Aura’s and a smirk grew on his face.
“Of course, when we do, we will have to make sure that they are… grateful for us making sure they stay safe as well.”
A slight shudder runs down Aura’s spine at the words and look, while Jackie growls slightly in anger. The other players also didn’t look that comfortable with the comment, all the while the men in the group start to chuckle. All of it was silenced by the Matron clearing her throat and that pressure returning. And the silence remains through the rest of the walk.
The walk itself was taking them to the edge of the town. Much like how what was probably the center had a well-kept building, that being Fortress’ home. There was a series of buildings in better condition than most of the rest of the town. There was also a decently sized empty field as well, where in various men were sparring against one another. Though, the spars didn’t look intense from a glance, as they all were pulling their swings before contact was made. Their weapons, being stone clubs, probably would cause some damage if they didn’t. It was not the field that was their destination, but one of the stone buildings.
The Matron gestured to the door, then walked off without another word. That done, they all begin to silently file into the building. The inside was lightly furnished, as evidenced by the four tables with benches. There were four openings that looked like they lead to adjacent rooms. The main draw though, was the figure standing at the end of the room.
One of Fortress’ men, standing tall and at attention as he looked them all over. He had a strange shield that resembled a snail shell on his back, and a wicked looking serrated blade at his side. He had a stern expression as they all file in, face not even softening for Maul who gave him a casual nod. After they were all inside, his deep, stern voice calls out.
“You all, are this year’s batch of soldiers. While most of you know how things are done around here, it has not gone unnoticed by Fortress that there are some new arrivals. To you who lost your former home, forget about it. Fortress is your home now, and as soldiers of it you will be expected to defend it until you can no longer. Understood?”
His gaze locks onto Aura, Jackie, and the other four players who were chosen as soldiers. A tense silence follows, unease as to whether to respond verbally or not. Slowly, they begin to stiffly nod in response which seems to satisfy the man.
“Good. Now then, I am Matthew, and I am responsible for you as a whole. However, as one of Fortress’ council I am a busy man and will be delegating this to four seniors of our forces. Each senior will oversee a group of ten of you a piece. Their orders are to be followed, and any complaints will not be brought to a different senior but to me directly. And my orders, are not to be questioned at all. Which leads us to the first order of business, and that is dividing you into groups.
These groups will be your family while you fight, and you will do things together. You will fight together, eat together, and sleep together. Only if ordered will you be allowed to fight with other groups. Your training is of your own decision, but I encourage you training with your group. Now then, as for the groups themselves, you will be divided as such:
Maul, Brad, Brock, Gord, Heath, Joe, Leo, Wally, Kaelen, and Aura will be the first group.”
As Matthew began to call out the names, he was also gesturing to one of the adjacent rooms. Each person who had their name called walked towards such room without hesitation, likely another thing that was general knowledge for the people of Fortress. Aura had guessed there was some clear favoritism going on with this group as well, as not only was Maul named first, despite most everyone else being said in alphabetical order. But the people were also some of the ones who had the more impressive Innate skills. As Kaelen was called towards the end, she figured that this Matthew was making sure that the “new arrivals” were being called last to know what to do. And any hoped that she may be able to work with Jackie were quickly dashed when her own name was called as well.
Sharing a look with the other girl, she gave a firm smile and nod before walking towards the designated room. Already the next group was being called as she enters inside, seeing a scene like what she had this morning. Bedrolls were laid out on the ground, and on top of them was a collection of gear. Already, some of the natives were starting to take off their shirts and put on their new gear, as if anticipating combat shortly. Kaelen caught her gaze and gave a kind smile – but Maul’s look was anything but.
