I clutched the smooth wooden staff in my hand as Ross led us out of the door. I didn't really know where we were going, but all I could do now was follow him since I didn't have much of a choice to begin with anyways.
As it stood right now, I had no idea about anything that had happened so far. I knew a lot of history and such, so I knew the basics of medieval combat but...
I haven't played a video game in my life!
Yeah, this was the biggest problem that I had. I watched my friends and family play them constantly, but I never really figured out what the hype was about. I did my work, read novels and sometimes published novels online but I knew squat about anything fantasy or fighting.
I swear, this whole thing feels like it's meant to bite me on the ass for not hopping on the trend!
zero manga, zero anime, literally western comedy and action was all I read in my free time since I always just went out with my friends to go shopping or whatnot. I want to say I had a good balance between working and playing but the truth was it was more of a 80/20 split so there wasn't much time to get sucked down into the rabbit hole of Japanese web culture.
We once again walked past what I assumed was the main lobby. There were less people there than when I just came in, they probably had to go somewhere to slay monsters or something. That felt like something people in a fantasy world that are heavily armed would do in the middle of the day.
GOD! WHY MEEE!?
The people that were still there now curiously glanced at us as we headed for the main entrance, though they were probably now looking at Ross who I figured was just as famous as Pope Peter was. If what he said before was true, then he was probably famous as all hell for training heroes that save the world from Demon Lords and forces of darkness.
He pushed past the front doors and led me to the place where I saw the mage and warriors training. The moment he stepped out, the people there stopped what they were doing and saluted him.
"Sir Ross! We weren't expecting you today!"
One of the men holding what looked like a rapier, if my terminology is correct, spoke up as we started approaching the grounds. Unlike the people that were inside, these men had less flashier armor and they were all in more or less identical uniforms. The only thing that differed were their weapons, but they still weren't glowing with color or any of that.
Ross turned to me and gestured towards them.
"These are the regular troops of the Tauron kingdom. They serve as the main fighting and defensive force for this kingdom, Lieutenant Hal this is Artia, the newly summoned hero."
I glanced at the man, who actually looked quite young, grasp my hand in a handshake.
" Ms.Hero! Nice to meet you! This is the first time I've ever met a hero in person so I'm kind of nervous hehe-"
The rest of the troops were also doing the same, this was actually kind of overwhelming. I hadn't ever been the center of attention from this many people before, I really wasn't sure how to act in this case, so I just awkwardly shook their hands.
Ross coughed, making the troops stand to attention again.
"Since introductions have been done, I need some volunteers to show Artia here the basis of magic. She just came here but after checking her stats page, she is incredibly skilled in magic. I would ask for training partners but I fear that she will accidentally kill everyone here with the smallest attack spell, so the only spells she is permitted to use on people are enhancing and healing spells. Who's up first?"
Once again, Lieutenant Hal stepped forward.
"I could show you a basic fireball spell, I'm sorry that I only know such elementary magic but people who are in the army are very limited in magic since if we had better magic we could go for better paying jobs. Anyways..."
Hal trailed off as Ross gave him the stink eye before lifting his arm towards one of the archery targets in the training area. It was marked with the traditional red paint for archery target, before he called out.
[Fireball]
Wisps of flame started to circle around his hand, making him spread his fingers apart as they started to congregate in his palm. In 5-10 seconds there was a small fireball in his palm while he himself was sweating immensely from the effort, before finally it launched from his palm towards the designated target.
The fireball flew at a decent speed, though not bullet fast, it slammed into the wooden target before disappearing and only leaving behind a small burned scar on the wood.
Hal laughed dryly at this display.
"Sorry Ms.Hero, I may have the most magical power in this group but it only amounts to that."
[Learned spell [Fireball] ]
"uhhh, Mr.Ross I just got a message that said I learned the spell..."
Stolen story; please report.
The crowd of soldiers went silent as Ross threw his head back and let out howling laugh. Hal turned to the side, red tinging his cheeks as he hid his face with his hands.
Ross some tears out of his eyes from the laughter before turning back to her, still chuckling.
"Sorry, I knew that heroes had incredible abilities but I didn't think you could learn a spell just by looking at it being performed once. Ross here took two weeks to learn the ins and outs of [Fireball] before he managed to get the message. Even then, he could only send a wisp of fire out because of his low mana bank."
Ross waved his hand at the soldiers, making them back off to the side while Hal was dragged aside by two of his teammates since he was still in the state of mourning/depression of his hard work being torn down in a second.
"So, young lady. It's your turn to try and use the spell. Just relax and aim down at the same target and say [Fireball]. You'll feel a bit of warmth and then you need to concentrate on your palm before releasing it, remember to not face towards anyone."
"Uhhh, shouldn't I like, learn more about this before trying it?"
"Nonsense! Experience is the best teacher, just try it."
Not really seeing a way out of this situation that I had been ensnared into, I walked up to the front right where Ross was and copied what Hal's previous actions.
Okay. Just remember, Fireball, Fireball, I'm trying to cast a fireball.
Holding my hand out with my palm facing towards the target board, I just thought of the words and I was about to say it but...
[Fireball]
"Huh!? No incantation?"
Before I even said anything, flames began to gather at my palm at an incredible speed. The starting size of the fireball was already larger than Hal, but it started growing larger, and larger, and larger- Hey isn't this too large!?
"UWAHH! Mr.Ross, I can't control it!"
I could see my mana draining but only by 50 out of my total 850. This was getting out of hand, my fireball was already the size of the target itself and growing larger.
The soldiers started panicking and some of them ducked behind the various equipment and cover they could find. They definitely thought I was about to explode, which to be fair, I might've actually been doing right now I just didn't realize it.
Ross grimaced as he looked around.
"Damn, you need a place to throw that or we've got a big problem! No! Don't throw it towards there, you're gonna bring down a watchtower if you point it that way!"
I had tried to pivot around to get a look around the fireball that was just getting larger and larger while it was draining my mana faster than ever.
"Holy-! Uh- throw it above the tree's to the forest over there! No one lives there so we should be good."
I aimed the ever-enlarging ball of flame towards where he was pointing before gulping, looking over my shoulder at Ross with my face completely white with a defeated smile.
"....I don't know how to release it"
By now the soldiers had gone full on panic mode, evacuating out of the training grounds and herding civilians away from the massive explosion-to-be. The commotion caught the eyes of some of the weirdly dressed people in the building we were at before.
Some of them headed out, before also realizing the massive problem at hand and retreating back inside for cover. However, some of them had come towards us. These people were also dressed with a multitude of different colors but instead of swords or spears they carried staves and tomes.
The one's who were carrying tomes hurriedly flipped their books open, which started to hover in front of them. The one with staves aimed at the fireball and started yelling different things all at once.
[Torrent]!
[Air Slash]
[Cloud Burst]
A combination of spells were muttered from the various people on the scene, sending out a huge torrent of water towards the fireball, which sizzled and reduced in size considerably.
Visible shuriken-like bursts of air were sent flying towards the fireball but that just fanned the flames and made them grow larger. A large, dark cloud spontaneously appeared above us and started raining hard onto the fireball, but it just wasn't enough.
This all happened while I was freaking out and trying to get this literal bomb away from me.
"GET OFF OF ME YOU BASTARD!"
As the people continued to shoot water spells towards the ball, the people who were watching from a safe(ish) distance dispersed as they saw this situation hopeless.
"Move."
A voice rang out among this chaos, making the crowd of soldiers who were still there to survey the situation move to the side as a women moved through them.
She had short, blonde hair that was fashioned straight down. Her piercing green eyes fit the emerald green longsword blade coupled with a golden hilt.
She moved to the side of Ross, who was oddly calm about this whole thing, and incanted her own spell.
[Dispel]
She pressed her finger onto the hilt of the blade, making a white glow start trailing from the hilt slowly towards the blade. It slowly covered the entire blade of the sword before she made a horizontal slash in the air.
She let out a small "hmph" while effortlessly swinging the longsword. It let out a glowing white beam in the air, shooting it out directly towards the fireball and cut it straight in half, which covered us in an wave of smoke as the whole thing was dispelled.
My sight was immediately blinded, while I felt the smoke enter my lungs making me cough intensely while groping my way through the black smoke.
"COUGH! Ugh, a little help would be real nice right now!"
Just as I called out, a hand gripped me by the wrist and tugged me out of the smoke. I looked up at who had grabbed me, none other than Ross who had encouraged I cast the spell, who was smiling awkwardly.
"Well, we know where to start with your training now. Mana control."
I coughed a few times while internally cursing him out.
"It took us almost dying for you to realize that!?"
"No, both of you could have easily survived that, though I can't say the same for the residents of this place. He just wanted to see how you would deal with the problem."
I looked up to see the woman who had diffused this whole thing sheathe her longsword to the side while walking towards us. Now that I looked closely, she really was quite beautiful. Inhumanly so.
I looked closely at her face before noticing the pointed ears that were poking out of her hair, I didn't know much about them but I knew what elves were.
"Haha, you got me. Though I could've probably countered it with my inherent water magic, I wanted to see what was going to happen."
"Your human tactics confuse me, but they seem to have worked nonetheless. However, I didn't want the whole Church's Adventurers Guild to blow up just so you can confirm her powers so I had to destroy it before it got out of hand"
She stared at me for a moment, before asking one of the soldiers that were on the training grounds something. She then turned back to me.
"So you are the hero, yes? The elven nation does not have to endure the strife of Demon Lords, however I shall say it is still an...honor in ways. My name is Elynea, I'm an Elven Magic Swordsman, would you like to join my party?"