Chapter 3

Tutorial: Finished


He felt terrible.

How could he not?

Here he was sitting on a horse on top of a hill, effectively moping while a girl who looked no older than himself had just ridden away on her own horse into battle. How could he not feel terrible? He felt the weight of self-loathing crashing down on him like never before, and it was especially heavy when he could literally see the fighting happening right before his eyes.

No one in their right mind would charge into that, video game powers be damned.

What's with it anyway?! Video game powers? Really?

"Oum dammit… c'mon Jaune, just go back, ride back to town… you have no stakes in this war. They treated you like shit, remember? Starved you, beat you, made you kill… you don't owe them any damn thing!"

Here he was convincing himself that he had nothing to do with all of this, but deep down, he knew it wasn't the case. Sure he had been drafted against his will to fight in a military he held no allegiance for, but these people were desperate; what else were they supposed to do? Sure he had been treated like shit most of the times by the officers, but the other soldiers he fought with actually bonded with him, having found brotherhood in their shared suffering.

But that wasn't enough to justify running head first into death, right?

...right?

He bit his lower lip so hard he was surprised it wasn't already bleeding. He could get away from all of this if he just rode his horse ahead, back into the forest. All he had to do was just ignore the sound of a thousand souls screaming in both terror and rage behind him.

He didn't ask for this.

"None of us did, Private…" Eris's words resounded in his head, making him feel all the more terrible.

He ground his teeth against each other, feeling an unnatural surge of anger coursing through him. Anger at the Empire for being the huge tyrannical jerks they were, at the Alliance for basically turning him to a slave soldier, and most importantly, he was angry at himself.

The only son to the Arc family felt like he was about to burst a blood vessel from just how furious he was feeling. He wanted to blame everyone – he blamed everyone. He even blamed himself, but it didn't give him the satisfaction of anything. It just made him more angry.

Maybe he should just turn Crocea Mors on himself and end it all? He gripped Crocea Mors's hilt, his hand quivering despite how hard he was gripping.

At least that way, he could give one last 'fuck you' to everyone in this Oum forsaken world.

.

.

.

'No.' He thought. 'That's not right.' Jaune grip's Crocea Mors's hilt went slack.

What would his father think? What would his mother think? They must be devastated learning that their son ran away from home, and not to mention not hearing as much as a single peep from him for more than six months after the disappearance. He couldn't just kill himself. He couldn't.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do…" Jaune didn't care if he was crying. He's too… unstable to care. "...please… somebody… tell me…"

[Quest Alert!]

Get In The Fight, Arc

Take to the battlefield and be the Hero you are meant to be.

Reward: 5000XP, Title: [Hero of The Alliance], possible loot, possible money reward

When the text box appeared with its distinctive blue color and bold white letters, Jaune found himself staring at it. He stood there for a while, dumbstruck and not particularly reading what the text was saying.

Then he felt anger bubbling in him.

"...a game…" he whispered, "...a fucking game…" He snarled. "YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING GAME TO YOU?!"

He screamed at the floating blue text box in front of him.

"ALL THOSE LIVES LOST, ALL THOSE PEOPLE DEAD! YOU THINK THEY'RE GAMES TO YOU!?" He could not remember the last time he ever gotten this angry. Not even to his more annoying sisters or his school bullies.

Reminder! The System is anything but a game!

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE BY SHOWING ME THIS," he pointed to the quest screen with barely contained aggression, "HUH?!"

A second passed. Two. Three.

"ANSWER ME!" His scream, as loud as it was, was drowned out by the sound of chaos and slaughter of war.

He hunched forward, covering his face with his palms. "Please… tell me…" he whispered. "I don't know what to do… I'm not cut out for this, this was all a mistake…"

He's a nobody. A fake. He planned to cheat his way to be among heroes, then he got his just deserved and full-course meal of reality.

Never mind the hellish conditions, never mind the mistreatment, never mind the fact that he was essentially a slave made to fight…

...the thought of not being able to do anything while people die around him hurt even more.

"Please…" he croaked out a deplorable sound. "What can I do…? What do I have that'll help me?"

A blue text box appeared.

Skills

Aura (Passive): A manifestation of the soul. It is the invisible shield, the blade with endless reach. The user's Aura, in particular, is brighter than any other's.

Jaune froze. He blinked several times, reading the words displayed on the blue screen that was just beginning to become insufferable to him. He sat there, on top of a horse that was not even his, eyes glued to the reality defying text box.

"Do you know why Huntsmen and Huntresses are able to do what they do, Jaune?"

"No I don't. Why is it, dad?"

"It's because they have Aura, son. Aura."

A roll of the eyes. Dismissal. Ignorance of a child.

"Sure, dad. Next thing you'll tell me that magic exists."

"Bah, of course not, son. That's ridiculous."

...Aura.

'Aura…'

He lowered his hand as he raised his chest.

"Aura…" he tested the word in his mouth. Aura. The source of a Huntsman's strength, as his father had once told him. "The invisible shield, the blade with endless reach…"

He knew not the meaning of these words, but he could tell that they're important if he wanted to act and stay alive at the end of it.

"I…" he began, uncertain. "I don't know what I'm doing… but whoever or whatever is looking down right now, I beg you, please," he gasped, "just this once… help me..."

His soul hummed a long forgotten tune.

"I know it's too much to ask…"

The clouds rolled apart, bringing light down upon the land.

"...but I'm begging you, please…"

Jaune was unaware of what was happening. He was too busy asking help from someone – something – who he was not sure even existed in the first place. He figured if no one was listening, then it would do to convince himself, to psyche himself up, into doing something.

"Just for this once,"

His eyes slowly opened—

"Let me be a hero."

—his soul manifested.

Skill created!


Growing up, Eris was raised in a religious household. The Greyrat, like many, considered Andreas as their patron God. In the divine pantheon, Andreas was the head deity and many people all across Terra worshiped Him.

He was known by many names, but Andreas was the name she was familiar with. It was the name she uttered the moment she started her day and also the last name she uttered when ending it. Everyone on Vidia openly worshiped Andreas…

...until the Empire happened.

The new Emperor, Logos, had recently ascended to the Imperial throne. He had 'inherited' the throne from the previous Emperor, Maximus, who was also his uncle.

His ascension was already a controversial debacle, but it got even worse when he decided to outlaw the worship of Andreas. Needless to say, people did not like being told which or what God they could not or could not worship and, naturally, they decided to do something about it.

It started off small. A protest here and there in the Imperial capital city and when that didn't work, people started rioting, going on strikes.

Things turned bloody when the Emperor began sending out members of the Imperial guards to quell every little protests, people were sent to prison, then it escalated to exiled, before eventually resulting in people getting their head chopped off.

A summit was held as an attempt to talk things through, attended by the many lords who ruled the local regions who were not happy with the Emperor's decision. She did not know what happened all those years ago, as she was not there to attend the event herself, but the summit resulted in a failure.

It ended in fighting. Lords who did not agree with the Empire's stance were arrested and those who resisted were killed. Her father, one of the few lords who disagreed with the Empire's decision to outlaw the worship of Andreas, managed to escape arrest and fled the Imperial city.

What happened from that rolled downhill. News broke out of the night. Imperial propaganda fabricated the news, telling the clueless masses that one of the lord had lashed out and attempted to strike the Emperor before being executed on the spot.

This resulted in the deployment of Imperial troops across the continent to enforce the Emperor's will to outlaw Andreas' worship, followed with the execution of those who resisted and persisted on worshiping Andreas.

Temples were ruined, shrines were desecrated, monasteries pillaged… the Imperials did everything they could to stop people from worshiping Andreas. That included the murder of clerics and priests, peaceful members of the Chantry.

This was the last straw and was what led to the inevitable rebellion and civil war that was currently rocked the continent.

"Don't stop! Fight!" Another officer, but a mere lieutenant, shouted. He was holding his own against an Imperial soldier, his shield keeping him from having a blade stuck to his chest. Yet, despite this, he still fought. "Hold the line!"

Anger. Frustration. Understanding. Eris cleaved the arm off of a rushing Imperial soldier, their scream immediately silenced by the fact that she separated their head from their neck soon after.

She would've found the action brave, if not for the fact that she was on a horse and they were on foot. Her being on horseback allowed her to traverse the battlefield with speed, while her saber gave her the heft and reach to strike any foe near her.

"Colonel Eris," the cavalryman from earlier, the same one who gave Jaune his horse, called out as he rode up to her. He had with him a glaive, its tip and blade red with the fresh blood of Imperial soldiery. "What happened to your companion?"

"He's indisposed right now, Major." Eris tugged sharply at her steed's reigns, causing it to jerk suddenly to the left, allowing her to stab another Imperial soldier.

"Will he come?"

"…"

The major grunted at the lack of answer, his glaive ending the life of a nearby Imperial soldier. "...then we better do all we can here. Our initial surprise attack was a success, but the more experienced Imperial soldiers will surely overwhelm us at this rate."

"No matter," Eris firmly said, "our objective is to drive them back. Deal enough damage to them, then they will eventually see they're losing more men than it's worth. Remember, speed is key."

The major was experienced enough to sense the uncertainty in her voice. But he could not blame her. He gave her an acknowledging nod before riding off to fight more Imperials.

Eris breathed in, releasing it sharply almost immediately.

The plan was to originally encircle the Imperial main fighting force by breaking through their weaker side. She had planned on counting on the power of an Awakened individual to even out the fighting while the cavalry focuses on crushing the weakened flank, but from the way things went earlier, that part was now moot.

She could not understand Jaune Arc. He was… not like any other Awakened she had heard of. Granted, she had not known any Allied Awakened and that the accounts of those she had heard of were only told in passing. But his reaction to being Awakened was not like she expected it to be.

Was it cowardice? Clearly not. A coward would've fled and deserted a long time ago, conditions be damned. His display at the battle of the trenches dispelled any evidence of cowardice. Afraid, maybe, but not a coward.

Or was it resentment after all? The Alliance, as much as she would love to defend it, was not exempt from treating their soldiers – conscripted or not – poorly. She would argue that every major action, or inaction, they took was born out of desperation to resist Imperial oppression… but even she knew that's not enough of an excuse.

...especially in the case of how Foreigners were treated.

"...Andreas, give me strength…" Uttering a quick prayer, the young commander took to battle once more.

The Alliance's surprise cavalry charge which had caught the Imperials by surprise initially, but they now found themselves being pushed back, as the Empire's success in the field of battle was proven right before their eyes. They were better armed, better trained, and better suited in fighting on linear engagements. If the Alliance had a choice, they would not be fighting a battle like this, but the Imperial's capability to quickly muster troops and sheer industrial might gave them the privilege to fight a battle in the way they want.

So when one Jaune Arc rode across the battlefield on horseback, he promised he'd change the way things would be from now on.

As men and women of both factions were busy slaughtering each other, they fail to notice something happening. It was not visible at first, for only those magically inclined and attuned to the mystic arts were capable of feeling it at first. It was like a pulse, a blip in the ocean. Then it pulsed again, only this time it was far stronger, like a pebble breaking through the surface of a pond.

They did, however, quickly notice the rider of a white horse streaking across the battlefield covered in an ethereal white glow. Like a white comet, he tore through the Imperials' side of the field causing destruction and crashing those who stood in his way. Those who were quick enough to dodge were still blown away from what they could only think of as an invisible force surrounding the rider and his steed.

Armed with a spear in his good arm, he continued his seemingly endless charge, breaking through even the most formidable shield walls erected by the Imperials. Those within the Imperial ranks who witnessed this sudden change in tide were dismayed.

Lower ranked Imperial soldiers were disengaging left and right at the sight of this invincible rider, allowing their adversaries to capitalize from their cowardice. Those of a higher rank, the veterans among the ranks, realized what had just descended into the battlefield. And it filled them with terror.

"An Awakened!" One Imperial officer screamed. "They have an Awakened on their side!"

From that point onward, the battle visibly changed.

Eris saw everything and was aware of what was happening. Her eyes were wide, but not out of shock or terror. It was mostly out of disbelief. The red haired commander reigned in her horse as she watched the previously indomitable lines of Imperial soldiers retreating, routed by the presence of an Awakened.

This caused a chain reaction of events that Eris could not have better caused herself. The Alliance's cavalry forces, at least what remained of it, began joining their Awakened in doing high speed assaults, cutting zig-zag lines into the retreating mass of Imperial troops.

She realized what Jaune was doing.

He would swoop in for an attack where the concentration of enemy troops were greatest, then he would carve his way in a zig-zag pattern through the horde of Imperial soldiery, causing as much damage as he could. The spectacle was a violent display, resulting in the death of Imperial soldiers at worse or them being maimed and crippled at best.

Even to Eris herself, she could not help but feel overwhelmed. She had seen magic in action, displayed by the most adept of mages, but she had never seen an Awakened fight in the field before. She had heard of stories, but seeing it for herself with her own two eyes was an experience in and of itself.

Something swelled in her chest, she might even call it relief. She, like the rest of the Alliance forces, felt emboldened by the actions of their Awakened.

This was it, she thought. This was where things would change.


Jaune felt sick.

Forget the fact that he's killing or maiming every Imperial soldiers on his path. The Foreigner had forgotten the fact that he was prone to getting motion-sickness.

"Bwueeegh!"

Some Hero he was, throwing up on horseback.

"Watch out! He's throwing out an acid based attack from his mouth!"

"A plague! He's the bringer of death and pestilence!"

That was cruel. He couldn't help being motion-sick. There were no airships or cars in this world, so he didn't have to worry about getting motion-sickness!

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Jaune brushed the sweat pooling on his forehead, the rush of the wind breaking upon his skin. He could feel the energy spreading around his body, visibly enveloping him and the horse he was on. The sensation was foreign to him, only familiar now because he felt it briefly when he was busy fighting for his life in the trenches.

Only this time, Jaune did not feel alleviated. His aches remained and any soreness he had developed from horse-riding was still prevalent. It was as if now that energy that was rejuvenating him – that healed him – was now being projected as an oppressive force.

This white glow surrounding him seemed to be the manner in which this energy had manifested.

"Is this… Aura?" He wondered, before turning to the System for an answer.

Skills

Aura Burst (Active): Unleashes an explosive burst of Aura around the user. Whether as a component of an attack or a display of might, it is more than enough to prove a point.

"Aura Burst…" he tested the name in his mouth. It felt strangely suitable, seeing as he'd been launching people left and right just by rushing past them. "Wait, using skills consumes my energy, right? Or my AP? That's how it's supposed to be, right?"

By making a clever deduction you have gained 1 WIS!

"Huh, guess that answers my question."

So Aura Burst, a Skill, uses his AP or Aura Points. But how much? He directed that question to the system.

Congratulations! You have unlocked a hidden requirement that will allow you to see how much AP and or AP a Skill consumes!

You gain 1 INT!

What the hell, now it's giving him attributes left and right! Was this thing broken or something?!

"Hold your ground, don't run away!" One particularly brave Imperial officer cried out. "He's just one man! He's just one man!"

Normally, Jaune would agree with him. He's barely a man, not even in his twenties yet, still a boy who – in his opinion – had no business being where he's at. Still, that same Imperial officer did not know just how empowering Aura could be.

Even though he had only been exposed to it just recently, it was already starting to feel natural to him. Almost as if it had always been there from the start, only surfacing now. Whether it's due to the System's awakening or someone up there had just answered his prayer, he did not know.

"Jaune!"

He turned his head to see Eris riding towards him, her saber fully drawn and coated in the red liquid of life. She had a stony look on her face, the officer too immersed in battle to show the great amount of elation she's feeling within.

"What is the plan?" she asked.

"You're asking me?!" he shot back. He cursed under his breath. "Shit, don't get close to me, I'm going to use my skill."

"Skill?"

Eris didn't have to wait long for her question to be answered, visually. She had to steer her steed further away from the Foreigner, as she began observing the fact that he was beginning to glow. It was then when every doubt she had of Jaune being an Awakened died away.

Peerless white energy encased both the rider and horse, while the air around them had shivered before bursting powerfully. Everything in his path was blasted away by the powerful burst of energy, creating a sight that was both horrific and spectacular in a way.

Breathing heavily, the lost heir to the Arc family maintained a pace for himself. He could not use Aura Burst carelessly. He did not want to find out what would happen to him if his Aura Points are depleted while in the middle of the fight. In some of the games he'd played, the characters would be unable to use a skill or spell until their energy replenish.

So, to avoid that, he'd need to be smart with how he'd use his skill.

"Eris!" Jaune shouted, unaware that he'd just called his commanding officer by her first name. "We'll stick with your plan! Chase them away as far as we can!"

"Understood!"

With great skill, the heiress of house Greyrat split up from the Awakened Foreigner who was on a one-man rampage on horseback. Her plan might not be as hopeless as she thought it was after all. It would've been, if not for Jaune managing to route a majority of the Imperial forces and push them to a retreat.

She rode to where the commanding officer of the cavalry regiment that they came with was at. "Major Dubois!" she called out to the man.

"Colonel!" The man acknowledged loudly, his voice barely drowned out by the sound of hooves trampling the ground. "The tide of battle has changed! Has your friend finally came through?"

"He has." Eris answered.

"Thank Andreas!" He laughed with glee. "Looks like we'll finally get to see the day those Imperial dogs go running for the hills for once!"

Eris grunted, as her horse trampled upon the body of a retreating Imperial soldier, killing them almost immediately. "We can celebrate later, Major. For now, let's make that statement a reality first. My friend – the Awakened – suggests we stick to the plan but also to continue chasing after the fleeing Imperials."

"He's a man after my own heart, then!" Major Dubois said with a savage grin hidden behind his helm. "But what comes after that? Those dogs aren't going to sit around and wait for us to kill them, they're going to be waiting for us!"

"We'll worry about that later, for now, lead your men to chase after them!"

"Understood Colonel!"


Meanwhile, Jaune was beginning to feel fatigue settling in. A combination of overexerting his body and Aura was beginning to take a toll on his battle performance, not that he was that good of a fighter to begin with. Aura Burst, a Skill that he was already loving, was doing most of the work.

He would have to experiment more with what the System had to offer, for now, he'd need to rely with what he had.

As the Foreigner began to do what he believed was right to hold back Imperial advance into Alliance territory, he had unknowingly done something; something that the people of the Alliance had not felt in a very long time. He had given them hope. More and more Alliance soldiers began rallying to him, scattered divisions of men and women alike, wounded and injured, whether on foot or horseback.

It was unclear how the weakened Alliance forces had managed to break the usually impenetrable Imperial line, but one thing was clear to those from both sides. The mere presence of an Awakened could change the tide of battle, intentionally or not.

Jaune certainly didn't intend to make a name for himself, he certainly didn't intend to unlock his Aura – hell, he didn't even know he had one to begin with! When the last of Imperial troops have vanished over the horizon in retreat, only then did he let himself rest.

He sat, on horseback, his spear hanging loosely within his grip. He felt exhausted, both in the physical sense and mentally. The waning sun was at its last stage of visibility, its previously shine and glow had seemingly stopped for the day. He saw that his body was no longer covered in the brilliant glow it was in earlier, he quickly checked his status.

"Status."

[SYSTEM]

Info

Name: Jaune Decimus Arc

Species: Human

Age: 17

Level: 2

XP: 1500/2000

HP: 200/200

AP: 100/1000

SP: 40/200

Title: Rookie Hero

Class: None

Status

STR: 10

END: 11

DEX: 11

INT: 11

WIS: 11

CHA: 11

LUC: 15

Skills

Aura (Passive): -50AP per damage taken

Aura Burst (Active): -100AP per use

Item

None

'Holy crap,' he thought. 'Did I really use Aura Burst that much?' Not that anyone could blame him, it's his only active skill after all.

The amount of stamina and Aura points he had would explain why he was feeling fatigued, it further cemented his belief on the importance of investing on Endurance. His health was practically untouched and some of his attributes have increased.

"Arc," Eris's horse skidded to a halt next to his, the redhead looking worn and on edge. Jaune could tell she was tired, but he could also tell that she was still willing to go the extra mile. "They're retreating…"

"Yeah…"

"...never thought I'd see the day Alliance soldiers sending Imperial troops running for the hills…" there was disbelief in her voice, if Jaune was not mistaken.

"We can't celebrate just yet." He grunted, flexing his sore arm.

"I know," Eris muttered, shaking her head. "No doubt they're retreating to mount up for another attack… Andreas forbid they have fresh troops to recuperate the ones they lost."

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but soldiers. Dead, wounded, limping, injured… soldiers from both sides. He held back a choked sob, fingers quickly dabbing away at the wetness that threatened to escape his eyes.

Nearby, a group of Alliance soldiers were already beginning to carry the dead. It was important for them to recover the dead as quickly as possible to prevent attracting the presence of wild animals. Any personal belongings the soldiers had on them will be returned to any living relatives, but their armor and weapons would be collected and redistributed among the ranks.

As for the Imperials…

"Die you Imperial scum! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"...please… mercy…"

An Alliance soldier pinned the Imperial trooper with the missing legs into the ground, their dagger repeatedly entering and exiting the latter's neck. Blood spurted out of the wound, caking the Alliance soldier's hands and arms in blood. A maddened but sorrowful scream reverberated across the field, the action was noticed yet no one did a thing to stop it.

A day ago Jaune would've ran over there and stopped the soldier himself, but now… he's tired. Both in body and mind, he was tired.

"...I sent Major Dubois and his men to chase after the fleeing Imperials." Eris spoke up, unlike him, she did a better job of appearing unbothered by the scene they just witnessed. "Night is approaching… if he's lucky, he'd have caught up to them in the next hour. If not… then we'll at least need to know where they have retreated to."

"I'll…" Jaune shuddered, "I'll count on the latter. Most of them that fled were on horses and the Major and his men were tired after today's battle. Even if he managed to catch up to them, there's no way he could face them."

Eris hummed, a pensive look appearing on her face. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Jaune looked at the sky, the quickly darkening sky. He then turned his head to face the redhead. "We wait for the Major to come back, let those who fought today get some well-deserved rest, and transport any prisoners we have back for processing."

"After that?"

His blue eyes glazed over the scenery one last time before closing entirely.

"We hunt them down."

Quest Completed!

Get in the fight, Arc

Reward: 5000XP, Title: [Hero of The Alliance]

Congratulations! You have just completed a major Quest! You have been awarded 10 Attribute Points to be assigned at your leisure!

Secret reward awarded: Aura Manipulation


I have no reason for the long delay, but here is the next chapter of this story.

And just to stay relevant to current events...

Blessed are the Peacemakers.