A quiet silence followed her declaration as the three girls absorbed her words. Sue shifted awkwardly, clearly aware that she had stepped into a delicate moment. Aura was the one to break the silence, locking eyes with the only other girl she had spoken to in this world.

  “Thank you for getting us, Sue. Things have been… rough so we must have lost track of time a little bit.”

  While there was still some tension, the act of speaking seemed to break the tension slightly. Again, that pitiful expression grew on Sue’s face as she opened the door further and stepped inside. To cut off any further awkwardness, she raised a hand towards the trio in greeting.

  “Well, in that case I suppose I should introduce myself. As Aura there said, I am Sue, and it is nice to meet you both. While I do wish the circumstances were better, sadly that is never the case. I am sorry for the loss of your former home.”

  While the look on her face was genuine, the words alone drew a slight whimper from Violet and a wince from Jackie. A slightly questioning glance sent her way, which Aura responded with a slight shake of the head. While she had explained to the other two what information she had been able to garner from Sue, some speculations had been made as well. There had not been any commotion about a new girl having appeared when from the sounds of it she had not been there when the others had fallen asleep. Between that, and the fact that Sue explained the traditions of this place, Fortress, spoke of having done so before. So, it was at least very likely that she didn’t know that the three of them weren’t from this world.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sue. My name is Jackie.”

  “S-Same. My name is Violet.”

  Both girls spoke up in response after noticing her shaking head, caution was still clear in their voices. There was still a lot about this situation that needed to be questioned, but it seemed like the time for that was limited now. They had this ‘Awakening Day’ thing to attend to, which may not be all that bad. Given how she and the others resembled the characters they had created for the alpha test for a game, this could well be a tutorial situation. Where things went from there, she didn’t really know. But thinking along that line of thought caused a different line of thought.

  I… can feel stronger than before. But I was pretty slow in responding to Violet’s screams. That does line up with the stats that I chose, but Sue said that we are supposed to declare our stats and skills at this Awakening Day thing. So that must mean there is some kind of interface or something that would allow us to see them, right?

  Unfortunately, that was the kind of question she could not just outright ask about. There were plenty of reasons why Jackie, Violet, and herself would stand out at this ceremony thing. Not only were the three of them new arrivals, but their appearances were different as well. She felt a little bad to compare it, but Sue and all the other girls that were natives to this place were rather plain looking. A very real consequence of the three of them having a lot of customization options for their current bodies.

  “So, Sue, Aura told us a little bit about this whole Awakening Day thing. About the whole stating our intentions for what we want to do around here. But this place is… different from where we are from. Mind giving us an idea for what kinds of jobs there are to do?”

  Standing up and stretching slightly, Jackie posed Sue a question. One that had been waiting to be asked before Violet had screamed and drew her attention. Still, it seemed like she would be getting the answer to it shortly. For some reason Sue seemed to grow a little hesitant on being asked it.

  “It makes sense that you don’t know. But we really should get going to line up with the other girls. The Matron will be here shortly. And while we are not so young as to be punished by her, it will not do for us to pause Awakening Day. I can tell you all as we get going.”

  There was a slight sense of unease about the mention of this Matron punishing people, but the logic was sound enough. They were in a completely different world after all, so some norms were different. Standing up, she extended a hand to help Violet to help up. As she did so, the boy-turned-girl swayed a little as she stood up, clearly unused to her new proportions. It was in doing that, when Aura recognized something that a simple glance at everyone else in the room confirmed.

  We are all wearing the same outfits… It must be the normal garb for this town at least. That raises the question of if already being dressed like the locals will cause us to stand out more for already dressing like them when we clearly are not from here though.

  Those thoughts aside, with all three of them standing now Sue gestured for them to follow her while she began to speak.

  “Alright, so you wanted to know about the different ways that we can help the people of Fortress. Really, the tasks are given based on what your strongest stat tends to be. For girls with a higher VIT, which is rare, they will probably want to take work in the fields tending to the crops. Not many do though, and it is mainly a man’s work. Those with a higher AGI meanwhile, will be responsible for taking things from one part of the settlement to the other. It could be considered one of the easier tasks, as outside of ingredients for cooking in the kitchens it is rare for anything to need to be rushed. The kitchens, tailors, and other such places are where those with a higher DEX will want to go. And really some of the girls with higher AGI will work with them as well since they get their jobs done quickly. Finally, those with a higher ATU will be best served working with the herbalists. Creating healing poultices and being ready to treat the injured if needed.”

  The way Sue spoke as she relayed all this information sounded slightly off. Not as if it was rehearsed or anything, but more like it was something that she had been told many times herself. Aura also realized that there were some definite gaps in the information that was being told. There was no mention of those with a higher MP or STR, at least not with regards to the girls anyways. Looking to the others, she caught Jackie’s frown and Violet’s more relaxed expression. It seemed that at least one of them had come to something of a similar realization as herself.

  By the time Sue had finished speaking the four of them were in a larger room with all the other girls. There really was not too many of them, and at a quick glance Aura counted only twenty-nine others, not including herself, Jackie, Sue, and Violet at least. All of them were on the plainer side of appearances and were all wearing the same outfit as well. Many of them were glancing their way and whispering. But she didn’t focus on that, as she gave Sue her attention once again.

  “Sue, I noticed that you didn’t mention anything about those with a higher MP or STR. Or anything about… fighting either. Back where we are from that was something that could be done. Is that not—”

  Before she could continue, the sound of a throat being cleared sounded, and all the whispering stopped. Aura herself felt a strange pressure fall over her and turned towards the source of the pressure. Standing at the far end of the room, in front of the door that all the girls were gathered before, was a woman. Standing shorter, with a somewhat hunched back, and with hair that was a mix of grey and browns it could be easily mistaken that she was starting to be considered elderly. And while there were some wrinkles, they looked to be more of the kind born from stress rather than old age. The look in her eyes, was far firmer than most of the timid looks the other girls that were around them had. And as she walked forwards, said girls parted away to allow her past and get close to Aura and her group. Coming to a stop, she hummed slightly as she looked them over.

  “Hmm, three young women to go with the seven young men. Whatever settlement you all were from did things vastly different from ours. I will have to check in with the young ones to look for more of you. To answer the question you asked Sue, fighting is a man’s job. For the most part at least. Young women like yourself can of course volunteer, but most who do regret it. Of course, depending on how many young men join the fighting forces this year, some of you will be drafted regardless.”

  The woman, the Matron’s, voice was a strange combination of firm and pitiful. Aura felt a slight chill down her spine at the cryptic words of being made to regret volunteering to fight. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jackie seem to bristle slightly while Violet grew nervous. Her sentiment was shared by all the other girls in the room as well. There was something more going on with regards to this volunteering, and she supposed she would find out soon enough. For now, she let determination take over her gaze as she locked eyes with the Matron, who sighed and shook her head.

  “It will be the will of Fortress and his council if you can join regardless. And that will happen here shortly. Come girls, the young men have already been gathered, and it is time for the Awakening Day ceremony to begin. Line up by name, except for you new girls. You will be in the back of the line so that you might see just what you will be getting into.”

  While the words were casual, and the Matron was walking away, once more that pressure was felt. Quickly, all the other girls complied and lined themselves up. Sue gave Aura a small, almost regretful, smile before taking her own place in line. Herself, Jackie, and Violet meanwhile took their place at the end of the line and braced themselves for what was to come. With everybody lined up, the Matron nodded and opened the door to outside before leading them all out.

  Going outside, the light of an early morning would briefly blind them to most of what they could see. As it fades, a first true observation of their surroundings was given. The building they were leaving was of an equal size to the others, and a quick glance and count showed that there were a dozen other identical buildings to it. They were modest in size and made of weathered looking stone. She could see some other, smaller buildings beyond them as well, but the view was obstructed by the people that were gathered around.

  The crowd of people mostly consisted of men, with a handful of women among them. Determining age was not an easy task, as all of them looked rather thin. The men’s skin was sun-kissed for the most part, with only a couple of the women looking similar. All the other women had a fairer complexion that spoke of being indoors often. Their attire at least was different to the young women she was walking in a line with, though all of it looked somewhat patchwork or worn. It was the eyes of the people, that caused Aura some unease.

  The women had looks that were combinations of tearful, as if they were seeing a loved one for the first time in a while, to pitiful as if they were watching someone being punished. The men had looks that varied far and wide. Some were pitiful, others were tired, with very few having that tearful expression that women had. No, as Aura caught one of their gazes as he looked at her, she could see something definite in their eyes. Lust.

  As the young women walked, the noises of outside settled down and a silent procession took place. The crowd followed at a slight distance, some whispered words being the only real noise outside of the soft walking on the compacted dirt road. Within minutes, they passed more identical looking stone buildings, before smaller stone ones started to be seen. Whether they were houses or something else was hard to say, but all that could be told was that the gathered crowd was growing larger. Overall, from how most of the buildings were weathered stone and the people were in rather worn-down condition it was easy enough to tell that this place, Fortress, was not in the best of shape.

  Something that became more evident as they were presumably walked through more of the town. More weathered stone buildings, some of them larger and having the smell of food rising from them. That smell at least was better compared to the wafting smell of filth that was in the air. While things were somewhat clean, the chances of plumbing or anything of the like were rather slim. Luckily, for now at least, the procession soon came to a stop.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Where they stopped was a more open area, that if Aura had to guess was close to the center of this place. A larger, more complex stone structure was before them. With large, worn wooden doors she quickly compared its appearance to that of a fort or keep like from fantasy games. Their group was not the only one waiting here, and her gaze soon locked onto the much longer line that was next to them.

  Consisting entirely of young men, they were in similar shape to the young women she had woken up with. Wearing a consistent outfit, and with hair colors that were a variety of darker ones their appearances were at least varied. Some looked bulkier, some were more handsome, and some even seemed to ooze confidence. She caught more than a few of them looking over all the young women who just arrived, as if they were assessing them. What she was more focused on, were the ones towards the back of the line.

  Aura could only slightly see them, what with the length of the other line, but the variety of hair colors stood out at least. Their appearances being far more refined than that of most of the other young men in the line helped. Combine that with what the Matron said about seven young men appearing as well, and it was easy to guess that they were likely players as well.

  And of course, I can’t just go up to them to talk to them right now. Hopefully after this ceremony thing is done, we can all meet up and figure out more of what is going on.

  How difficult that would be she didn’t know, but the sound of the large wooden door opening drew her attention. From within, nine men filed out with military like precision. They were all wearing mixed armor, a combination of leathers and metal, no weapons visibly equipped. Even without weapons, the strength of these men was obvious in how they carried themselves. As the nine exited, they lined up on the sides and one final man emerged.

  This man was large, not in that he was rotund or overly tall but just from his muscles. His back was straight, and his stride confident as he stepped out of the building, his full metal armor gleaming in the light of day. A thick black beard was on his face, and unlike much of the facial hair of the crowd that had gathered his was clean. All these men were on the cleaner side Aura realized, which just made that uneasy feeling grow. Before she could do much else, the man spoke.

  “To all that have gathered, you will bear witness to the twenty-fifth Awakening Day underneath my rule. To the newly Awakened, rejoice. For it is now that you will be able to properly serve Fortress and its people.”

  His voice was deep, and the gathered crowd stirred slightly. It was not exactly cheering, but a smattering of noise of acknowledgement. From a quick glance, Aura noticed that nobody seemed to be afraid, at least not in her peripheral vision. Turning to look drew more attention to herself. As the noise died down, the man, likely Fortress, spoke again.

  “To the newly Awakened, I know this day has been one of anticipation for you all. The Matron has spoken of what will occur today, but I shall repeat. One by one, you will step forwards before me. As you do, you are to open your Character Sheet. Declare your Name, your Stats, and your Innate Skill. Then, you shall say what you intend to do to help Fortress and my people. If you are qualified for what your intentions say, then I shall allow you to fulfill them. However, should you not live up to your intentions, then I shall give you what you deserve. You will then move to the back of your line until all have been given their tasks. At which point, you shall be sent to where you will fulfill them. With that said, let the day commence!”

  With one last loud declaration, Fortress stood tall and nodded towards the first of the young men in line. While her angle was not the greatest, Aura did her best to pay attention. The way Fortress spoke of what would be happening lined up with what Sue had said, but there were some issues. As far as things went, she had no idea how to access her character sheet. And glancing back towards Jackie and Violet with a questioning glance got shrugs. She noted that both girls had different expressions on their faces as well. Jackie’s being a firm, unyielding one while Violet’s was more nervous. The other issue was that if they had everything that they had chosen when they created these characters, they should have two of these Innate Skills. Which brought up the question of if they should say something about that and draw more attention, or keep silent about it?

  “My name is Aaron. My stats are: 10 Mana, 20 STR, 20 VIT, 20 AGI, 20 DEX, 10 ATU. My Innate Skill is Sharp Ear. It allows me to more easily hear things that could otherwise be unheard. As for my intentions, I would like to be a soldier.”

  Mentally cursing, Aura turned away from the two other girls and looked back towards the front of the procession. A boy had already walked up, and she only caught his words. She watched him stand there nervously before Fortress after he stated his intentions. Thinking about what he said, she realized that there could be a slight problem if she wished to fight. While her STR and VIT were rather high, her AGI and DEX should be on the lower side. She didn’t know how important such things were, but soon enough Fortress’s voice called out.

  “Approved.”

  His words were simple, but the way Aaron relaxes was easily visible. Bowing slightly, she watched the young man swiftly move towards the end of the line. As the next one stepped forwards, she was paying more attention. She watched as he seemed to mutter some words before lifting his hand in front of him. He almost seemed to tap the air before he began to read off his own stats.

  So, the character sheet is something to interface with then? I don’t see anything so it must only be visible to the user. I can’t hear what he said, so I guess I will have to wait until it is the girls turn.

  After that, Aura simply went quiet and paid attention to what was happening. Young man after young man stepped forwards, revealed their stats and intentions, and was either given approval or denial. She was at least able to make some conclusions based on everything. Mana and ATU were often the lowest of stats that anybody had. With some of them even having it at five. In fact, as far as she noticed, nobody seemed to have those stats above a fifteen. At the very least, her own low AGI and DEX should be fine, as some managed to become soldiers with their stats being only five. The Innate skills as well were innocuous as well. Nobody had anything as good as she believed her own to be, but everyone only listed one.

  About halfway through the men’s line, someone stepped forwards that garnered her attention. The young man had a similar build to Fortress, and the leader of them all had a more approving expression on his face as the young man spoke.

  “My name is Maul. My Stats are 10 Mana, 25 STR, 25 VIT, 25 DEX, 10 AGI, 5 ATU. My Innate Skill is Blunt Savant. It gives me unique techniques with Blunt weapons, allows me to master their use faster, and increases my damage with them. As for my intentions, soldier of course.”

  His tone was cocky, and she noticed some of the crowd seem to whisper a little bit as well. Fortress gained a proud smile as he gazed at Maul and gives a firm nod and a deep chuckle.

  “Approved. You will do me proud son.”

  With the approval given, Maul stepped away from the front of the line and towards the back. Aura had to admit that his stats were impressive, and his Innate Skill was far better than most everyone that had already gone. She had no idea how innate skills were given to the native inhabitants of this world, but she could focus on that more later.

  For now, she had to simply wait in line as the rest of the men went. Briefly, as the young men who were probably players ended up standing by them all she caught their eyes. While there was some unease in them all, there was also a brief bit of understanding as gazes were locked. They all needed to set up a meeting between them eventually, but not right now. When it was eventually the first of their turns, she started paying more attention to at least their names. Further discussion on what they could do could wait until later.

  “My name is Calen… My Innate skill is Insight…”

  “Darek… Iron Resolve.”

  “Orrin… Tenacity…”

  “Ryse… Echo…”

  “Kaelen… Hunter’s Sense…”

  “Jareth… Rapid Recovery…”

  “Taryn… Verdant Renewal…”

  As each of them stepped forwards, Aura could not hold back the sigh of relief as each of them only spoke one of their innate skills. However, that didn’t mean that there were no issues. While they didn’t all wish to be Soldiers, with Calen being the prime example of that, the rest did. And not all of them managed it. Ryse for example, on saying how his Mana and ATU were both twenty-five, was denied and instead scoffed at and told he’d be working with the herbalists. Taryn as well, was let down a little more gently and told that if their surroundings were wooded that he’d make a fine soldier. However, they were in a flat plain, and thus he was given the task of farm work.

  With the last of the men done, it was the women’s turn. And as they went, Aura was starting to tune things out. This whole process was already going on what had to be a couple of hours at this point, and hunger was starting to gnaw at her. Most all the young women had higher AGI, DEX, or ATU and were given softer jobs. Not a one of them seemed to want to take a soldier job, even the couple whose STR or VIT was higher. Briefly she tuned in for what Sue was assigned and overheard the mention of being a runner due to higher AGI. As her position in the line grew towards the front, she finally overheard what it was that everyone was saying before they started to tap the air, “Menu.”

  Then, it was her turn to stand before Fortress. Stepping forwards, Aura kept her gaze on his own. Unlike all the other young women who had approached somewhat nervously, she was determined to make herself stand out. The details of how they had appeared in this world were unknown for now, but she knew that answers probably wouldn’t be found by playing it safe with an herbalist.

  “Menu.”

  Saying the word, she had to contain herself as a screen appeared before her.

  As the menu appeared, Aura took a moment to examine it. There was far more to it than she expected, and the fact that Quests was greyed out caught her attention. As did the fact that spells were listed, something that had not been mentioned before. Still, she had Fortress’ gaze on her, so it could wait for later. For now, she tapped the “Character Sheet and watched as a second window appeared.

  Looking at her character sheet, more questions just kept popping into her head. Her level wasn’t unexpected; this was based on a game after all. But Class and Race were curve balls. Would her class be filled in by stating her intentions? Possibly, but there was only one way to find out.

  “My name is Aura. My stats are 20 Mana, 25 STR, 20 VIT, 5 AGI, 5 DEX, and 5 ATU. My Innate skill is… Natural Body. With it, injuries, effects, and conditions will not hamper my physical performance.”

  As quickly as her slightly shaking hands could move, she navigated to her menu to confirm that was indeed one of her skills. Seeing it and Magic Resistance there gave her some relief, but she could see that Fortress was waiting. She still had to declare her intention after all. And while there had been the mention of some women being drafted to be soldiers depending on the number of men, she didn’t want to let the fact that she had two low physical stats to hold her back. So, she went to the spells part of her menu.

  Doing so, Aura watched as what looked like a spectral book appeared before her. A book might have been a misnomer, as only two things were written on it. The lack of any reaction from Fortress, outside of a growing displeasure, had her just quickly glancing at what was on it. Two spells were all she had; one called Mana Bolt and the other Wound Closure. Deciding to read the details later, she finally continued to speak.

  “I… also have a spell to cast. Mana Bolt. As for my intentions, I want to be a soldier.”

  Stammering slightly in her speech, the sound of the gathered crowd suddenly erupted into whispers. Even the two lines started to whisper as well, making her wonder if she had made a wrong choice in saying this. Fortress gave nothing away with his gaze. The slight annoyance was still there from her taking so long to speak up, but whether he was impressed by the fact that she could use magic, or more annoyed that she announced something that could be obvious was unknown. As Aura stood there with bated breath, Fortress eventually spoke up.

  “Approved, you will be a soldier.”