Bog Standard Isekai-Chapter 2Book 5 -

Brin fought amidst a tremendous army. It didn’t occur to him right away to think about where he was or how long he’d be fighting. He was here, on the fields of war. The ground was blackened and covered in ash, an eerie red light shone through the clouds in the sky.

As for how long he’d been fighting? It was hard to count minutes in the heat of battle, but he was certain it was a very long time.

His opponent lashed out with a three-tailed whip, scoring a new cut along his forearm. He felt [Battle Fury] tick up along with his real anger. He’d only been distracted by thoughts of the bigger picture for an instant, and the creature had managed to wound him.

He struck back with his spear, running through the forms with practiced proficiency. Swipe, stab, down, swing… a whip was the wrong weapon to parry with and he drove the spear into the creature’s gut. It was a black, smoke-covered thing with twin horns–a demon, and the effect of the haze and the smoke pouring from its skin made Brin question if it was even real. But the wounds it gave him were real, and the way it felt when he drove his spear into its body, that felt real too.

He was already swinging his spear into a parry, this time against a new demon with twin axes. It launched into him with berserker fury and he had to retreat quickly to avoid it. He nearly retreated into an execution from a scythe-wielder behind him, but he ducked right in time.

He reflexively pulled on his glass magic, but it didn’t respond to his call. His light and sound refused to answer as well. None of the power that came from his Class came to him, which just left his Titles and Achievements, [Warbound] chief among them.

For a time he lost himself in the ebb and flow of combat. He got a lucky hit against the dual axe-wielder, but two more demons replaced him. A careful sword demon and a giant with a club. Every time he struck down an enemy, more came to replace it until he was beset on all sides.

He took wounds, becoming stronger and stronger until [Battle Fury] maxed out. The demons kept coming and his wounds continued to add up until it felt like he was bleeding from every limb, and he started to feel lethargic and cold.

How long had he been fighting? It felt like so long…

A new figure appeared. At first Brin thought it was another demon because he was hard to make out, but it wasn’t smoke and haze confusing him here. This man was wearing mirrored armor, so perfectly polished that it was hard to see him from the reflection of the devastated landscape around him.

He charged into a thick group of demons, cutting them apart as he sped through. Brin knew that Skill. That was [Knight’s Charge]. Yes, somehow he knew who this was.

The Mirror Knight fought with grace and speed until he’d cleared an open space around him. The demons backed off, watching them warily with eyes like black pits in the void.

He took Brin’s hand and helped him to his feet. Brin hadn’t even realized he’d fallen. Only then did the Mirror Knight raise his visor. Brin recognized him. That was the Glasser’s face. Only now he was different.

He realized what this was. “Oh. I’m in Class selection. This is my soul. Why does it look like this? This is wrong.”

“This is what it is,” the Mirror Knight responded, his eyes full of pity.

“So it’s not real? This is a dream?”

“What does your Skill tell you?” The Mirror Knight asked.

[Know What’s Real] told him that this wasn’t totally real, but it was close. Almost completely real. And his wounds, those were entirely real. If he got hurt here, he’d really bleed. How? Why did his own soul want to hurt him?

“And you!” Brin suddenly felt like he wanted to throw up. “You’re supposed to be the peaceful one, the choice of a normal life. What have I done to you?”

“I made myself into what I needed to be.” The Mirror Knight shut his visor again. The demons were circling again, getting ready to charge.

Brin pointed an accusing finger. “You’re a [Knight]. You’re only useful in war. If I pick you, I can forget about finding a trade or having a family. I’ll move from one battlefield to another for the rest of my life, until someone manages to kill me. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Is this what my life is like?”

The Mirror Knight was undaunted by Brin’s questions and stood tall facing the enemy, spear in one hand, shield in the other. The demons began to creep forward.

“I can have a life outside war. I will be given lands and honors. My voice will have weight and I will be trusted. I will lead my people and I will render judgements, and in this I am most well suited. I understand justice, the way it’s supposed to be, and I will know who is right and who is lying. I have not lost my capacity to use illusions, only my ability to further develop them. I can still watch and learn to see what’s true.

“And as for a family, do you really doubt that I will marry? I have never heard of a [Knight] save that he is married. When I am home I will give my family my full attention, and when I am called to duty? I will not simply be useful in war. I will be great in war.”

The Mirror Knight stepped forward into combat. He moved at just the right time to disrupt their formation and killed too quickly to let them regroup. His spear moved and shifted like it was alive, changing shape easily with [Morphic Weapons]. It snaked around a sword to drive into a demon’s temple, then disappeared into a spray of bullets to push back a gang of knife users. A hulking armored demon swung down to smash the Mirror Knight with a giant hammer, but the glass snapped back into place as a club and shattered the hammer. The Mirror Knight stabbed into the demon’s heart and then a blade formed on the side and he cut his way out.

The Mirror Knight fought with creativity and the excellence that comes from years of practice; every move was perfect, every strike ideal.

The demons kept coming, increasing in number. Brin noticed one towards the back with a staff instead of a bladed weapon. He called out a warning at the same time that the demon cast a spell, shooting a glowing bar of flame.

The Mirror Knight turned and blocked with his shield. The bar of flame reflected off the mirror shield and slammed into a group of demons, incinerating them.

“I lost [Glassbound] and with it, the 50% experience penalty. In its place I have [Mirrored]. It returns to me the gained power while working with glass, and adds defense against magic. My mirror will reflect magic back; the efficacy increases based on how close the magic’s aspect is to light.”

More demons arrived, and the Mirror Knight raised his spear into the air. Twenty copies grew from the ground and joined the fray, and then twenty more. All of them were a perfect mirror sheen, but not all of them were entirely real. The ones that were made of glass cut through the demons nearly as well as the real Mirror Knight. The ones that were illusions danced back and forth, misleading and deceiving the foe.

More demons came. The knights worked together to take down the giants. They locked shields against the archers, and they shrugged off attacks of magic as if it weren’t there. Brin saw casters throw curses of Wyrd, but the Mirror Knight shrugged them off as easily.

“I am the perfect anti-[Mage] and the perfect anti-[Witch]!” the Mirror Knight called. “I have more Dexterity, Vitality, and another three points of Strength per level. I will evolve your [Inspect] to also help you discern truth from lies. As I am a rather abrupt side-grade, I can’t offer any more starting Skills, but who knows what you’ll receive at level forty-five and fifty? It won’t be impossible to get some variant of [Blade Mastery], and then someday [Inexhaustible]. Would you like to wager that I can find a version of [Inexhaustible] that works for Mana as well? I think that’s a bet I’m willing to take!”

For a while, the Mirror Knight drove the horrors back. He fought like a living titan and Brin started to believe that he’d be able to hold back the tide forever. But then cracks appeared. The demons stopped being fooled by the Mirror Images. One of the Mirror Men was broken to pieces, then another.

Brin took up his own spear again and fought alongside the rest, but the demons only kept coming.

They were big and small, with ranged weapons, natural weapons, and melee, but the ones that really scared him were giants that lurked in the back. Leaders, three of them. Each was ten feet tall, but Brin got the feeling their strength wasn’t in their size. The Mirror Knight saw them too, but every time he moved to engage them, the demons would surge and block the path until they lost sight of them…

He wasn’t sure how long he fought, but slowly and surely, the demons whittled him down. The rest of the Mirror Men broke, and the demons started to adjust to fight the Mirror Knight. They stopped using any magic that came close to light and instead threw boulders and other solid things. A spray of acid destroyed his shield.

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They were adapting, because of course they were. Nobody wanted to die, so when you were a famous warrior people studied you and figured out counters, just like these demons were doing. It wouldn’t be during the first battle or the second, but the day would come where he would show up to a battle and every single one of his enemies would know all of his weaknesses.

The Mirror Knight’s magic started to wane, and he fought with his spear as if it were a regular weapon. He excelled against any single enemy, but when forced to fight several at once he was forced to accept damage to his armor. On and on they fought, and the demons stopped taking casualties. They fought smart, rotated their soldiers out to keep them fresh and wore the Mirror Knight down.

He and Brin were back to back when the demons suddenly broke apart to reveal a fire line for one of the giant leaders. It stretched out a smoky, black claw and powerful magic grew inside it and then burst forth. A line of black lightning came streaking towards Brin.

The lightning was headed straight for him, the real him. For a second, time seemed to slow. Could he actually die here? Was there any way to not die when that magic hit him?

The Mirror Knight jumped in front of him, blocking the shot with his body. Brin saw the lightning burn through the armor, got a glimpse of white ribs and dissolving organs before he felt a hand grab his arm.

“This way, sir!”

He turned to see another Brin. The Scout. He tugged Brin’s arm sharply and started running. Brin followed.

With the Scout’s hand on his arm, Brin seemed to share his Skills, and they moved through the demon army like a shadow in the night sky.

Once they’d broken away from the bulk of the numbers, Brin said, “I appreciate the save, but after seeing the [Mirror Knight], [Scout] seems a bit lackluster.”

“I’m not a bad Class,” said the Scout. He was a weather-worn twenty-five year old Brin, but unremarkable compared to some of the Class avatars Brin had known. “I’ll give you Dexterity instead of a bunch of Strength that you don’t need. I have movement Skills that will definitely save your life a hundred times. I have stealth that works against [Rogue]-senses, and I have the ability to sense things other than light and sound. Face it, you mostly only use your illusions for scouting.”

“Ok. Alright. Good points,” said Brin. They were good points, but he wasn’t going to take [Scout].

The Scout probably sensed that he wasn’t convinced. “You won’t take [Mirror Knight] because as awesome as that would be, your Lance doesn’t need another [Knight]. They need something that only you can do. They need someone who can keep them away from danger. That’s me.”

“That’s true. All definitely true,” said Brin.

The Scout frowned. “This way, sir.”

During all the time he’d been fighting on these plains, Brin hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a bunker set on top of a hill. The Scout led him up to it, but behind them the demons had already noticed their escape and were in hot pursuit.

The Scout led him to a partially disguised steel door. They quickly went through and then barred it behind them.

Inside the bunker, there were two dozen more Brin’s of all shapes and sizes. Some stood with swords and axes to guard the door, but most were facing a long horizontal murder hole, shooting arrows and casting magic.

The Scout said, “Here’s the report: Level forty is a different beast than the Class Selections you’ve had before. There are a lot of Classes that you’ve only barely qualified for, but your high levels are making up the difference. These men have been instructed not to speak to you. Point out anyone who catches your eye and I’ll call them over.”

The demons screamed as all the Class avatars poured death through the murder hole. One of them immediately caught Brin’s eye. A [Wyrdic Hunter]. He used a glass bow that seemed to spring as much as any kind of wood and each arrow struck a demon and blasted it into pieces.

“You there,” Brin called out.

“I’ll talk while I shoot,” said the Wyrdic Hunter. “First off, you’re utter crap with bows, but that’s too bad because the bow is the premier ranged weapon in a world of Classes and levels. I have [Bow Mastery] to make up the difference.”

“That’s probably overkill. I’m not that bad,” said Brin.

“Probably, but that’s what you get. The staple Skill of my Class is [Track the Wyrd]. It hunts [Witches] and people who’ve committed gross violations of the Wyrd. I’ll follow the man who murdered his wife to the other side of the world, but I’ll have a hard time tracking rabbits.”

“That’s hardcore,” said Brin.

“Thank you. I am hardcore,” said the Wyrdic Hunter. He looked away from the battle long enough to meet Brin’s eyes and there was a furious elation and just a tinge of insanity. This guy was definitely related to the Witch Hunter.

“Anyone else meet your eye?” asked the Scout?

“There!” Brin said to a Class avatar that was shooting balls of flame.

The Flame Conjuror looked at him and grinned. His face was completely black with soot, making his white teeth stand out more. “Oh me? I’m nothing special. You can already spec into fire with your other magic, I just make it official. Of course, when I get to [Mage] I’ll have direct access to fire as a primary element. Imagine a [Fire Mage] with the Mana Pool of an [Illusionist].”

It was a good choice for another life. Brin didn’t want a “someday” Class. He wanted more power right now. And another caster next to the Flame Conjuror seemed to have just that.

This one fought with laser beams, shooting them out of a wand that looked like it had been made from Brin’s Fire Jelly core. Each of them were stronger than the beams Brin had been making up to this point, and he seemed to have a limitless supply of them, burning through the demons left and right.

“I’m the Laser Master!” he cheered before Brin even called on him. “I lose the ability to use light magic for anything else, and in return I have an extremely powerful weapon, a weapon that only I can use. Out of everyone in the world, the only person who knows how to make lasers is me! Well, me and Marksi.”

“Wait for him to call on you!” the Scout growled.

“It’s tempting,” Brin said.

“I’m just a hop and skip away from [Mage], too. I’ll probably have it before level 45,” said the Laser Master.

It was tempting. Brin already felt split apart between a bunch of different branches. This would push him into a single path. Simple, effective, and socially acceptable. It was doubtlessly something Lumina would approve of.

It was powerful, too. Extremely powerful. With that Class, Brin wouldn’t need to rely on tricks and deception to win. He’d be punching with the weight of a real [Mage]; he could see himself reaching Lumina’s heights. Now that he was watching, he could tell that the Laser Master was killing almost as many demons as all the other ranged avatars combined. But there were signs that the demons were already adapting.

One of them had salvaged the half-melted breastplate of the Mirror Knight and used it to deflect a beam of laserlight. Seeing the successful defense, the demons retreated, giving Brin and his avatars a breather, but he had no doubt that when they returned they would all be carrying mirrored shields.

Brin turned his attention to the melee fighters. [Glassbound Warrior] was there, as was [Wyrdic Trapper], [Assassin] and a few other [Rogue] variants. Many were good classes, but none were better than [Mirror Knight].

One of the avatars didn't fight and didn't even hold a weapon. An edgy-looking Brin in a black trenchcoat stood in the back corner and lifted an eyebrow invitingly when Brin looked his way. That was Thrall, the one who could evolve into a vampire. He didn't need to be told again how overpowered a vampire with illusion powers would be. He also didn't need to be told the drawbacks.

He shuddered and looked away, trying not to dwell on the temptation.

"Thoughts, sir?" asked the Scout.

"I kind of want to talk to the Laser Master again. And can I still choose Mirror Knight?" asked Brin.

"The Mirror Knight was only the first of the big three," said the Scout. "You should meet the others before making a decision."

"Who are the others?"

Before the Scout could answer there was a loud bang, and the iron door to the bunker blasted open. A fireball flew inside and the melee avatars scattered to dodge the explosion. Brin was pleased to see that all of them were exceptionally quick on their feet; he didn't lose a single one to the surprise attacks.

Demons flooded into the bunker at the same time that a flurry of arrows flew back through the murder hole, forcing the ranged avatars to take cover. The avatars rallied quickly and formed a cohesive defense.

One of the melee fighters that Brin had overlooked was the first to take charge. Warmaker was a savage, brutal looking version of Brin in his fifties. He was the oldest of the avatars that he'd seen so far, but wasn't even close to becoming frail. Any time a demon came near him, he instantly put it down with extreme prejudice, using the same morphic weapons that everyone had, but most of his time he spent directing and controlling the flow of combat. Brin felt him use Wyrd Skills to bolster his allies and misdirect the enemies.

It was an entire Class built off [Battle Sense], and it was absurdly tempting. That was the type of Class his people needed. That was the type of Class that won wars. None of the melee avatars used illusions, or even any glass except for the weapons they carried. They were here to showcase the new things they could do, not retread Brin's current abilities. Still, he could imagine what the Warmaker could do even on his own, leading a small army of Mirror Men plus the Lance. This guy wasn't even one of the big three?

The war raged on. The avatars put up a heroic defense, but nothing could last forever. Avatars slipped and fell. Demons got lucky shots. Casters ran out of Mana; sadly the Laser Master’s seemingly limitless Mana pool was the first to run dry. Perhaps if this army weren't endless, or if there was somewhere to escape to, it would be different, but as it was, the avatars fought and died.

The demon leaders could be spotted now and again in the distance, directing the hordes. Once in a while one of them drew close enough to deliver a quick blast of black lightning, and these attacks found their mark more often than not. The Wyrdic Hunter fell to one of those.

Brin fought where he could, but without a Class he was weaker than all of them, and an avatar would inevitably pull him back when he got too close to danger.

One by one, they fell until only Brin, the Scout and the Warmaker were left. The Scout held the door for a long time, but this dream or vision or whatever it was seemed to have an infinite amount of time to spend, and finally he fell, leaving only the Warmaker to guard the gap.

Brin could only use a fallen avatar's shield to block arrows and pray for the Warmaker to hold on just a bit longer, but the man was tiring.

Music started playing in the distance. At first he thought he misheard, but then it came again. An orchestral refrain, repeating over and over.

The sound was growing closer, but still far in the distance. Brin didn't think he'd make it in time.

Warmaker looked relieved. He smiled, showing bloody teeth. His face was crisscrossed with cuts, new gouges slices through old scars. "He sure loves to make an entrance."

"[Bard]?" Brin asked.

"Ha! No," said Warmaker. His derisive laughter sort of sounded like Hogg, and Brin was oddly tempted to take him then and there, but he decided to give a chance to the new approaching Class that the Warmaker was looking to with such respect. "No. This is your choice to keep your current Class and upgrade it to Epic. Let me tell you something; Hogg wasn't lying when he told you that Epic is a whole new world."

The beat dropped. The orchestral refrain repeated again in dubstep beats so loud they made the ash vibrate an inch above the ground.

Lasers fell from the sky, ten of them, burning the demons where they stood. And there, standing in the air in the center of a cloud of floating weapons like the rings on Saturn, was Brin's next Class avatar. The Glassbound Illusionist.

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