A loud trumpet blast woke me abruptly.  I rubbed my ears gently, as if that would help.  In front of me, a hologram flickered into being.  Or, since this world was clearly magical in nature, would it be considered a simulacrum?  Wait, wasn't that just a fancy word for an illusion?  Whatever it was, it took the form of Argos.

"All members of the Demon Lord's army, please report to the barracks.  I repeat, please report to the barracks.  That is all."

As quickly as he'd arrived, the illusory Argos disappeared and left me alone once more, groggy and unsure of how to find the barracks.  My mental map appeared to be partially filled in, but only the areas I'd already visited.

My system countered my confusion with a simple, Assign 1 skill point to learn [True North]?

I shook my head.  Unless it was a skill that let me detect a location, not just a cardinal direction, it seemed like a waste.  It was clear to me now that I was just killing time.  Maybe I'd wait a little while longer.  What were the odds that it would actually be mandatory to show up?  Moreover, what were the odds that I'd be punished for forgetting?

A knock at the door would rouse me from my sleepy state.  A voice would call my name out, loudly and sharply, prompting me to open the door.

Argos would be standing there, frowning and reaching for my shirt collar.  He'd grab me and yank me closer.

"Stupid pup."  He'd definitely capitalize on our shared canine backgrounds, even though that never seemed to factor into any of his other interactions with me.  "You know my orders come from Lord Azdarch himself.  To disobey me is to disobey him.  And that is something we cannot abide."

"What are you going to do to me?" I probably won't need to ask.

"We're going to make an example of you, of course."

Argos would drag me down the hallway, which would fill the corridors in on my mental map, and lead me to a courtyard where other Lackeys gathered.

Then he'd whi—

No.  I couldn't tempt fate like that.  My mind was racing way too fast, heading for one of my most awkward fetishes at breakneck speed.  Honestly, I was getting way too carried away.  I shouldn't allow myself to fall into that downward spiral of thoughts.

"Too cowardly to let me hurt you?" he'd say.

That wasn't right either.  I wasn't a coward!  I just didn't have the experience that I wished I did, or the frame of reference to know what I could really expect from these people.  It was absolutely not cowardly to decide to obey the Demon Lord to avoid punishment.  Even if I still kinda wanted that punishment.

"Alright, Matsuo, we're doing this!" I announced to thin air, stretching out and making my way to the door.

Fortunately, the other Lackeys were filtering out of the hallway at the same time, so I was able to fall into step behind them.  I recognized the Hellcat from last night, Metis, who was somehow snacking on some sort of jerky without a care in the world.  There were a few faces I didn't recognize, who must have been sworn in before or after my group.

It wasn't long before we made it outside Azdarch's castle.  Everyone surged towards a building in the distance, just across a small grassy field, and I was able to take a moment to really take in the scenery of the world I'd been reincarnated into.

A warm, gentle breeze ruffled my hair.  The sky was the usual blue, with normal white clouds.  Even the grass was green.  It was all ordinary, but honestly, that was okay.  I don't know why I was expecting something fanciful; it's not like the fantasy I read was even all that outlandish in the first place.

As if mocking my train of thought, I was greeted with the sight of a woman with large mouse ears swinging a battle axe.  When she swung it into a training dummy, I could feel my heart throbbing with a similar impact.  I'm not saying that I'd forgotten entirely about my fealty to Lord Azdarch, of course, but her mannerisms were enough to send my instincts spinning out of control.

"Took ya long enough to show up, recruits!" the Beastman squeaked intensely.  Her long coat, a seemingly unique spin on the typical uniform, flapped in the wind.  "I'm the Demon General Galene.  Ya may have heard of me.  While you're on this training field, ya answer to me and my axe!"

It was as off-putting as it was entrancing.  I couldn't get a grip on my feelings.  Part of me wanted to snap into a salute and simper, "Yes, General!" while the other part was still laughing at how such a tame-seeming Beastman could harbor such intensity.  Was this what they called character growth?

"Line up and let me get a good look at ya!" Galene instructed.

We all hurried to assemble into a single-file line.  I could see Metis a little farther down, while I'd ended up next to the bronze Dragonkin I recognized from yesterday.  Up close, he was all the more intimidating, though something about his stance kept me at ease.  Maybe it was that he also seemed nervous.

Galene must have sensed something about him too, because I'd barely blinked and she was in front of him, sizing him up with a sharp eye.  Now, I could see that some dirty bandages were wrapped around one of her arms, where it seemed she'd sustained some sort of wound.

"I like your look," she said.  "Wanna show me what ya got?"

Slowly, the Dragonkin stepped forward.  "I believe I can arrange a demonstration."

"Ah?  A demonstration?"  There was a crazy glint in Galene's eye.

"Stay still, General," he said gently, reaching a large hand towards her injured arm.

Although she started to jerk back, she allowed him to touch the wound — and a soft glow began to emanate from beneath his palm.  She bit back a surprised squeak, then pulled the bandages off to inspect her unmarred skin.

"Will this suffice?" the Dragonkin asked.

"Son of a bitch..."

"I assure you, my birth was legitimate."  So maybe he had a sense of humor after all.  "Was there anything else you required of me, General?"

Galene scrutinized him carefully.  It was almost comical, given that she was about a foot and a half shorter than he was.  I didn't mean to stare, but suddenly her eyes locked with mine and I couldn't move.  Her aura was suddenly all the more threatening and oppressive.

"What're you looking at?" she asked me.

"N- Nothing, General!"  I snapped to attention, testing the waters of subservience.

She smiled.  "Then look next to ya, recruit."

My head spun obediently to watch the Dragonkin, who regarded me with a casual indifference.

"I think we found our first sparrin' pair," she continued.

We both looked incredulous — him on behalf of being a healer, probably, and myself because I'd never fought a day in my pathetic previous life.  All thoughts drained from me, all traces of perversion gone in the face of the very real threat to my well being.  No matter how unskilled my opponent, I was surely going to get beaten and it was going to be miserable.

Stunning me into relief, Galene's next words were, "C'mon, let's get you two some protective shit and proper weapons.  Everyone else, choose your own partner.  I wanna see the extent of everyone's abilities before we break for lunch."

The "protective shit" was all standard issue clothing, nothing custom or particularly well-fitting.  A spell had been woven into a sharp military uniform — [Durability] — to make it function like armor rather than normal clothes.

We could choose weapons from a long rack where like was grouped with like: axes, swords, daggers and knives, and a few exotic choices.  I definitely saw someone grab what appeared to be brass knuckles.  The Dragonkin grabbed a jeweled staff.  I opted for a sword.

Assign 1 skill point to learn [Weapon Proficiency: Sword]?

I consented without hesitation.  That made three skill points I had left.  It was probably okay to wait.  I mean, I'd only been here for a day.  That was barely enough time to get comfortable in my new skin, let alone make decisions that would shape my qualities forever.  With the skill added to my character sheet, I could suddenly tap into muscle memory to grip it properly.  I might have even looked competent to an outsider!

When I'd been outfitted and equipped, I met my partner and the General on the field.

"Full marks for courage," she told the Dragonkin, surprising both of us with her positivity.  "But even a healer's gotta learn how to fight.  It's good that ya recognize that."

He nodded, shifting his weight from foot to foot and turning the staff over in his hands.  I realized with a start that, according to appearances, I didn't just look competent — I looked like the sort of person who might actually win against tough odds.  We were actually quite similar physically, especially since I'd designed my new body to have a healthy muscle tone.  It was tough to keep my tail from dropping down between my legs.

"And you," Galene said to me.  "Be nice."