[SYSTEM INITIATED...]
Eric cracked his eyes open as he heard a monotone, but feminine voice in his head, along with the sound of ringing in his ears. Ach... What was that..? He thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes.
Then, before his eyes, there was a screen of light blue. What in the... Am I dreaming? Or have I finally lost it?
[User, I assure you that none of those things are the case. Though, I would recommend we converse in your thoughts, so nobody can eavesdrop on us.] The voice tried to... reassure me? While also saying to converse in my thoughts?
That is good.. I suppose? Wait. It can read my thoughts! I suddenly realized as I panicked. Who are you?! I thought as I looked around my bedroom for anyone.
[I am the Commander System, User. I was granted to you so you can be more efficient in leading. I am in no ways a threat to you, nor to others.] It said calmly, with no hint of emotions. I narrowed my eyes.
Let us say I believe you, what do you do... Commander System? What do you want from me? I asked as I was still suspicious.
[I will simply aid you in all matters of military. Tactics, Strategy, Logistics, you need aid in it? I can aid you as you need, User.] It seemed to respond to my question.
What do you want in exchange for your... service? I asked it, as I was still not convinced. Everything has a price. I thought in the back of my head, as I awaited its answer.
[There is no price for my service, User. Though, your cooperation will be needed, as I will give you quests to accomplish.] It answered.
Quests? What do they do? I asked it.
[Quests, to put them simply, are tasks I will give you to accomplish a certain goal. I shall give you a reward if you succeed, but I shall give penalties if you fail at any of the tasks.] It said simply, as it answered my question.
Uh-huh. Can I call you something else? "Commander System'' seems a bit too... cumbersome to say.. I asked it, not really willing to say its full name.
[You may call me what you wish, User.] It answered, giving me permission to do as I please.
Hm.. what should I call it? I thought for a bit,, It sounds like a woman, so I will pick... Eva. Yes. I shall call you Eva. And please, call me Eric. I finally found a proper name.
[Noted. The Commander System shall now be known as Eva, and start calling User Eric.]
[I will give you a quest to help with familiarization with the functions of the system, Eric.] Eva said to me as I heard a ring.
[DING!] I heard a loud sound reverberate in my head. [The system has given you a mission. Would you like to accept? (Y/N)] A new screen popped up before me, showing the options for Yes and No. I picked yes, and another screen popped up.
----------------------------------------
[Learning the Ropes - Tutorial]
[Difficulty: E]
[As a new user of the system, you need to learn the basic functions of it, and the various menus within it. Please complete the goals listed below.]
[Inspect the Stats Screen 0/1
Inspect the Army and Base Screen 0/1
Inspect the Skills Screen 0/1
Inspect the Map 0/1]
[Time Limit: N/A]
[Penalties: N/A]
[Rewards: [Inspect] Skill]
[Hint: You can open the menus just by saying their names!]
----------------------------------------
I read the screen before me, and quickly understood what I need to do. How about... Stats. As I thought about the Stats menu, it popped up before me.
----------------------------------------
[STATS]
[NAME: Eric Harrickson]
[AGE: 32]
[LEVEL: 5]
[ASCENDANCE: 1]
[HITPOINTS (H.P.): 150/150]
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
[MANA POINTS (M.P.): 25/25]
[VITALITY: 7]
[STRENGTH: 6]
[DEXTERITY: 5]
[INTELLIGENCE: 8]
[WISDOM: 6]
[CHARISMA: 5]
[LUCK: 3]
[REMARKS: Average all around. A good head on your shoulders, though.]
----------------------------------------
Average, huh? I chuckled to myself. Check Army and Base, Eva. I thought to myself as a new screen popped up.
----------------------------------------
[ARMY AND BASE]
[RANK: Garrison-Commander (TIER 3 COMMAND)]
[NO. OF SOLDIERS UNDER COMMAND: 50/100]
[COMMAND LEVEL]
[NO. OF TIER 0 COMMAND (PRIVATE): 45]
[NO. OF TIER 1 COMMAND (LIEUTENANTS): 4]
[NO. OF TIER 2 COMMAND (CAPTAINS): 1]
[PROWESS LEVEL]
[NO. OF TIER O PROWESS (MILITIA LEVEL): 35]
[NO. OF TIER 1 PROWESS (VOLUNTEER LEVEL): 10]
[NO. OF TIER 2 PROWESS (PROFESSIONAL LEVEL): 5]
[BASE OF OPERATIONS: FORT MILKINS (LEVEL 1 BASE)]
[REMARKS: A decent spread, if a bit undermanned.]
----------------------------------------
Eva, could you please explain the Prowess levels for me? I asked, curious about what it men.
[Affirmative. Prowess refers to the skill and morale of a soldier. Tier 0, or Militia, are the least experienced level of prowess, and are prone to routing due to morale shocks and are less skilled with arms. Better than civilians, they are inferior to the other tiers, as they are more rowdy and prone to not following orders. Tier 1, or Volunteer, is superior to Tier 0, with more resistance to morale shock, and more skillful with arms, and have better coordination, but still lackluster on their own. Tier 2, or Professional, are the current highest ranking Prowess tier you have. They have more resistance to morale shock, and have a detailed understanding of the arms they use. They are good at following orders, and will execute them to their best.] Eva said to me, whilst I nodded in understanding. So, Prowess is the skill of a soldier, huh? I hummed to myself.
Right. Check Skills, Eva. I thought and instructed Eva.
----------------------------------------
[SKILLS]
[PASSIVE SKILLS]
[{Commander I} - You are already a leader of an army, though it is small. Boosts training rate by 10%, boosts Loyalty by 2 pts, boosts morale by 2 pts.]
[ACTIVE SKILLS]
[{Rally} - Prevent your troops from breaking and routing in the midst of battle. Boosts Morale by 3 pts for 5 minutes. Cooldown lasts for two hours.]
----------------------------------------
Eva, how would I activate these skills? I asked her.
[To answer your question, you need to say the name of the Active Skills, Eric.] She answered easily, still monotone as ever. I hummed in thought.
Check the Map, Eva. Time to finish this up. I thought as I instructed Eva eagerly. Soon, another screen popped. It showed Fort Milkins, Mercerston to the west of the fort, and some other land formations in the surrounding area. Interesting. Very useful, too. I thought as I heard another ringing in my head.
[DING!] [You have completed the quest "Learning the Ropes - Tutorial." Collect your rewards? Y/N] A screen popped up in front of me, and I clicked Yes, receiving the skill "Inspect". I decided to look at the description.
----------------------------------------
[{Inspect LvL 1} - Used to inspect both objects and people. Inspecting non-living objects cost 1 mana point, whilst inspecting living beings 2 mana points.]
----------------------------------------
Let me try this... I thought as I looked at a book on my bed side table. "{Inspect}." I muttered, looking squarely at the book, then..
----------------------------------------
[Book]
[A book. It seems to be about a story.]
[Rarity: Common]
[-1 M.P.!]
----------------------------------------
A screen popped up before me with a lackluster description of the book, and another, smaller screen saying that I lost.. one point of Mana Points?
Whatever. I need to get up and get clothed. I thought as I got out of bed, stood up, and went to my wardrobe. That was when I heard Eva speak
[Eric, I would like to give you a more challenging quest regarding the soldiers under your leadership.] Eva said.
Really? What is it? I asked, curious. Eva then continued.
[DING!] I heard a ring. [You have received a...]
----------------------------------------
FIN