by Elliot Burns
The watchmen and soldiers turned their flushed faces toward Jack as he marched toward them. Sweat pooled on their foreheads, and they seemed to flinch every time Sarna moved. At his approach, one of the watchmen turned to him. It was one of his new men.
“Look who comes to join us,” he said. “Lord Sideline.”
That stopped Jack in his tracks. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. He doubted the watchman had meant anything by it; he was just tired, aching and frustrated. Spending hours under Sarna’s never-ending barking would do that to a man. But still, Jack couldn’t allow the watchman to talk to him like that. The question was, how should he handle it?
“Keep your head,” he told the man. “And think about what you say next. I’m doing what I can for you and your families.”
The man muttered something under his breath.
“What was that?” asked Jack.
The watchman stared at him. His face was bright red. “Why’d you bring this bitch here? All she does is drill us. Do it this way, do it that way. She’s never pleased.”
Sarna snapped her gaze on him. Jack needed to cool this down, but he found himself getting angry at the watchman’s attitude.
“If you’re unhappy here then I hear there’s plenty to do up in Icen,” he said, remembering where Feyen had threatened to send Elena. “You can spend your days scratching in the snow and trying not to freeze to death. If you ever talk that way to me or Sarna again, you’ll want to get as far away from here as possible.”
“You don’t have the balls,” said the man.
The watchman had completely lost his cool. Why else would he dare talk to his lord that way? He was lucky that Jack had a calm nature, otherwise…
He found out what the ‘otherwise’ was when Sarna, possessing less of a cool temper, strode forward, and with one curled fist, she smashed him down to the ground. Not content with that, she kicked him in the stomach. The watchman wheezed and clutched his belly, whilst desperately sucking in air. Sarna grabbed his arm and heaved him to his feet. “Go back to your watch,” she told him.
She and Jack moved away from the watchmen. Over in the corner, Mav bit a chunk from a piece of meat and chewed it. A grin spread across his face.
Sarna put her arm around Jack and turned him away from the men. “They only respect you when you swing your steel,” she told him. “Being a calm lord won’t get them to like you; it’ll make them think they can say what they like.”
“Still, maybe that was a little too much,” he answered.
Sarna shrugged. “Take a short break,” she told the men. “Go and hobble around and protect us from bogarts.”
Jack started to walk toward Elena.
“Not you,” said Sarna behind him. “We’re going to have a private lesson.”
Elena and Mav left the glen, heading for the castle. This left Jack, Sarna, and the recruits. He found himself looking forward to spending time with her, even if it was just for training. The feeling quickly left.
Just ten minutes into the one-on-one practice session, Jack found himself on the floor, his lungs aching for air, and with blood staining his lips. Sarna gave him a few seconds to breathe. When he had recovered himself, he spurned her outstretched hand and got to his feet.
“What the hell?” he said.
“I told you, chicken heart, if I’m to train you properly, I won’t hold back. Lord or not, I can’t handle you like a child. In the battlefield, do you think any of your enemies will give a gnat’s balls whether you’re a lord or not?”
“You’ve made your point.”
“Now that you're suitably beaten, let’s move on to the lesson.”
“That wasn’t it?” he said.
“Pick up your sword.”
He picked up a wooden short sword and adjusted his grip. He’d gotten used to using a dagger, so the larger weapon felt cumbersome.
“Time for you to prove yourself to me. And by extension, to your men,” said Sarna.
“What’s with the wooden swords? Why not use the alchemical stuff Mav uses?”
“The one that stops the weapon actually hitting you, you mean? Where’s the fun in that? Stop being such a rabbit-balled yellow-liver,” said Sarna.
“Mav says it means you can practice with real steel. It helps you prepare for battle.”
“If you can’t swing a wooden blade, you sure as hell can’t use a steel one. Your lesson today is simple; just hit me.”
They began a light sparring. Jack could tell that Sarna was holding back from him, that she was moving just a little bit slower than she usually would. Jack used his steel baroque powers, and succeeded in avoid several attacks by twisting away in smoke form. As much as he avoided her, it was useless. She just never stopped coming. It was as if she never tired, and never quit.
He tried to remember what Mav had shown him about steel baroque. It was a dagger fighting style and not suited for swords, yet his only other mode of combat was to hack blindly at his target. At least with baroque, he would show a little grace.
It took Sarna just two twists of her body and one strike with her sword, before Jack found his hopes dashed. His shin ached from where she’d struck him.
“You’re too fast,” he said.
“Don’t try a fancy style yet. Just focus on knocking down the bastard in front of you. Keep it simple.”
For the next twenty minutes, Sarna taught him better ways to parry and make counter strokes. He found himself improving. After each instruction, she invited him to try and hit her, and on one occasion he came close. Sarna rewarded him by dodging out of the way at the last second and then punching his groin. Jack doubled over in pain. He was discovering that no matter how much he levelled his skills, experience on the battlefield gave someone the upper hand.
“There’s a move that will always serve you well,” she said. “A swift punch in the balls.”
He was in no mood to appreciate her advice. Nor was it new to him; any man who had been to school knew that the groin punch was a sure way to end a fight.
“Perhaps we’ll take a short break and let your tender areas get less…tender. You fight well, you know. It took me years to get this good, but I’d never be able to do that smoke-stuff that you used to avoid me.”
“I guess I’m better than I was than I was when I first arrived. Where I’m from, it’s not really important to learn to fight.”
“Then you must come from a peaceful place indeed,” said Sarna. “You’re improving, I can tell you that much. I can tell you have the famed Halberd aptitude that I’ve heard so much about. Something isn’t quite clicking.”
“If it's clicking, then it’s doing it quietly. And pretty damn slowly.”
“You’ll get there. You definitely have the potential. It’s just a matter of beating the shit out of you until we find it.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Now,” said Sarna, “let’s move on to command. There’s plenty I can show you about lighting a fire up your soldier’s arses. It’s not just about how you fight, but how you inspire others to fight.”
After this, their one-on-one fighting was done. Instead, Sarna taught him the basics of command. Weeks ago, he’d tried to learn some of the rudimentary command tactics and methods by reading a book, but it hadn’t sunk in. Seeing Sarna in action made everything seem so much clearer. He learned how to act, what to say, and how to motivate and organize men.
As the daylight left them and Jack felt so tired he could have dropped asleep on the spot, a welcome wisp of smoke-text appeared in front of him.
Skill learned: Command – Level 0
[You have learned the basics of military command. You still have a way to go, but with practice, you will learn powers that help those around you be victorious in battle.]
He couldn’t help the feeling is exhilaration when the command skill committed itself to his character sheet. Originally, when he’d first got to Royaume, there had been slots for four skills, and they had all been empty. Now, the
y were filled. He had truespeech, mind manipulation, steel baroque, and command. Everything was starting to come together. With that good news, he felt the tiredness leave him.
“Ready to call it a day, Jack?” said Sarna.
He looked at the darkening sky, and he shook his head. “I’m only just getting started,” he said.
He practiced with renewed vigor. He listened to everything Sarna said, absorbing everything she had to teach him. He guessed that since he was a player in the game, he had an intuitive ability to learn skills quicker than should have been possible. Nevertheless, he started to feel that he was truly beginning to understand what it meant to lead. Then, hours later when the sky was pitched black, he was finally greeted by more smoke-text.
Command skill levelled up to level 1!
Power Gained: Rally
[In battle, your rallying cry can boost the hitpoints, attack and defence of nearby units. One use per battle.]
With that done, he sat on the ground. Finally, his energy was gone, but at least he could go to sleep knowing that he’d made progress. Somehow, just knowing that made him feel better prepared to deal with Feyen and face Henry Veik. There was a way to do it, and he would find it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
In the two days that followed his training session with Sarna, he experienced a weariness that he hadn’t believed was possible. When he wasn’t being instructed in combat, which amounted to being beaten to a pulp by Sarna, he was hunting animals with Mav in the fields and the forest, or he was in his building room with his mind shield activated, doing his best to spend his flek wisely.
It turned out that Jack’s recent exploits, both with the attack in the Golden Troop and with his own personal skill growth, had increased his prestige. His population count shot to 95, bringing in some new faces:
Population increased to 95!
New arrivals:
Farmers – 13
Unoccupied – 2
Soldiers - 6
Tavern Owner and family – 3
Tinker - 1
More soldiers were always welcome, and the new tinker who had recently settled here would be able to build bombs, as well as fix odds and ends around the village. He was a good addition to what was becoming a diverse population. Jack checked his total population to see where he was at:
Population: 95
Farmers – 55
Unoccupied – 16
Watchmen – 3
Man at arms – 1
Weaponmaster – 1
Soldier – 11
Armorer – 1
Hunters – 3
Tavern owner and family – 3
Tinker - 1
He had eleven soldiers as well as a scattering of other people who could fight, such as hunters and a man at arms. Even so, this was hardly an army, and he needed to boost what he had. He spent flek creating five extra soldiers.
375 flek lost!
5 soldiers created! [total: 16]
Next, he had to deal with the news that a new tavern owner had moved into his lands. The issue here was that there was already a tavern in the peasant village. Opening a new one would bring more competition, and perhaps put the Sickle Inn out of business. He had to be careful about what he did, since his population morale was at stake.
He accessed his building menu and scanned through the listing of buildings until he found taverns. As he focused on the picture of a tavern in the list, a description popped up:
Tavern: A place for your population to get drunk, talk about their wives, and release their daily burdens.
Effects: Taverns placed in close proximity can have different effects, good and bad. Experimentation is the key!
Screw it, he thought. He wanted to build his kingdom as much as possible, and another tavern was a step forward. To his mind, the more pubs, inns and taverns a place had, the bigger it seemed. He built a tavern and then placed it on his map, a short way away from the Sickle Inn in the peasant village.
200 flek lost! [Total: 104]
Tavern created! Name: The Stuck Pig
[There is already a tavern owner and his family on your lands, so he will become the owner of the Stuck Pig]
Effects: The people are happy! An extra tavern means more competition, and this means that prices are driven down! Cheaper beer = happier people.
+8 population morale
Score! Finally, his last order of business in his building room was to check his inventory. His armorer had sent a written note to the castle to explain that he was enjoying life so much in Jack’s lands, that he’d sent him a present. Sat in his Emperium chair, Jack checked his inventory.
Item received: Wolf Chest Armor
[Armor made from wolf fur]
+15 Def
Item Received: Item received: Wolf Sleeves
[Arm Armor made from wolf fur]
+5 Def
Item received: Wolf trousers
[Leg Armor made from wolf fur]
+5 Def
Jack had been meaning to buy some armor, but he’d been reluctant to spend flek on personal items when he had a whole kingdom to grow. Now, it didn’t matter. Wolf armor was hardly a metal suit of armor, but any extra defence was worth it. Not to mention that the armorer had done such a good job making it that it looked comfortable and light. He removed the armorer from his inventory and changed into it.
Defence increased to 35!
With his kingdom matters dealt with, he needed to focus on himself. He needed to get stronger, but he also needed a little time away from Sarna. For that reason, he grabbed Mav and left the castle with him. They walked over to the forest.
When he and Mav went into the forest to hunt and level up, Jack felt a lot more comfortable than he had earlier. The sudden emergence of dozens of glowing sets of eyes didn’t worry him anymore, and he found that his chain slice skill, coupled with smoke twist, and added to his much-improved beast of a dagger, let him dispatch groups of wolves in no time. It seemed that no sooner did they growl and circle round him, then Jack twisted and turned, leaving trails of smoke vapor behind him, before hitting one with a perfectly-timed chain slice. Then, the fire damage from his dagger would engulf the wolves’ fur, and they would howl in pain and drop dead.
After two days of non-stop levelling, Jack reached level twelve. Although no physical changes happened to his body, he felt different; he felt bigger, tougher, more agile. He loaded his boost points from levelling into speed and attack.
After doing this, he couldn’t help feeling a certain pride when he checked his character screen.
Name: Jack Halberd
Level: 12
EXP toward next level: 11%
Hitpoints: 788 / 788
Stamina: 650 / 650
Mana: 674 / 674
Attack: 24 [61 with dagger]
Defence: 35
Speed: 38
Skills
Skill 1 – Truespeech – Level 2
Trueword: Modus
Trueword: Verso
Skill 2 – Mind Manipulation – Level 2
Power: Mind Shield
Power: Mind Lance
Skill 3 – Steel Baroque – Level 2
Power: Smoke twist
Power: Armor break
Skill 4 – Command – Level 1
Power: Rally
Weapon Proficiencies
Dagger – Level 2
Attack: Force strike
Attack: Chain slice
Despite everything he’d achieved and everything he had improved so far, he couldn’t help but think about how Sarna had beaten him in their one-on-one training session. Sure, she had been a soldier for years, so it made sense that she’d have experience that would help her win. He couldn’t help but feel that he needed something, anything, to prove to himself that he was getting better. If he could do that, then he thought he would have the confidence to take on Henry Veik someday.
Trying to distract himself, he started talking to Mav. “Listen, Mav. I’ve been thinking. Ma
ybe it’s time you properly told Sarna and Elena about your curse. And the teyroot.”
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
“I’m not saying we’ll tell everyone in the kingdom, but the four of us are the ones who make decisions around here. We need to be talking from the same page.”
“I get what you’re saying, Jack, but I can’t, okay? I’m not a sharer.”
That was the end of that, and the two of them got back to what they were doing. It was later on in day, after Jack had achieved level twelve. Mav was busy collecting pelts from the wolves to add to Jack’s inventory, when they heard a sound. They’d become used to the stealthy patter of the wolves’ paws now, and this sound was too loud to be a wolf.
Jack gripped his dagger and turned in every direction, trying to locate the source of it. Soon, he heard a giant crash behind him. He turned to see a humungous beast just twenty feet from him. This was a beast he knew very well; after all, it had killed him once already. It was the bear.