I woke up with an itchy tingling sensation permeating my skin. The manifolds of my skin were absolutely on fire! Fluttering my eyes open to the brightly shining sun in my face and an ungodly amount of ants running along my skin, I pounced to my feet.

“Shit--fuck!” Flinging the ants from my arm in a desperate attempt to free myself from the shackles of that irritable sensation. This isn’t good enough. My humbleness had long since passed, and the ants had sent me over the edge of complacency.

I had barely slept in the night from bugs crawling over me, to winds jarring my skin into spikey goosebumps. Removing the fiber hatch on my hut, I readjusted my facial expression to satisfy the men working hard this morning.

A blonde-headed man approached me with a bulleted list of things to be done. It was none other than Lincoln. “Sir Tylor, I presume you’ve rested well enough?”

I masked the evident bumps on my right arm as I spoke in a joyful tone to one of my right hands. “Yes, of course. Is there something you wished to discuss with me?” I asked him as we walked up a hill to get a bird’s eye view of the place.

“Yes sir, in fact...well.” He muttered over his words a little, looking away with a docile posture to his physique. “Out with it.” I commanded him.

“Well...the men have made it clear to me that they are entirely grateful to you for what you’ve done, but not all of them share the same passion to stay here and work in these unfathomable conditions.” He said.

“I see. I can understand their perspective after living a life of labor without pay. How many have requested to leave?”

“They said they felt forced to return the favor somehow, but after some time they’ve seem to have grown complacent with this idea. We had thirty-nine men working here on the land, but thirteen are requesting leave. We expect it to be sixteen by the afternoon.” Lincoln said.

“Grant them their wish. I will not force anyone to work for me.”

“Y-Yes sir. I will tell them right away.” Lincoln stretched, and made his descent down the hill to give the news to the laboring men. From my point of view, the men were overjoyed with stapled smiles from Lincoln’s words.

The fifteen or sixteen men left in packs. I was glad they left. The acre had been too crowded and felt like an indomitable cesspool with all of that shit and piss lying around in the area. A few of the men had actually been working on a trail that led to a bathroom they had been working on.

There were so many projects underway that there just wasn’t enough time to build all of the necessities to live. Rubbing my chin, I pondered on what my next move should be. Nothing would come to fruition just by watching the place idly grow. I was confident that Lincoln and Hibe could take over the reigns during my departure.

Then it hit me like lightning crashing down to the earth, or a seismic wave crashing against the shore. The idea was so brilliant that I even gained a stat while brainstorming.

Intelligence +1 - Status

“The status screen held the answer the entire time I suppose.” I muttered to myself, and the status screen would naturally impose itself upon me.

Status:

Character: Tylor Justifix

Title: Nameless ( 10 Fame )

Rank: Citizen of Luthric

Level: 0

Strength: 1

Vitality: 0

Agility: 0

Dexterity: 0

Intelligence: 1

Wisdom: 0

Luck: -1

Skills: ‘Being an Asshole’

The ‘Being an Asshole’ skill was still predominantly the most irritating thing about this whole reincarnation thing, but I was a citizen of Luthric--this was the answer I had been searching for!

Citizens can join the army and serve time as soldiers. This will not only grant me experience, but if I have enough success...I could even begin to infiltrate Luthric from the inside!

Historically, when royal bloodlines fell short, military leaders would take authority of the nation. If traced back far enough, all royalty is somehow connected to some valiant warrior of the past in some kind of form.

Which doesn’t necessarily point to anything on the surface, but a commander of men has more political vying power than a peasant on his humble acre of land.

I had decided, I was going to sign up for the draft in Luthric. This was an intelligence mission to understand this world, and also a stepping stone in my journey to become the almighty ruler of the land.

I made my steady descent down the hill and searched for Hibe or Lincoln. “Hey, have you seen Sir Hibe or Sir Lincoln my good sir?” I asked the muscular man in his thirties who was cutting at a tree with a sharpened stone.

He turned to face me, “Oh--good Sir Tylor! He bowed and then raised his head, “Yes, I saw Hibe gathering water to cook down in the swamps just a bit earlier, he should be back any moment.”

True to his word, Hibe came hiking up the hill with water sludging around in a makeshift pot. He saw me and put the pot down beside the hut. “What is it Tylor? Your eyes seem to be wanting something.” Hibe said.

“I was coming to tell you my farewells. It has come to my attention that I do not yet know much about this world, and to do so I must join the enemies ranks and verify power and experience to myself before endeavoring further. I trust that you will manage things here comfortably upon my return?”

“Th-think about this carefully before you go doing something you’ll regret Tylor!” He put his hands on my shoulders, “We barely managed to slip past the doors, and skimmed with our lives in the arena by sacrificing others! Why can’t we just live the simple life here?!” His voice was unsteady.

“Calm yourself man! You’re making a spectacle! Look-- I know it seems like a dangerous endeavor and it is! But I’m going to need you to trust me! This is for the sake of all of us here. I’m entrusting this estate to you and Lincoln. When I return I will tell you of what’s happened in my journey. So long friend, and may the gods be with you.” I brought him closer and hugged him tightly.

The men had surrounded us and were listening in on the spectacle that was made of the moment. “I will return. That I promise!” I confidently strode out from the pastures of my beginnings and sought out for intel of the world I was now in.

It was time to take things to the next level in my pursuit of glory and gold. The horses were tied down right where I had left them. I untied the one that I had been riding this entire time. He was my obvious favorite, the one I trusted most. “I’ll name you Frank.” Frank was my father’s name. I guess I still had heart strings connected to the past world. It was a strange thing, living in the body of another man in a different world.

Saddled up and stomping across the trailed path to the capital was a mindless task that presented itself to me. I would blankly stare into the horizon as I tarried there. The sun set as I made my way into town. Looking down on a man in uniform from my horse, “Where can I find the military draft? I wish to enlist.”

The man was caught off guard by my enthusiasm. Not many men who owned a horse would ever enlist in an army, but I was the apart of the select few that broke down percentages into smaller ratios.

“It’s just a few meters down that way. You’ll find what you're looking for easily. There is a line of people ready to enlist and a booth of army soldiers signing people up. From what I’ve been told, a campaign is coming up to invade the Western Creed.”

“Thank you for your help good sir. I find your help most admirable.” I said, praising the man. He nodded in agreement. What a smug fellow after all. I smiled, making my way down to the booth.

The booth was like the man had said, but on a bigger and more unprecedented scale than I had imagined. Lines from all four directions coveted the hub of the suburbs, and men were signing people up in ink for the campaign. Everyone had to get their pay and glory somehow. It seemed the Kingdom of Luthric was rather patriotic after all.

I veered my horse off to the side, and wrapped the rope around a pole. I didn’t want my horse just wandering off to wherever it felt like. After all, I had just named him after my father. “Don’t go anywhere now Frank.” I patted his head, rubbing his hair before leaving to get in line.

The line would slowly diminish and build behind me as time passed. Before I had realized it, I was close to the front. The man in a blue and white tunic had a stern looking face, with a red scar lining across his face.

“Well, what’s your name? You’re here to sign up for the draft I presume.” The man said.

“O-oh yes. I’m Tylor Justifix. I’m here to sign up for whatever is available. Thank you.” I said in a polished tone of politeness to the man who was obviously ready to go home.

“Alright, I have you down. You’ll be assigned to the eighth infantry division under the command of General Lancaster. Got that?” He looked up at me.

“Yes, I will remember. When do we ship out, and is there a barracks I’m suppose to stay at?” I asked.

“We leave tomorrow morning. I recommend you find the eighth division camp before the end of nightfall. They should be a bit west of here outside of town. The main army is in formation there.” He gave a good explanation.

“Alright thank you again.” I responded. The man was very helpful. I found my division right outside of the capital like he said. I was surprised I hadn’t saw it coming in, but I guess that was because I was zoned out.

The army camp was full of laughter and talk. It was obvious some were used to this, while others stood around uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. It wasn’t until General Lancaster and his guard came on horseback to give the briefing that people grasped the situation.

“Men of the eighth division, you know very well how I run this line of the army. Live and win, die and lose. That is our motto. For you newcomers, find yourself an officer who will accommodate you into their squad. We leave at dawn--that is all. Dismissed.” General Lancaster said in his full armor as he waddled off on his horse with his guard.

With all loose ends taken care of. It was all just about calming my nerves now. I gave Frank to a horse-tender, along with my last gold pieces. He told me he’d take care of Frank until I got back, so that soothes my soul a bit.

I’m just worried. I’ve faced all sorts of endeavors up until this point, but the human part of me from earth was really speaking to me tonight under the starry sky. “Watch over me dad.” I whispered, clenching my fists.