Chapter 2

Unworthy, Unfit


"So you're the one they call Arc? The newly Awakened Foreigner?"

Jaune was not expecting to be escorted by a group of men from the Alliance's cavalry regiment all the way to the field commander's tent. He was forced to drop everything he was doing and go with them without any questions asked, and he would ask, but he was too nervous to really ask what was going on.

The field commander was standing across the large war table, with maps and troops placeholders in clear view. The different types of books stacked on the four corners of the parchments acted as makeshift paperweights, but one could tell they're related to tactics or battle.

A pair of natural red eyebrows steadily furrowed, while the two red eyes underneath them seem to try boring hole through the newcomer who had just entered the tent—Jaune.

"They called you a hero, you know?" A snort. "Multiple reports stated that you were glowing, shining even as you charged through Imperial ranks with nothing but a sword and shield in hand. They said it was like some old fairy tale had just came true."

The tent flaps closed and the room got quieter, the sounds coming from outside no longer able to penetrate inside. Magic, he guessed.

"I assure you I'm not a hero," Jaune said, his voice strained. "I'm no one important."

A scoff. "Not anymore. Yesterday you may just be another Foreigner the Alliance conscripted into our ranks, but you're Awakened now, and that's not 'no one'." Red eyes rolled sideways, landing on the Captain who escorted him here. "Captain Aldis, you're free to leave. I'll take it from here."

Jaune turned to look at the larger man's face and could tell that the man was hesitating at first. But whether it's trust or rank, he complied. Wordlessly, the bear of a Captain exited the tent, having to duck much lower than normal sized people on the way out.

That left only the both of them inside the tent. The Captain's presence, despite how intimidating the man may seem, gave Jaune a sense of assurance. But now that he's gone, all that was left for him was apprehension. He had never met the commander before and only had heard of them in passing, he's just a lowly foot soldier, not even an officer, why would he need to concern himself with matters outside of his station?

But, judging by the look on the commander's face, that's about to change starting from today.

"I am Colonel Eris Boreat Greyrat of house Greyrat, Commander of the 2nd Alliance Combat Regiment."

She was not what Jaune expected a Colonel would be. Not because she's a woman, oh no, it's just he had the image that an… older person would be in charge of the position, not someone who was… younger.

"From the look on your face, I can tell that you are doubting me." Jaune was about to deny, and apologize if necessary, but Eris stopped him with a raised hand. "No matter, I'll excuse your insolence for the time being. Now, we have more pressing matters to discuss."

She gestured him to come closer to the table, pointing at the map that was spread out on it.

"Do you see this here? This is us right here and this line over here is the trench your fellow soldiers have dug to impede Imperial advance. The battle earlier today forced you to retreat to the trees, which is all the way back here. Now, due to a certain someone finally Awakening, we managed to thankfully resist the three Imperial platoons that somehow managed to sneak underneath our main force's nose and drive them back."

Jaune was listening to the Colonel's words, while following her gestures with eagle-like eyes. He still found it surreal that they managed to hold off not just one but three platoons of Imperial soldiers through sheer luck and desperation alone. He wouldn't say that him Awakening some kind of power helped in any way or whatsoever.

She then pointed to a different section of the map.

"As we are speaking, our main fighting force is struggling to break through the Imperial's own defenses. If words from our messengers are to be believed, casualties are in the thousands, both wounded and dead alike. It's getting to the point where we're losing more men than we can replace them."

The revelation made Jaune feel ill. How could anyone say that and not feel… wrong?

Eris leveled him a look, staring straight into his eyes. "This skirmish is very important if we want to secure a path into Imperial territory."

"So you're just going to send in more men to add into the slaughter?" The words escaped his mouth before he could even think to say them. He felt regret and worry, speaking up against a superior officer was an offense, he knew that. Yet he couldn't help it.

Eris's red eyes blinked. If she was surprised by him speaking up, she hid it well. Her face remained unreadable to him, as the young Colonel did not immediately 'reprimand' him for raising his voice at an officer.

"Do not take me for a fool," he flinched, despite the low tone, "I would not have gone through the trouble of fishing you out of the fighting just so that I could tell you we are all going to die and all that we have done were futile."

Jaune hated himself for the earlier outburst.

"No. We still have a chance. Over here, look. Scouts returning from the front lines have told of a possible weakness in the Imperial's formation, on their left to be more specific. The units in charge of that side of the field are rumored to be inexperienced and green, but they were sent to fight so that the Empire could bolster their numbers anyway. That will be our chance, our ticket to victory."

Jaune took a moment to analyze everything and come up with his own conclusion. His eyes dragged away from the map on the table, landing on the Colonel's own.

"You want us to do the same thing they just did to us." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Colonel's lips stretched to form a beatific smirk, one that did not fail to send shivers down Jaune's spine.

"I knew you have a little bit of brain in you." She said, before stepping away from the table and towards where she kept her weapon. "Do you know how to ride a horse?" she asked as she went clipped her scabbard to her waist, the large saber looking odd on her.

"Yes." Jaune answered.

He was raised on a farm, riding horses was second nature to him. Actually, make that third. Shoveling the shit of said horse was probably second nature.

"Good." Eris said as she grabbed a satchel that was hanging from a nearby post, slinging it over her shoulder. She then grabbed her white cape, clasping it over her collar. "You are going to need one for this operation. Follow me."

He followed the Colonel out the tent, the two guards posted in front of it saluted the moment they saw her. Although they were quite a distance back from where the fighting was happening, the sound of battle and fighting could still be heard from the distance. He had no problem keeping with Eris's pace, following her to where they're keeping the horse.

At least that's what he thought. Rather than a stable or the field where they graze the horses on, Eris had led him to a large open field where members of a cavalry unit were preparing before being sent out to fight. They wore plate armor and riding boots, equipped with spears and lances of all manners and make. The Alliance battle standard was affixed to some of the riders as was expected, Jaune realized that it was the same one he had with him during the battle in the tree lines.

"Colonel!" A cavalryman rode his horse towards them, skidding his mount to a stop with expert ease. His face was covered by the metal face plate of the helmet he was wearing, but judging by the cape he must be an officer. "We're prepared to ride any time soon," his head then turned to Jaune. "Who is this? Will he be riding with us too?"

"Yes he will, Captain. Give him the fastest horse you have at your disposal." She ordered.

"Understood Colonel!"

It didn't take long before Jaune found himself mounted on a warhorse. The saddle was not the most comfortable one they had, but it's not like they're prioritizing that. He was also given a spear, but unlike a normal one, his had the flag with the Alliance's symbol emblazoned upon it. He now stood next to the Colonel in front of an entire cavalry unit of men and women who was about to ride to war.

"Soldiers!" Eris's voice boomed in a volume that was deceptive in regards to her small stature. "We will ride for battle! Stick to the plan your officers have instructed you with and remember; speed is key! Do not stop, do not hesitate, rush them with all you have! We only have one shot at this so give it your all!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The clearing erupted into a fiery cheer. Then they broke off to get into formation, as officers were already beginning to hound on their men with even more orders and instructions.

Looking at so many people wearing armor and wielding weapons used to be strange to him. Before he got transported into this world, life was all quiet in Ansel. Aside from Crocea Mors, a shotgun and a revolver they have, Jaune was never surrounded by so many weapons. He figured he would need to get used to it if he ever wanted to become a Huntsman.

But when he first landed himself here and was surrounded by regular soldiery, he already felt out of place. Would he have felt something similar among Huntsmen and Huntresses of his world?

Eris then turned to look at him. "Whatever you do at the trenches, I need you to do it again."

"But how?" he asked. "I barely know what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything significant back then."

He didn't know any of this Awakened business. How could he? He was too busy fighting for his life and digging trenches to really pay attention to anything important about this strange and fantastical world. And she wanted him to somehow do it all again? Do what, exactly? He barely did anything back in the trenches! All he did was fight for his life; that's what he did.

"I do not know," Eris shook her head, her eyes boring through him. "But whatever you did back there managed to stop an ambush by three Imperial Platoons; that should count as something. Listen to me, Private. If we want to succeed, if we want to end this senseless fighting, then you will have to do it again. Every Awakened who has ever existed knows what to do, they just do."

That… that was unfair, he thought.

You can't just say something like that and expect him to pull something out of his ass. The people on the front who were currently fighting like lions, the people at the back who had just nearly been decimated from the ambush, and now these riders who would have to risk their lives and ride to a battlefield where death was very much guaranteed.

'You can't just dump all of that on me and expect me to pull a miracle…' Jaune cursed mentally.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to be responsible for the death of these people. What even is an Awakened anyway?

"Check your status, Private Arc." Eris told him.

"Sta...tus…?"

[SYSTEM]

Info

Name: Jaune Decimus Arc

Species: Human

Age: 17

Level: 2

XP: 500/2000

HP: 200/200

AP: 1000/1000

SP: 200/200

Title: Rookie Hero

Class: None

Status

STR: 10

END: 10

DEX: 11

INT: 10

WIS: 10

CHA: 11

LUC: 15

Skills

Aura (Passive)

Item

None

Level Up Points: 1

He recoiled in surprise, seeing a blue text box suddenly appearing in front of him without any warning or whatsoever. Eris saw this reaction and smiled. "So you are Awakened after all."

"What…" Jaune began. "What is this…?"

"It is called the 'System'," Eris said. "I am not expert on the subject, but it is generally understood that the System is an unnatural phenomenon that happens to certain individuals. It grants them access to powers and abilities beyond the scope of even magic."

"So not everyone has it?"

"If that is the case then we would not be in this pitiful state now would we?"

"Right…" he gulped. "S-So how do I learn more about this… System?"

To his disappointment, Eris shook her head. "I do not know as I am not Awakened myself, you will have to consult with our scholars or other Awakened for that… but that is a luxury we cannot afford at the moment."

That was… relieving to know. To know that there were in fact people he could ask questions about this power he had been given. When this skirmish's over, he'd need to get help from people who knew more about this.

Wait a second…

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Help."

Eris raised an eyebrow. He certainly wasn't asking for her help. If not, then whose?

Help

Congratulations!

You are an Awakened who have been granted access to the System! It is nothing less of a privilege to be able to use the System to one's own benefit, so please, rejoice!

The System will now go through a quick introduction of itself as a whole.

The System is an unnatural phenomenon that happens to certain individuals, called Awakened, that grants them access to a unique way of living their life! Certain requirements are needed to met in order for the System to awaken in an individual, but it varies from one person to another!

Once Awakened, the user can level up and develop skills that no other ordinary people could attain! Some Awakened might draw parallels to a specific form of entertainment medium called 'Video Games', but be reminded that the System is anything but that!

Eris noticed that the blond had fallen silent. "Private Arc," she called, "Arc, what's wrong?"

Jaune had to resist the urge to faint. He slowly turned his head towards her, his face expressing a look that was a mix between enlightenment and disbelief.

"Can't you see this?" He gestured to the floating blue text box.

"No, as I am not Awakened." Eris raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Colonel," his voice sounded strained to her ears, "I think that the System is bullshit."

"Hah?"


As it turned out, riding a horse on a farm was different from riding one to war.

He rode his horse on the same pace as Eris, who was far more used to riding in such speed. He ignored the soreness surrounding his crotch from the less-ideal saddle; something he'd need to rectify later. Now, he's riding to battle while familiarizing himself with the System.

'I'm not crazy. This is really like a video game!' He mused inwardly.

Out of all the powers he could get he never thought it would be something as surreal as this. If it sounded like he's complaining, he's not, he was just surprised and rightfully so. Video game powers? Seriously? It was strange to him even with everything that was going on around him. He'd gotten used to being transported into a whole different world, he'd long accepted being conscripted into a rebel military, and sure, add magic on top of that list; no biggie.

But video game powers?

Like many kids on Remnant, he wasn't a stranger to this very particular form of entertainment media. Even as someone who was raised in a backwater town in the boonies, his family kept quite a few collection of video games on their console. Needless to say, even with seven other sisters fighting for a chance to play, he grew up playing a lot of video games of different genres.

'An RPG… my life has been turned into a real-life role-playing game.' That still felt weird to admit. 'Anyhow, I need to know more about this System. How can I grow stronger… these statuses… what are they?'

A blue text box appeared in his peripheral view, but it was opaque enough to not obstruct the steering of his mount.

An Awakened status affects his physical and mental capabilities, including but not limited to strength, endurance, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, charisma, and luck. They are as follows:

HP or Hit Points is the numerical indicator of an Awakened's physical health. XP or Experience Points shows the number of experience needed for the user's next level up. AP or Aura Points measures the amount of Aura the user has and places it into a numerical value. SP or Stamina Points measures the user's exhaustion in a numerical scale.

STR is strength. It measures the user's raw physical ability. It also affects muscle mass, carrying capacity, and attack power. It allows the user to lift heavier objects, hit harder, and carry more.

END is endurance. It affects the overall fitness, sprint time and distance, allowing the user to fight longer while taking on more hits,as well asaffecting the amount and capacity as well as the regeneration rate of the user's HP and SP.

DEX is dexterity. It affects agility and the user's reaction, allowing the user to dodge enemy attacks, make more precise strikes, and be stealthier.

INT is intelligence. It affects the user's IQ or Intelligence Quotient, allows the user to think smarter, plan better, and increase the amount and capacity of the user's AP.

WIS is wisdom. It affects the way the user utilizes his intelligence, giving a clearer head space when developing ideas, remember things clearer, make better decisions, while also affecting the regeneration of Aura.

CHA is charisma. It affects the user's natural charm and how it is perceived by the people around him. The higher the CHA, the higher the chances of persuading and influencing others into doing what the user wants.

LUC is luck. It affects the user's natural luck, chances of critically damaging an enemy, finding treasures or loot, and success in random events happening in the user's day to day life.

Every time the user levels up, he can attribute a point to any of the status he desires.

Jaune was rendered speechless as he scanned through the information that was given to him by the System. Is this a joke? Or had he been dreaming all this time? Everything listed before him sounded nothing short of incredible, so incredible that he's having a hard time believing that it's real.

'Level up…' Jaune thought, still in awe of his discovery. 'Wait, didn't I just level up?'

[Quest Alert!]

Leveling Up

Allocate a point to any attribute.

Reward: 1000XP

'How do I that?'

Just tap on the status you wish to increase, it will then increase depending on the amount of Level Up Points you have allocated into it!

That was easy to do… if he wasn't on a galloping horse.

Still, he made an effort to go through his status screen once again, thinking on which attribute he wanted to increase. The bumping and moving of his mount as it galloped through the dirt path messed with his concentration.

After some deliberation, he settled on endurance.

Quest Completed!

Leveling Up

Reward: 1000XP

A soldier's job was to march, first and foremost. He needed to be able to walk longer, run faster, and last longer when engaging with an enemy. Winning a fight meant nothing when he didn't have the energy to run or move after finishing it, not to mention, the increase in health and stamina would do him good…

'Wait, isn't it kind of messed up that my health and stamina is quantifiable? How does that even work?'

The amount of HP and SP an Awakened individual has depends from person to person. If an Awakened individual is born healthy and hale, then his HP will be more than that of another Awakened individual who was born with a sickness from birth.

But not to worry! There are other ways of increasing one's status other than leveling up! The user can always training as a way to increase his status! For example:

Doing muscle training will increase the user's STR, going on long jogs with proper breathing technique and forms will increase the user's END, doing choreography and practicing dodging will increase DEX, making educated guesses will increase INT, forming proper plans and strategies will increase WIS, bartering with merchants will increase CHA, and naturally being lucky will increase LUC!

'That's… broken, that is so broken…'

"Eyes up Arc, we're almost there!"

The Colonel's voice was what brought him out of his thoughts, returning him back to reality. He must've been so immersed with his newfound gift as he had just noticed how loud the sound of fighting had gotten. The cavalry he was a part of was much further ahead, eager to complete their objective of catching the weaker Imperial units by surprise.

He eventually crested the hill and he was greeted to a sight he would never forget.

It was hard to describe the scenery he was currently witnessing as the action of civilized men and women. People, after all, should strive to work together and maintain peace. He grew up in a household that practiced kindness and forgiveness, holding back one's anger in favor of rationality and reason. So to see people holding nothing back as they hurt, maim, and bludgeon each other with weapons was nothing short of heartbreaking.

The cavalry unit he came with charged in a horde of men and horses, their lances and spears pointed at the enemy. They were greeted with arrows and other projectiles of the physical kind. His heart sank when he saw the cavalry crashed against the first line of Imperial troops like a wave of steel and flesh. From then on, it was chaos. As the Colonel had said, the Imperial soldiers over here were green. They broke rank and panicked, making them easy pickings for the faster horse-riding Alliance soldiers.

The ambush prompted a swift reaction from Imperial troops in other formation. The ambush had worked and the Imperials were being slaughtered. As an opposing force, he should be happy that his enemies were dying in droves. But he wasn't. The broken Imperial line eventually caused other Imperial formation to break from the pressure, unable to withstand the sudden onslaught. Normally, the Imperials would respond with their own cavalry element, but most of them were either injured or dead from what happened earlier in the day.

Above him, the sky was covered in smoke. The sun, which was beginning to set, bathed everything in a yellowish-orange tint.

He thought that little part of him died along with that man who he had killed in self-defense… if it didn't, then… it sure as hell did now.

"It's different, isn't it?" Eris asked. She, too, was transfixed as he was. "Looking at it from all the way up here tears away all that glory and honor that were told to us before being sent out here. Savages. Them… us."

Jaune could only stare in silence, too lost to respond.

"But you know what, Private Arc? If it means protecting myself and those I hold dear, I will gladly be one."

Eris's knuckles turned white from how tight she was gripping the reigns. Her face contorted from complete indifference to pure, unadulterated rage. Her eyes were like fire, burning with vengeful intent that would reduce everything in their sight to ash. Veins bulged through her skin, adding to her ferocity.

Jaune saw this and his mind recalled that one Imperial soldier who he had killed back at the trenches. The look on his face and the Colonel's… they were two sides of the same coin.

"I never asked for any of this." He croaked, his age showing.

He's supposed to be at Beacon, dammit…

"None of us did, Private… yet here we are." She glanced at him. "If it is pity you are after, you will not get any from me. As of yesterday, you were nothing more than a conscript to be used as fodder in an army that could not care less about you – a pawn. But now… you are Awakened and you can change things; change all of this."

He tensed.

"I will admit; you do not owe us anything. And you have probably been treated poorly by those who you are forced to fight for. As a conscripted Foreigner, you hold no allegiance to the Alliance, to us."

Jaune reminded himself that, technically, all Foreigners like him were kidnapped from their home world to be forced to fight in a war they had nothing to do with. Some died before they even got to step foot in the field, while most died on it.

He could turn around now and run away and he would still be in the right.

"...but I implore you," Eris whispered in a barely audible tone of voice, "fight. Fight not for the Alliance, but for the ordinary people of Terra."

Terra.

That's the name of this planet.

That's also the name of his sister-in-law back on Remnant.

He wondered, what was she and Sapphron doing? Are they well? Do they know he left the family to go to Beacon? Is Adrian doing well? The face of his nephew came to his mind, a momentary feeling of respite from the hell around him.

What he wouldn't do to see them again, to return to his family back at Remnant.

'But… these people… they have family of their own.'

Unlike him, who still wasn't sure whether or not it was possible to return back to where he came from, the people who were fighting here have real people waiting for them back home.

For the Alliance soldiers and the Imperial troopers alike.

Eris watched as the Foreigner's expression remained unchanged. So she had failed to acquire the help of an Awakened.

So be it.

The protocols in place stated that she was to execute any Awakened entity who refused to aid her, but she found herself unable to do that. Whether it's her morals warring against her obligation as an officer of the Alliance or the fear of repercussions from assaulting an Awakened individual, she did not know.

Below them, things were changing. The Imperials had regained their footing and were steadily picking themselves off the ground. The initial advantage the Alliance had were beginning to wore off as the more elite soldiers of the Imperial military began showing their worth. In the next hour, they would find themselves routed once again and, this time, in even more disadvantage as they had exhausted their only capable cavalry units.

If that happened, then they would need to organize a full on retreat, meaning they would need to abandon this territory for the Empire to take. That would make the next time they went out to mobilize troops to fight an even harder endeavor, as winter was coming.

"...very well. I understand." Eris brandished her saber, sliding it off its sheath. "If you haste now you can still make it back to town before they overrun us. They will likely mistake you as a scout." She paused. "If you do manage to reach town, can you tell Captain Aldis that I ordered for a full retreat?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Eris blinked. "Do you not want to run? Run away from all of this? From the fighting?"

"...I do, but why are you telling me this?" He shot her back with a look of his own. "Don't you need me to fight?" To die?

The redhead opened her mouth. "I do. We do. But I have seen that there is no point in sending out a soldier who is not willing to do so in the first place. Believe me, I wished that the Awakened soldier they told me of was a person from this world and not a Foreigner."

That was probably the most honest she'd been ever since he'd met her.

"What you need is a fighter and I can't fight that many soldiers."

"But what you-"

"I did nothing!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "It's not the miracle of some god! It's not the act of a fearless hero! It's nothing as amazing as you make it out to be, I'm not amazing as you think I am, I'm no one! I'm a nobody!"

Fake transcripts, falsified documents...

"Whether or not I'm Awakened won't change the fact that I can't fight off that many soldiers! I can barely handle myself in a fight, what makes you think I can fight against an army of elite Imperial troopers, huh? Magic? What's that? We sure as hell didn't have that where I came from!"

A boy grew up being fed stories of heroes. Naturally, said boy wanted to be one.

"If an army of well trained soldiers couldn't even do it, what makes you think one kid could, huh? A kid that was kidnapped from his home, who – as you've said – had no obligations or whatsoever to the army he's conscripted into. You think someone like that is a hero, huh? You think someone who would run away the moment people took their eyes off him is fit to be hero?"

Eris had to lean back when he shot her with the sharpest look she'd seen him make.

"You want someone like that as your hero?" he asked, hissing.

The officer found herself unable to answer the question that was directed her way. It was not rhetorical, she knew it, but it was his way of challenging her.

"I… No." She finally said. "No. I do not want someone like that as a hero for me and the people I swore to protect."

He saw her expression faltering, but he also saw it returning back to its usual composure almost instantaneously.

"But if I have to give such person a chance… if it means saving the people I have sworn to protect… then yes, I will."

"…"

Eris studied Jaune's expression. It had returned to being a blank slate, not really conveying his thoughts. Whether it was because of her answer or he was still distraught over having to fight again, she did not know. She hoped it was the former, because that meant she had gotten through him.

She saw him look away, turning his face away from her. Then, he beckoned his horse to trot away from where it was standing. So this was it, he's going to leave. Inhaling air, Eris resigned herself to the fact the Alliance would not have an Awakened within their ranks.

If she made it out of here alive, she would be made to formally apologize to the Alliance council for not being able to secure the strength of an Awakened, be stripped of her ranks, her family would then be rid of its noble status, and possibly executed if they were being particularly vengeful.

'So be it.'

Without any words, she spurred her horse to a gallop, and rode for the battlefield.

Left behind, Jaune could only watch her figure steadily disappearing into the chaos of battle beneath him.


And there, second chapter. Whew.

Sorry if this seems cliffhangery to you, but I'm thinking of setting a word-limit for myself, somewhere in the 5000-6000 words range. It'll make things neater and hopefully produce a more consistent upload schedule as a result.

Now, to go over what happened in this chapter…

Yes. You will see characters from other franchises in this story. I won't always be pointing them out and what series I've borrowed them from; that's for you the readers to find out. The reason I'm doing this is to avoid making this story infested with potentially soulless and bland OC that I, myself, am dreading of accidentally creating. There will still be OCs, there's no avoiding that, but at least this way, it will help you guys to picture a character's appearance easily.

As far Gamer stories goes, this one will be VERY simplified in terms of System mechanics. I have seen, and experienced, people griping the problem with gamerfics is the fact that the mechanics the authors placed upon it tend to get convoluted down the line. I will attempt to avoid that. By making things as simple as possible, it will both help new readers understand the story better and ease things out for me.

Just a reminder: Jaune didn't know Remnant had Aura. All that story about Huntsmen being able to do superhuman feats his parents told him, he just assumed they're exaggerating to make the stories more interesting for his childish brain. Poor Jaune. He didn't know the truth.

Finally, I am contemplating on moving this story somewhere else. Reception to this story on FF has been… lukewarm at best and the interest in it seem to be minimal. I'll still be posting chapter here, but there may be a point in time where I'll relocate this story to a different site.

That is all, bye!