Marionette

Chaper 3

"Listen up, troops!" shouted the young Captain with golden hair. "I am Captain Arne, and YOU belong to me now!" 

Guess we changed management then. 

Early that morning, a loud horn that blew repeatedly woke us up; a voice that sounded like it was coming from a megaphone commanded us to gather at the camp's central square. 

Otherworldly boot camp had just started.

"You have three months!" the young Captain yelled. "You have exactly three months to become soldiers or be executed!" 

A few people gasped at that moment. 

"That's right! Executed!" roared Captain Arne. "Milwick summoned you here to serve as soldiers, and if you cannot fulfil that role, then there is no need for you to stick around..." 

Twenty Knights clad in pristine armour remained perfectly still and silent behind the captain as he continued speaking. 

"Before we commence training, let me explain a few things to you," he said. "We will split you into four classes based on your skills and talents. The Warriors is the first class; most of you will be given a sword and shield. The Archers are the second class; only those with excellent vision will be given a bow. The Mages is the third class; very few of you will end up in that one. Unlike the Warriors and Archers, Mages are not made; they are born that way. None of you were born in this world, but that does not matter. If you have it within you, then you'll be able to wield it. The last class are the Healers, a subcategory of the Mages. They can only use Magic to heal others and have no offensive capabilities. Only a handful of you will be chosen for that role, as they are even rarer than the Mages." 

Had we been summoned in an MMORPG? This was legitimately crazy. I was half expecting him to ask us to pick usernames and then tell us to customise our characters. 

Captain Arne pressed onwards as if this was just another Monday to him. I had no idea if it was Monday, but it sure felt like it. 

"Do not worry about classes for the time being," he said, "as that will be apparent after you've learned the basics. That is what we will do today: learn the most basic yet crucial thing for a soldier. Marching in formation." 

Marching? That was it? That sounded like child's play. 

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot," the captain added. "Welcome to the Marionette Legion!"
What a fitting name.

I was beyond exhausted by the time we were back. It turned out that marching in formation was not as easy as initially perceived. 

Not only did we march twenty miles, but they also made us carry stones on our backs. 

At least we got some lovely views as we walked through green fields, thick forests and tall hills. 

"Don't expect to see any monsters; we're still in the safe zone," Captain Arne said, bewildering me even further. 

Was I trapped in a Video Game, somehow? No, that did not make sense, as everything felt too real. Maybe this world just functioned like an MMORPG, then? I had no idea and was too tired to entertain such thoughts. 

Anyway, Yui and I basically dragged ourselves back to our tent. 

"I'm starving..." complained Yui. 

Oh, right, we had done all this on an empty stomach. 

"Guess it's carrot soup again..." I said, grabbing one of the cans on the table. Someone must have brought them while we were out. 

"Oh, come on!" Yui protested. "Flavourless carrot soup isn't going to cut it!" 

"Don't worry, I'll make a formal complaint tomorrow..." I joked. 

"..." 

We sat down, had our depressing dinner and went straight to our beds, dead tired. 

"Night, Marco...," said Yui. 

"Night."

My useless muscles were all cramped, and my bones felt like glass. My entire body was screaming. 

"Hey, Marco, I, uh, need to go to the bathroom..." said Yui, slightly embarrassed. 

"Okay...?" Why was she telling me that? 

"Are you serious?" Yui was now annoyed. "Is that all you have to say?" 

"Yui, I'm too tired to deal with whatever is happening in your head right now..." I replied, perplexed, and shut my eyes. 

"Unbelievable..." she commented. "Hey, don't go to sleep!" 

Was Yui expecting me to offer to walk her to the bathroom as it was dark, and she was probably scared. Maybe Captain Arne had spooked her, as he had mentioned something about monsters. I was sure this camp was in the safe zone, anyway. There was nothing to be afraid of. 

"Ugh, fine! May I walk you to the bathroom, dear Yui?" I asked a fair bit sarcastically. 

"Yes, you may..." replied Yui, with matching irony, smiling with relief, nonetheless. 

If you could call it that, the bathroom was a wooden box on the other side of the camp, so it was like a fifteen-minute walk from our tent. 

"Come on, get up already!" demanded Yui. 

My entire body was in anguish, and I had just gotten in bed, so I was not thrilled to leave it. 

"Fine..." I whined and struggled to stand up. 

"Are you seriously that tired?" she asked, disappointed, watching me slowly drag myself out of bed. 

I can't lie; I looked like I belonged to a nursing home at that moment. 

"Of course I am!" I shot back. "After all the marching we did today, how could I not be tired? You're the weird one here!" 

"I used to cycle every day back home," replied Yui. "Didn't you exercise at all?" 

"Of course, I didn't! I wanted to be a history teacher! Have you seen a fit history teacher?!"
Yui laughed. 

After that, I walked her to the bathroom. Well, I limped to the bathroom while she walked.
I seriously needed to get into shape if I wanted to survive in this world. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I had Captain Arne to ensure that. 

"This camp is in the safe zone, apparently," I said as we returned. "So, there is no reason for you to be scared." 

Yui stopped in her tracks. She looked puzzled. 

"Are you seriously that dense?" she said. "I'm sorry, I had no idea you were an idiot. I promise to always talk slowly to you from now on..." 

"Quit staring at me like that, you're freaking me out..." I replied, slightly scared. "And I'm not an idiot!" 

"I'm not afraid of monsters, you fool..." she said and resumed walking. "I'm afraid of people. There are a thousand strangers here, most of whom are men." 

I pitied everyone summoned from Earth, including myself, so the possibility that some of them might be rotten had not even crossed my mind. Moreover, if someone dared to harass her in any way, it was not like she could call the police for help. That was a luxury of a world we no longer lived in. 

Maybe I was stupid. I needed to up my game and keep my eyes open. 

"Are you coming, or what?" asked Yui. 

"Yeah," I said, hurrying to her.