Great, I was being dragged into an impossible situation. But I knew, despite all of my inner grumblings and outer protests, I still had to march on. Either that or die at the hands of the devil-*cough* Sergeant Darius.
The hours of following Sergeant Darius had been torturous. All I could feel was constant hunger, thirst, sweat, and suffering. To keep my mind off my misfortune, I decided to take stock and check through all my character information. As a level one noob, I found myself in a very confusing situation.
Name:
Class: Novice
Race: Human
Fame: 0
Level: 1
HP: 300
MP: 150
Attack: 30
Defense: 25
Strength(Str): 15(+15)
Dexterity(Dex): 15(+15)
Vitality(Vit): 15(+10)
Wisdom(Wis): 15
Intelligence(Int): 15
Luck: 15
Special Stats:
Endurance(End): 15(+10)
Skills: Basic Body Training (Beginner lv 5(50%) +5 to all physical stats)
Title: Cannon Fodder(+5 Vit), Masochistic Training Freak(+10 Dex & Str, +5 End)
What the hell Aunt Sarah? Who the hell starts off this game without a name? This had to be her fault. Aunt Sarah was only happy when she was making me miserable. I shouldn't even be on a quest like this in the first place. I was supposed to be killing rabbits and stuff like that at my level! The stuff noobs were supposed to kill! Not freaking goblins! The more I thought of the swarms of level 15-30 goblins, the more my despair built up inside. I just wanted to be a magic swordsman not cannon fodder. I looked despairingly into my inventory. The only thing in there was a knife. It wasn't even a magic knife! A stupid goblin could spit more damage than me.
I was about to start crying when I noticed something odd about my character screen. I should only have 10 for all my stats, but my stats were completely buffed! I fumbled with the controls trying to open the details on everything all at once.
Cannon Fodder: Title bestowed by Sergeant Darius of Hellenia. Grants +5 Vitality. Given to those who are going to be tossed to the front lines to fill in numbers. Meant to be a flesh shield for more veteran soldiers.
Masochistic Training Freak: Title earned by nearly dying multiple times while training one's body. Created new stat Endurance and gives +5 bonus. Gives bonuses of +10 to Strength and Dexterity. Can only be obtained if repeatedly harassed while training to death with everything you have.
Basic Body Training: Gives stat bonus based on Mastery and Level combination. At the beginner stage it gives +1 stat bonus to all physical stats per skill level. At the intermediate stage it gives a bonus of +2 per skill level, at the advanced stage gives a bonus of +3 per skill level, at the mastered stage +5 per skill level.
Skills have four stages: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Mastered. After reaching level 10 in a rank, level is reset to 1, but all bonuses attained from completing a rank are permanent. This means my situation isn't so helpless. I quickly calculated all of this in my head.
Let's see, you receive +10 stat points to distribute freely among stats for each level. All new characters start with 10 stat points in each stat. Also gaining a new stat means it starts at 10. So I've got an extra 95 stat points for my level 1 character. SWEET BOMBING BURGERS! I'm almost equivalent to a level 10 character! Hell yeah! Maybe I'm not completely screwed.
While I was rejoicing at the sudden windfall, an old soldier dressed in light leather armor strolled over. His long gray beard and kind face put me at ease. He's not as scary looking as the Sergeant. Of course he's not. He is not a demon incarn- I mean he doesn't have the same great aura as the mighty Sergeant Darius. I wasn't quite sure if the drill sergeant could read minds or not.
"Hey, boy. I can't help but notice you don't seem to know any magic... or basic attacks. Want me to teach you?" he asked.
"Yes! I want...” I said before I paused. My intuition honed through many years of being suckered into being a sucker was acting up. I looked at him suspiciously and asked, “Wait what's the catch?"
"Catch? No catch. I just don't want to see you die uselessly and drag us down. I mean you seem like a good kid and I want to help you!" smiled the old man innocently.
"Er, it doesn't sound like you're helping for altruistic reasons." I said hesitantly.
"Well, does anyone do things for completely altruistic reasons? So I'm selfish and I'm going to force you into being my disciple, but so what?"
"Wait what?" I asked. I thought I misheard something.
"Did you think you were going to get a free lunch?" said the old man as he turned from friendly grandpa to evil thug.
"But you said there was no catch!"
"Hah! Well I lied! Get used to it kid. Everyone lies. Now sign here in blood and we can do this."
"Blood?! No! No! Noooooo-!"
I tried to escape but it was too late. He grabbed my hand and stabbed it. My blood gushed out into the air for a brief moment before he smeared my hand on the contract. It hurt a lot! I could feel my health falling.
"What the hell? I didn't even get a chance to read the contract! Isn't that important?" I cried, clutching my bleeding hand.
"Nah the contract isn't important. You just have to obey all my commands and pay me half of everything you earn. And your soul is mine too. Nothing important." cackled the evil grandpa.
"SOUL! NO! I'M NOT GIVING YOU MY SOUL!"
"Shut up!" he commanded. "Look here, I was joking about the soul part... Well maybe joking. But look at the opportunity. You get to learn elemental manipulation from me! Wipe that pathetic look off your face. That's better. I'm a master elementalist. You won't find a better one anywhere else, no matter what that jackass Midas or the Academy might say. Those fools don't know their ass from their head. And I don't know why Midas is considered the best trainer for new people. Just cause he wrote that stupid treatise on the relation between elemental affinity and mana conversion efficiency doesn't mean he is a genius. Nobody in the academy wants poor old Marcus. No, its, Midas, golden boy this, Midas, golden boy that. He always gets chosen and I have to join the army. Screw him and those pompous fools at the academy. I'm a hundred times better than him. Insane my ass."
After Marcus ranted on for a long time about Midas and the academy saying things like 'Oh you'll see.' he finally remembered me. "Oh you can speak now boy, but no shouting!"
Finally free to speak, I protested immediately, "Wait but I wanted to be a magic swordsman! I didn't want to be an elementalist! Can't you burn the contract? Release me from it or something?"
"Nope! I need a disciple to pass on my knowledge so I can finally receive a full Master Elementalist title from the Academy. Besides I'll teach you something good! Something even better than just some shitty magic swordsman stuff," he said looking so cheerful.
"But what was that about insane?" I said desperately, trying to catch onto a faint ray of hope.
"Oh that's the nasty rumor they spread. They said that you can't directly manipulate the elements with a fleshly body. You need spells for that or contracts with elemental beings. But I discovered a way! Yes I did. And I'll prove that I'm not crazy! I just need a guinea- *cough* disciple that can learn my techniques. And you were just the sucker-. *cough* I mean, you have the talent needed to learn it. It isn't suicidal or anything. I just need to directly imbue wild unrestrained elemental magic into you and hope you survive long enough to assimilate it. I did it and so can you!"
His feature split into an evil grin and a mad scientist cackle escaped his lips. I thought I could see a devil behind him laughing along.
I gulped, "W-wild unrestrained m-magic? D-directly imbued? That sounds kinda dangerous."
He hastily tried to reassure me with a bright smile, "It's hardly dangerous. Sure you have a 99% chance of dying, but you're already on this suicidal mission! You're part of the Expendables company. You shouldn't mind dying!"
"No I mind very much thank you. I don't want to die. I didn't have a choice. If Sergeant Demon- *cough* I mean Darius hadn't forced me into this I'd be on my way to being a great adventurer."
"Mwahaha. He's good at picking out suckers- *cough* I mean choosing cannon- *cough* I mean choosing recruits with a lot of talent. You want to be a great adventurer huh? Well, we'll bring out all the hidden potential in you or you'll die trying! Nothing to worry about! He really has a good eye for this stuff!”
The decrepit old man was looking less like a grandfather and more like a devil the more I looked at him. I swore I could see his devil horns and tail. I shuddered and surrendered once again to my cruel fate. What star was I born under to deserve this?
"Now just stay still and you'll be able to use magic like me!" said Marcus as he approached me with his claws outstretched. I turned to run, but then he tackled me and yelled, "Stop! Hold still my precious guinea pi- *cough* I mean disciple!"
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Marcus made a strange gesture and I was locked in place. A bunch of different colored glowing lights started to surround me before suddenly tunneling their way into my body. A pain like none other suddenly coursed through my body. I saw the sky as I convulsed on the ground. Funny, I didn't know I could see the stars when it was still light out. And now there's a bright light at the end of that tunnel! Oh, I think I should head for it! Then a painful smack on my face brought me back.
"NOOO! You can't die! I won't allow it!" squeaked an annoying voice. "I leave for a few minutes and you try to die? Is life without your master that painful? I'm not giving you permission to die.”
Marcus interjected hastily, "Wait you say you are his master? You can't be because I am! I've got the contract right here."
"Lemme see that." said the navipix as she snatched the contract paper out from Marcus' hand. "Lessee, bound to obey all commands, pay half of earnings until apprenticeship is complete in exchange for learning magic. Hmm, it all seems in order, but I have prior claim. He's mine because I called him first."
"Well, so long as I can experiment- *cough* forcibly teach him everything I want to teach him... I'm fine with that."
"Deal, but the earnings part is non-valid. Everything that is his is mine. So he couldn't give you anything in the first place."
"No! He's my guinea- *cough* disciple! I claim 50% of all earnings!"
"10%!"
"40%!"
"Too high! 20%."
"35% final offer!"
"Only if I get his soul!"
"Done! I only need a guinea- *cough* disciple to 'teach'. I don't need his soul for that because necromancy is not my field of study."
The both of them started cackling in perfect sync like evil masterminds from a kid's TV show. It was scary how in sync they are. Wait a minute!
"Don't I have a say?" I said, trying to take some remnant of control back into my life.
"NO!" they both shouted.
After that I was completely ignored as the contract was being rewritten. Hmm, maybe if I just edge slightly to the side. There we go slowly does it. They aren't looking. Wait, damn! They are looking. Oh crap, RUN!
"STOP!" cried the two of them in unison. I started to sprint faster. Then ground opened up underneath my feet and swallowed me whole. Dammit, nothing was going right. Why don't I get my own say in things? Then the hole started to surge around me as those same multi-colored lights started to fill it up again. Once again, the lights drilled their way into my body and I convulsed in pain. I saw the same stars and the same bright light at the end of the tunnel.
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
I woke up again feeling extremely weak. I could hear some voices nearby.
“Did it work?”
“No, not yet I gotta do it again.”
“Okay, don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't stay dead.”
“I wish I had a helper like you when I was working with my other guinea pigs.”
The pain started again.
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
I woke up again and feebly protested, “Wait! No! Please! No more!”
“Ohmigod! He sounds and looks so cute and precious right now! Do it again!”
“He still hasn't learned it yet... So okay!”
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
“Please!” I begged.
“Again?”
“Again!”
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
“Stop!”
“Again?”
“Again!”
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
“It hurts...”
“Maybe we should stop? I mean I don't want him to be in pain. Well, maybe when he's checking out other girls.”
“Again! He hasn't learned it yet and this pain will help toughen him up! This is a really great skill and we're almost there. One more time should do it I think!”
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
“I'll do anything!”
“Will you kiss me? Wait, no! Buy me a ring!”
“Don't listen to him! We can't stop now or it will all go to waste!”
“But he promised me anything!”
“He's lying! You can see it in his eyes. Just one more time!”
“Okay fine. Again.”
*Ding* You have died.
*Ding* You have been revived.
*Ding* Due to a dangerous experiment you have learned the following skill: Elemental Manipulation Beginner(lv 1 0%), Magic Absorption Beginner(lv 1 0%) Your affinity with the following elements is 100%: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth, Light, Dark.
Elemental Manipulation: You may freely manipulate all elements with which you have an affinity with.
Magic Absorption: You may absorb elemental mana directly. Directly absorbing elemental mana regains mana and health. Affinity will increase depending on type of elemental mana absorbed. Mana and health regained depend on Mastery, Level, and absorbed amount. Warning! Absorbing to much of a certain element may lead to instability with your body and possibly permanent physical changes.
"Wait I learned something!" I shouted.
"Yep! Just remember that you have to balance the elements in your body or else you will become an elemental spirit!" said Marcus.
"Is that bad?"
"Well you become weak to certain elements, lose your human body, and you can be forced into elemental contracts by summoners. Nothing that big to worry about.”
"You mean I can become enslaved to others more easily and lose my human body." My flat stare tried to convey my lack of satisfaction with this arrangement.
"You should be used to it! I mean you're cannon fodder, a forced recruit, and in forced servitude to me and this little lady. Besides its better than the alternative of blowing up!" came the old man's cheerful response.
"Little lady? You're saying that she's a little lady- wait a minute... BLOW UP?!"
Little fists started to pound my head and the annoying voice of the navipix grumbled, "I am to a little lady. You jerk"
"You're not a lady. Just a winged pest."
“GAAAAAHHH!”I screamed as I bent over clutching my eye crying. My already low health bar dropped down to 1HP. "What the hell? That hurt!"
"I AM NOT A PEST!" shouted my navipix.
"Okay, okay, you are not a pest. Did you have to poke out my eye though?"
"It's what you deserve." responded the annoying voice emphasized with a loud humph. She was loud for her size and she really knew how to abuse others.
"COMPANY HALT! SET UP BASE CAMP!", roared Sergeant Darius from the distance
I hurried to catch up trying to mentally prepare for the new round of torture I was sure to receive. As I tried to quietly infiltrate the ranks, I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck and forced to look at a particularly familiar angry face. So much for mentally preparing myself. I guess I'm going to die here and so end my adventure.
The Sergeant glared at me and shouted in my face as his spittle flew everywhere, "Cannon Fodder! Unload this and set up camp!”
"Sir, Yes Sir!" I said shivering in terror.
"WHAT WAS THAT! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"SIR! YES! SIR!”