Chapter 3 - Grunt

"Listen up grunts, the war is nearly over but that doesn't mean you're all getting out of here without seeing a little blood. Pick up a weapon and get your asses ready to fight!" A man wearing a battle worn set of armour with a small star that identified as a Captain, yelled at the group that Jacob was standing in. He quickly scanned the area he had appeared in, it was a huge war camp at the edge of the dusty, war torn plains that were littered with the corpses of humans, elves, dwarves, trolls and other races. Jacob could see multiple other players appearing around him and gazing around in awe, as Jacob had already experienced this once before he quickly adapted and picked up a medium sized short sword. Although Jacob was a mage, as he had chosen the Plains of War as his starting destination the equipment for mages was not available yet. Mages were seen as the elite force of an army as they had both a high battle strength and had good support abilities. This however didn't mean that any of the other classes were less powerful than the mage as they all had their own strengths and weaknesses however, in war, a mage who could raise the earth and stop the enemy from advancing, was naturally a more strategic asset to have.

Although Jacob had chosen to be mage in the past once he had reached level 10 and unlocked the first class development path he chose to become a battle mage and had learnt how to wield a sword as well as use magic. The sword that Jacob picked up was a bit heavier than what he had become used to and the decrease in his strength made it a little unwieldy, however he was still able to make much better use of it than the other players who were fumbling around trying to lift huge broadswords or axes. After a few minutes most of the players had realised that most of the weapons that they had been trying to use had a high strength requirement and they grumbled and picked up a much smaller weapon they could actually use.

Once everyone had picked up a suitable weapon the Captain returned looking slightly worried. "The troops to the west need reinforcing and we are the closest unit to them. They're currently trapped behind enemy lines as a small group of mages have appeared and forced them into a corner. The enemies we face will be of a higher level, however they won't be expecting an attack from the rear." As the captain explained the situation the look on the NPC's faces became solemn and made it obvious that this was a much harder mission than they expected. "Grunts, to battle!" the Captain yelled and began to lead the march.

The group of low level warriors quickly made their way through the plains and could hear the sounds of battle all around. As they crested a small rise they finally caught sight of the battle that they would be joining. With his experience Jacob was instantly able to make out a group of around 20 mages and a few elite units that were guarding them standing a short distance from the frenzied melee that was taking place. The troops that they were sent to reinforce were trapped between a huge wall of earth and the troops assailing them along with the occasional fireball thrown through the gaps in the enemies front line. "Charge!!" yelled the Captain, and their unit of 1000 soldiers began to run towards the enemy. 'Well there goes the element of surprise,' Jacob thought as the Captain decided to ruin the only advantage they have.

As Jacob charged with the rest of the warriors around him he began to feel excited as the sounds of battle blared all around him. He pushed his way to the front of the unit and aimed towards the group of mages splitting off from the group and going off on his own. 'This should be a decent way to test my current self' he thought as he charged alone towards the mages and elite soldiers.

The Captain swore inwardly as he saw one of the new recruits running off towards a group of enemies that even he, as a level 12 knight was likely unable to defeat. However to the surprise of the captain just as a spearhead was about to pierce through this no name recruit's chest, he swiftly moved to the side and brought his sword down on the arm holding the spear.

Jacob moved through the four elites that had thought they would be more than enough to stop this level one grunt with ease. He did not kill them as any time he wasted on them would allow the mages time to realise that their guards had failed and give them time to cast a spell that could very well insta kill Jacob. The first two mages were turned away from him as he slashed his sword across the back of the first and then stabbed it into chest of the other as he turned to see what was happening.

*ding - Killed two level 7 Mage +140 Exp

*ding - Level up, +1 all stats, +2 stat points

"Hahaha" Jacob laughed as he felt his strength increase as he quickly put both of the stat points he gained into dexterity. He needed to increase his manoeuvrability as this would allow him to evade attacks and make his way past the enemies defences. He quickly turned towards the closest mage to see a fireball being prepared and aimed directly at him.