(A few hours later) [Earth Kingdom wilderness, South of Omashu]
"Onwards, you deer-dogs! For the Glory of the Fire Nation!"
In these dusty badlands of arid valleys, a battle was being fought over this nameless little hamlet. The noon sun was blistering high in the sky as the black and red uniforms of the charging Fire Nation soldiers contrasted with the green and yellow uniforms of the Earth Kingdom militia. The metallic clash of blades, the constant rumble of rocks being shifted and the roar of flames being launched. A Fire Nation offensive crashing against defending Earth Kingdom forces- a tale that has been repeated over and over again for the last 98 years. Killing each other over a stockpile of grain and water that had more value than the entire hamlet's collection of orange clay houses... or the civilians cowering inside.
The Fire Nation was- without a doubt- waging war of aggression, and I had joined on the side of aggression...
"Khan!" A Fire Nation soldier called out to me- a messenger hawk on his forearm, "The Captain says we wheel towards the northern side of the village!"
... And I loved it.
"I'm on it!" I barked out an acknowledgement before waded through the battlefield like a grown man would a kiddie pool. Standing at 7 feet tall (2.13 m), I towered over everyone else in my faceless red and black armour- even the tallest among the crowd barely reached my chest, and it only made that analogy seem more accurate. I was an armoured giant that struck an intimidating figure on the battlefield, everyone else may as well been children playing at war. Every move I made turned heads, both ally and enemy; and the fear in Earth Kingdom milita's eyes was palpable as I approached.
But to be frank, this had been a mild miscalculation on my part.
Name: Khan "The Giant"
Level: 1
Level exp: 128/250
Rank: Private First Class. 41st Division, Fire Nation Army.
HP: 296/400
Strength: 15 (+3)
Dexterity: 15 (+1)
Constitution: 15 (+2)
Intelligence: 0
Spirit: 15 (+1)
* Finish Combat to acquire Stat Points *
+ R +
I wasn't as strong as I looked, not yet at least. Right now, my size was mostly cosmetic thanks to my unique Gamer physiology: In reality, I was only a few short steps stronger than a nameless Fire Nation soldier mook, more of a trained athlete than anything superhuman. That fact only highlighted that some caution was in order, because I'm certain that my meagre strength wasn't anywhere near sufficient to best a named character in the Avatar series and their metres-thick plot armour. But eventually...
One day soon, I'll grow into my new body, fill it up with enough strength to tear down the heavens and impose my own order on the world.
Until then however, all my great height did was put me at a disadvantage- rocks got launched at me and struck at the very large target that my body posed. My height also seemed to give Fire Nation officers a vast overestimation of my current prowess, going so far as to give me the moniker 'Khan the Giant' despite being fresh off the boat just two hours ago. Worse still, this battle had us outnumbered 3-to-1, and despite Fire Nation soldiers having more rigorous training, that was still some odds when the Captain's only orders were 'charge' while he just stayed back in his command tent on the hill.
Real life military officers can't be that much of a crayon-eating moron, can they?
I've never been even fit enough for the army, but even I knew that level of incompetence must be impossible. This must be the work of the [Conscripted!] perk no doubt- dropping me into the action at the very start. And I had a feeling that if I hadn't built for combat, I would very much be in trouble right about now. But I had built for combat, and now, such an exciting start in life only proved to be an advantage.
My red-armoured fist gripped my chosen weapon tight, and readied to deal violence.
(Common) [Iron Meteor Hammer]
A melee weapon consisting of a solid metal ball suspended at the end of a 6-metres-long chain. The ball is swung around at great speeds to build deadly momentum before sending hurtling towards the enemy. Its reach is unmatched by any other melee weapon, and its chained nature means that it cannot be blocked or parried like a normal blade- essentially forming a massive threat zone that demands respect from its foes. However, the meteor hammer is hampered by its slow attack speed due to the wind up required to gather force for each strike; and requires both high Strength and Dexterity to wield properly.
Weapon Proficiency: Lvl 4 - Novice
At high proficiency levels, the meteor hammer becomes an extremely versatile and unpredictable weapon. The long chain becomes a fearsome weapon in its own right as it is used to bind limbs, trip feet, trap weapons or constrict around necks with ease. Meanwhile, the metal ball can crush straight through rock and armour alike while also permitting powerful strikes at oblique angles of attack that would be nigh impossible with conventional weapons.
+ R +
Those spear-wielding Earth Kingdom clowns didn't see it coming. Literally.
When faced with a large opponent, one's eyes usually lock straight at him, so it was easy to get blindsided by something else. A melon-sized, 12 kg metal ball was surprisingly hard to spot when it approached so fast from angles you don't normally look at. Factor in my meagre Dexterity, and I was just accurate enough to guide my weapon to the more vulnerable points of the human body. Knees were shattered, jaws were broken, and ribs were cracked at my passing through.
[Rock Throw], -13 hp!
[Rock Throw], -8 hp!
HP: 296 -> 275
Some fought back with their weapons and earthbending, of course. Attempting to counterattack in between the relatively slow revolutions that my [Iron Meteor Hammer] took, but that was where my [Firebending] came in as a... deterrent. Nothing quite gives people pause than a blast of flame- stopping them in their tracks at just the right distance for them to take a meteor hammer to the cheek. It was a fighting style that served me well today.
Defeated {Earth Nation Militia Recruit}, +4 exp!
Defeated {Earth Nation Militia Earthbender}, +8 exp!
Defeated {Earth Nation Militia Recruit}, +5 exp!
...
+5 exp... +7 exp... +6 exp... +5 exp... +8 exp... +6 exp... +5 exp... +4 exp...
The nice steady stream of exp arrived as the enemy's untrained peasants were distracted by their broken bones long enough for the Fire Nation soldiers following in the wake of my violence to deal a killing blow. Did I feel bad about killing enemies who were essentially hungry peasants press-ganged into military service? Well, if they didn't want to be killed, then perhaps they shouldn't be such a convenient and easy source of exp.
Meteor Hammer Weapon Proficiency is now Level 5 - Apprentice! New skill unlocked!
[Meteor Hammer: Wind Up] - Take time to focus on building up momentum and empower your meteor hammer's next strike to hit with greater force. As your weapon proficiency increases, Wind Up can be upgraded to either build up momentum quicker or attain a higher maximum power bonus.
A fairly useful skill. It was a nice time all around until I found myself standing in the shadow... that was apparently cast by the half dozen boulders arcing high above the air towards me- each one the size of a washing machine. It would seem that some Earthbender was given time to set up, how unfortunate. I exploded into movement- weaving from underneath each boulder as they smashed into the ground with the force to kill even me. Possibly.
Dodge save successful! (15/7 Dexterity Required)
"Giant! I will be your opponent!" A voice angrily shouted at me as the dust settled and I was revealed to still be alive.
Name: ???
Level: 5~
Rank: Earth Kingdom Lieutenant
HP: ????/????
Strength: ???
Dexterity: ???
Constitution: ???
Intelligence: ???
Spirit: ???
It would seem that an actual enemy of note found me. He certainly had better armour than all the rabble I've encountered. A green lamellar plate, a plumed-helmet and sneer of superiority on his goateed face as he calmly walked towards me. The remaining troops, both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, stopped fighting as they saw their 'leaders' agreeing to settle this with a duel. Both sides of soldiers just looking at the two of us while warily glancing at each other every so often in a sort of soldier's truce.
They were leaving it up to me then? Very well.
"What is your name, o' worthy opponent?" I shouted to the Earth Kingdom Lieutenant as I quietly did my [Wind Up] skill, which consisted of swinging my meteor hammer in a wide circle over my head. With each revolution the metal ball made, I could feel its power grow- straining against my grip and almost creaking the metal chain like a rabid dog rebelling against its owner.
Meanwhile... My opponent just stood and talked.
"Worthy?" the well-armoured Earthbender lieutenant spat, "You- the invader who has come to our lands to prey upon the innocent like locusts- think yourself a noble warrior in search of a worthy opponent? You are nothing more than an arrogant insect who has learned the tongue of man! Well, carve the name of your exterminator to your heart, pest; I am Lieutenant-"
* Critical Hit! *
His head burst like a ripe melon as my meteor hammer impacted against the side of his head- so fast that even I could barely keep track of it too. His shattered and bloody helmet clattered in the distance as the surrounding troops were showered by the explosion of blood and gore.
"You speak too much for someone on a battlefield." I muttered out loud as his headless body limply crumpled to the ground.
Defeated {Earth Kingdom Lieutenant}, +22 exp!
Overkill! (+60%) , Cool One-Liner! (+5%) , Monologue Interruption (-60%): +1 exp!
I get exp for style points too? Very nice. But apparently, interrupting monologues was not stylish. I can respect that. Besides, I can make up the difference easily enough anyway... I turned my attention to the horrified Earth nation troops who were looking like pretty easy exp. "Now it's your turn."
"Wait, I surrender!" The closest man cried out, his eyes wide in fear as he threw down his spear as if it burned him. The sound of his weapon clattering to the ground seemed to trigger the avalanche too as more shouts of surrender rang out in a wave.
"I surrender!" "I surrender!" "I surrender!" "I surrender!"
Seeing their opponents surrendering and on their knees, the Fire Nation soldiers turned to look at me with victorious smiles and added their own shouts of adulation to the battlefield as they raised their weapons high.
"Giant!" "The Firelord's Giant!" "Giant!" "Giant!"
For almost single-handedly bringing about a Fire Nation victory on the battlefield...
{41st Division} Reputation : -10 -> 5
{41st Division} Obedience : 0 -> 10
{Fire Nation} Reputation : -10 -> -8
{Earth Kingdom} Reputation : -10 -> -25
{Earth Kingdom} Infamy: 0 -> 5
This must be how Aang and the gang feel after they've saved the day.
It certainly felt good to be recognised for my accomplishments, and what felt even better was the rewards. Those twin prizes of [Reputation] and [Obedience] will be vital in paving the way for my eventual coming into power and running the world. People can make a lot of valid criticisms about Fire Lord Ozai, but he did have the right mind when it came to style: 'Phoenix King' did sound like a nice title... or not. I'll have to think about it when I eventually take over.
Combat concluded... updating stats.
Name: Khan "The Giant"
Level: 1
Level exp: 467/500
Rank: Private First Class. 41st Division, Fire Nation Army.
HP: 277/400
Strength: 15 -> 20
Dexterity: 15 -> 18
Constitution: 15 -> 18
Intelligence: 0
Spirit: 15 -> 17
+ R +
So very close to a level up... Looks like I was blue-balled in more ways than one.
"Enjoy your victory while it lasts, Fire Nation scum!" One of the newest prisoners of war taunted me while he was still kneeling on the dirt- some grey-bearded old sod who looked vaguely familiar too. "You may have defeated us in battle, but you will never defeat Earth Kingdom's spirit! The Avatar will come and wipe you from our land! He has done so once, he will do so again!"
I think this old man just volunteered to help me level up. How kind of him.
"That's cute of you to think that you're living through this." I grinned at him as I swung my meteor hammer around- building up momentum. "I think I recall who you are now... You're Haru's father, aren't you? The one that Katara and the Avatar freed from the prison rig."
At the mention of both his identity and his previous history, he immediately changed tune.
"Wait, I surrendered!" he cried out.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have run your rebellious mouth." I nodded, "Keep the underworld warm, would you kindly? I'm sure your son will follow in your footsteps soon enough."
The look of horror on the man's face was the last expression he ever made. The metal ball impacted against his chest- collapsing his ribcage and pulping his heart. Give me the exp!
Defeated {Earth Kingdom POW}, +0 exp!
Zero exp?! Game, what the hell?!