The Art of Four - Dungeons and Dragoons Book 1

The man at the podium cleared his throat and began addressing the crowd in a loud, commanding voice. "Alright, listen up! Here’s how the recruiting process will go." He gestured toward a series of tables set up in front of the recruiters. "Everyone will line up in front of one of the recruiters seated behind these tables."

As he spoke, a few men moved quickly, staging curtains around the recruiters’ tables, making them look like small, private tents. The man continued, his voice booming, "These curtains are for your privacy. We won’t disclose your abilities or titles to anyone, even if you don’t make the cut."

A murmur of relief spread through the crowd. Kaiden could feel the tension around him easing, as the recruits seemed to appreciate the discretion. It made sense—military secrets and all that. Privacy probably helps with the nerves, Kaiden thought, glancing at a few of the more nervous recruits around him.

The man barked a few more instructions, explaining that after the final round, the recruiters would gather to deliberate and make their decisions. Kaiden listened intently, not wanting to miss any important details. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. His mind was buzzing with excitement and apprehension in equal measure.

"Form up!" the man shouted, snapping everyone into motion.

People began shuffling into lines in front of the recruiter tents, some with more confidence than others. Kaiden scanned the area and made sure to steer clear of the mud-covered man he had accidentally locked eyes with earlier. He noticed the same guy—still coated in filth—lining up all the way on the far right.

Good, Kaiden thought, breathing a little easier. He found a spot in the far-left line, making sure to stay as far away as possible. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for his turn.

It was finally Kaiden’s turn. He was the last one left, and his nerves were starting to get the best of him as he stepped into the small tent. Seated at the desk was a grizzled man, his face lined with the exhaustion of having dealt with countless recruits. His thinning gray hair was slicked back, and a scar ran across his left cheek, giving him an air of someone who had seen more than his fair share of battles. The man’s expression soured the moment Kaiden entered.

"Oh, great. I get you," the recruiter scoffed, leaning back in his chair.

Kaiden hesitated, unsure if he was supposed to respond or stay silent. The recruiter’s tone confused him at first until he realized—it was probably the fact that Kaiden stood there half-naked in nothing but his underpants. Yeah, that would explain it.

Feeling awkward, Kaiden muttered, "Yes?" but it came out more like a question than an answer.

"Just sit down," the recruiter said curtly, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries.

Kaiden quickly took the empty seat across from the desk.

"Name?" the recruiter asked, already scribbling something on his papers.

Kaiden hesitated, wondering for a second if he should give a fake name, or maybe just his first name. Was there a need for a fake name anyway? Was he overthinking this? He glanced up to see the recruiter glaring at him.

"You don’t know your own name?" the man snapped, his patience visibly thinning.

"Kaiden," he blurted out, deciding it was better to just say something rather than nothing.

"And?" the recruiter pressed.

Oh, they use last names here, Kaiden realized, but his momentary pause seemed to frustrate the man even more.

The recruiter slapped his hand down on the desk. "Just show me your damn status page. I gotta see it for your abilities anyway."

Kaiden blinked in confusion. "My status page?"

"Yes, dammit, your status!" the recruiter barked, rubbing his temples.

"Status…" Kaiden mumbled, his eyes widening as a screen suddenly materialized in front of him. Holy shit, it’s just like a game, he thought.

"Make it visible, dammit!" the recruiter grumbled, clearly tired of this interaction.

"Right… I can make it visible," Kaiden echoed, trying to will the screen into visibility, and to his surprise, it actually worked.

"Great, you’re a smart ass too," the recruiter muttered under his breath. He grumbled something about "getting stuck with the dungeon divers," which left Kaiden even more confused. Before Kaiden could ask anything, the recruiter reached out and grabbed at the screen, swiping it toward himself as if it were a tablet. He studied it for a few moments, taking notes on a piece of paper.

Then something shifted. The recruiter paused for a few seconds, his expression softening ever so slightly as he glanced over the screen again. He handed it back to Kaiden with a completely different attitude.

"Well, Recruit Kaiden," the man began, "I see you’ve got some interesting skills. Regeneration is an A-ranked ability, which would normally get you a spot on the Army side… but we’ve only got five slots left today, so we have to be stricter with our criteria. Anything S-rank would guarantee you a spot."

"I see," Kaiden replied, still unsure of where this was headed. He felt a strong urge to study his status page right then and there, but he knew it would come off as both rude and suspicious for someone in his position not to already know what it said. Giving a quick mental command, he dismissed the screen, watching it vanish as if it had never been there. He’d take his time to review it later, when he wasn’t under scrutiny.

The recruiter continued, "Your Mindforge ability is C-rank, and Arcane Vision... well, that’s D-rank. Neither of those really boost your chances for the army. The competition is fierce."

Kaiden wasn’t particularly surprised by Mindforge being ranked C. He knew a skill like that might not seem all that important to the military compared to flashy abilities like Fireball or Windblade. But Arcane Vision? That puzzled him. The skill didn’t seem that useful yet, but there had to be a reason Oros had given him that ability. He didn't think a god would give him a useless ability. He just hadn’t figured it out yet.

The recruiter sighed, placing his papers aside. "If I had more army slots, maybe this conversation would be different. But we could wait out the rest of the week. With four more days, there’s a chance you might get a slot.”

Before Kaiden could stop himself, he blurted out, "Why is there so much competition for the army, anyway?"

The recruiter chuckled, shaking his head. "C’mon, kid. Free food, money, room, and board for a few years. And since we aren’t actively at war, your safety’s pretty much guaranteed. What kind of stupid question is that?"

Kaiden blinked, not realizing this was common knowledge in this world. "I, uh... right."

"Our ranks have been bolstered for years now," the sergeant added, leaning back in his chair, "so we've kept our recruitment numbers down."

Well, that makes sense now, Kaiden thought, seeing how dumb his question must have come across.

“However, there’s always the Dungeoneer Corps, though…" the military man trailed off, leaving the option hanging in the air.

Kaiden exhaled slowly as it clicked—the Dungeoneer Corps must be the dungeon divers. He whispered the term under his breath, and the recruiter nodded, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"That's right," he said. "The Dungeoneer Corps might be rough for some, but with your Regeneration ability, you could really make a name for yourself."

Kaiden eyed the man, intrigued but careful not to show too much eagerness. He wanted to pry some more information out of him. "I don’t know a whole lot about dungeon diving, but you know... people talk."

In truth, Kaiden had no idea what people thought about dungeons, but he tried to play aloof, hoping to gather some intel.

"People love to talk about things they don’t understand," the recruiter said with a chuckle. "Dungeons are the best place to rank up abilities, gain experience, and learn valuable skills. Play your cards right, and you can rise through the ranks and build a great career."

"Career?" Kaiden asked, taken aback. He wasn’t trying to make a career out of anything. This was supposed to be a stepping stone, not his whole life.

The recruiter, picking up on Kaiden’s hesitation, dialed it back with a smooth shift in tone. "Of course, we also offer Dungeoneers the shortest contracts because their contributions are so valuable."

"Short contract?" Kaiden repeated, perking up a little. Now that sounded better. "How long are we talking?"

"Three years," the recruiter said, "or even less, depending on your dungeon findings."

Kaiden liked the sound of that even more. He could commit to something short term, get what he needed, and move on. But he couldn’t help himself from digging a little more. "Is there really a lot of treasure down there? And do we get a piece of that?"

The recruiter grinned wider. "Yes, and yes."

Now Kaiden was feeling pretty good about the idea. "Okay," he said confidently. "I’m in."

"Wise choice," the recruiter replied. Then, leaning back in his chair, he added, "Now, before you head out, I can offer you something to help you in dungeon diving. Can't give it for free, though. But let’s just say you’ll owe me a favor."

The nonchalance with which he said it made Kaiden pause for a second, but he wasn’t too concerned. "Sure," Kaiden said with a shrug.

"Perfect," the recruiter said, handing Kaiden a small coin. "Once you get to Camp Thorne, where the new Dungeoneers start, give this to Quartermaster Rendall. He’ll take care of you."

Kaiden took the coin, examining it briefly before pocketing it. "Okay," he said, not taking the favor at face value, but for now, he was happy to accept any help he could get.

Suddenly, a notice flashed in front of Kaiden’s vision:

You owe a favor to Varren Hales.

It caught him completely off guard. "Varren Hales?" he whispered, barely aware he’d said it out loud.

"Hey, that’s Master Sergeant Hales to you," the recruiter said with a playful smirk. "And don’t go tellin’ people about this. Don’t want anyone cryin’ favoritism or shit like that."

Kaiden nodded slowly, still processing the strange notification. This damn thing tracks favors? He’d assumed Hales’ offer was just a casual remark, like when someone back on Earth says, I owe you one after someone does something nice for you. But now he actually owed him one—officially. What if I decide not to help? Is there a statute of limitations on this? Kaiden’s mind raced with the implications, and then another thought hit him. Wait, did he say Master Sergeant? He didn’t know much about military ranks, but that had to be pretty high. So why was Hales here doing grunt recruiting work?

Before Kaiden could make sense of it all, Hales laughed, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. "Don’t worry about the favor, kid. Just stay alive, and we’ll talk about it if I see you again. I’m retiring in a few years anyway."

"Okay, then," Kaiden muttered, still bewildered.

Master Sergeant Hales cleared his throat, shifting back to business. "Alright, now it’s time to sign the contract. Your service will start today and run three years from now."

He handed Kaiden a quill, which Kaiden fumbled with awkwardly. He’d never used a quill before, and it was nothing like signing documents on Earth. After a few clumsy scratches, he managed to sign his name. As soon as he finished, another notification flashed in his mind:

You have joined the Jadari Army.

Jadari? Kaiden echoed silently to himself. That must be the name of this country. Damn, I really don’t know anything.

Hales grunted and shook his head, a pleased smirk tugging at his lips. "Good. Now, get the fuck outta my tent."

"Ah, yes, sergeant," Kaiden stammered, unsure if that was the proper response, but he wasn’t about to stick around and find out. He gave a quick nod before stepping out, eager to make his exit.

As soon as he was outside, Kaiden hurried away from the tent, the rush of fresh air hitting his face. He glanced around to make sure no one was paying him too much attention and, finally, he mentally brought up his status screen. Time to see what I’m working with.