My first thought on waking, was that I was happy. Not so much because I was living the life of a king (although I wasn't complaining about that), but because I had a reason for living: a mission. It was such a different feeling, having a purpose in life, to waiting around for the COVID restrictions to end. While Greyland was starting in a very difficult situation, I believed I could turn it around.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVtw38KvKD
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMucjIsdkrc
For a start, I had to ramp up iron production and correct my earlier mistake. As my first action, I assigned the realm's three iron ingots to the Smithy for more steel pickaxes.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcXBWVyFWA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBiaOmESAL
Crucial to my success in this world would be my personal character progression. With some anxiety I called up my character sheet to see if I'd managed to improve it by my efforts of the previous day.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzGHy8PIkA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Mnwc7yjkp
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn27GeEb9uN
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6aK0HcsJD
Str 7571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxdQl1oKxA
Dex 4571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdwTBCEZvM
Con 8571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO1b9htN2R
Int 16571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqOTCtV9ez
Wis 16571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQpAagFBIZ
Cha 4571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODH8h45sd5
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUjuUjFqNn
Please choose a character archetype:571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltPP2r4omR
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmVU6BhNx1
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IXL1oEwhY
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXU7ebqNaeU
Of course, neither my Strength of Constitution had shifted. I sighed to myself. How many more days of exercise would it take to test whether those stats would rise? Should I give it a week and then give in and choose a Wizard or Healer path? The people who had summoned me here wanted a battlefield leader and my own desire led me to want to be a martial class of some sort. But it would be idiotic to aim for that if I was stuck with these stats.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEvPWruY8s
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Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK4jwy10aW
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpLHvlUUbZ
Stats could be worked on. A glow of pleasure rushed through me. Okay, so it wasn't a Fighter stat that had moved, but really, after one day, even if I had focused on Strength, I could hardly have expected to see progress. I had a hunch that the reason I'd seen Charisma move was that it was a lot easier to raise a 3 to a 4 than a 7 to an 8.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgI1CXKrLe
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOc1ulnSG9i
Following that last thought, I had to admit to myself that it might take months to move Strength to something useful in battle, but even so I decided to take the risk and commit to Fighter. It was time to get going. I missed being the most bad-ass warrior in Storm Wars and couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to be on top of the game be like in a world where it really mattered? Still, it was pointless, counterproductive even, to daydream. There was a mountain to climb. And I hadn't even taken one step yet towards the summit.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDMbxjXUuj
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmboO9uUCeb
I selected Fighter and got a message:571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3azSrGdRTk
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVn09Ws2LX
Welcome Sean de Courcy, to the path of the Fighter. You have chosen to stand toe to toe with your foes, dealing blows to them and evading their own attempts to harm you. It is a path for the brave and for the resolute. If you are fortunate and progress, in due course you will unlock specialisations within the Fighter class.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYprmiEltvJ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfp4KD2q41
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBqRJaGMbs
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeZzqRmkDy
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn59RkTeZQV
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj6Ubb4DAk
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8CVmlaCFI
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasZURfkWmT
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdObJMwVaMb
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZoX3G6Awd
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8pBn2s75b
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aU1eJx0Ke
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0obHVFCaGt
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTzVK8F62B
Quite a lot to think about there. And I had to make my choice right away, as the screen couldn't be flicked away in the usual fashion. Generally, I preferred a min-max approach to RPG gaming. It was usually better to be really good at one skill and adapt your strategy to that skill than to have no particular specialism and be somewhat competent at everything. Ideally, I would have had a taste of fighting before make my choice, so as to get a feel for what would be the best skill to invest in. Here, though, there was going to be a lot of guesswork.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T20J2GRT5
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5LFHtRCT3
On the assumption I'd have the support of the high level people who had summoned me, I decided I should focus on attack rather than defence. Back in Storm Wars defence was crucial but here, at the low levels at least, I felt it best to try to rack up experience fast through killing mobs. Lunge appealed most, surely an extra attack and a bit more range on an attack was going to prove useful? When I tried to put my ten points into the skill, however, I got a message.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFFJfKxihQ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIC0MGNDJ9
Skills are capped at Level x 5571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vmCCcQbUL
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcsKlFRLlF
Adding 5 points to Lunge worked. So for my other choice? Was I going to use a shield? Probably but not necessarily. I didn't know what weapons were going to be available to me here. Parry then. While Quick draw had its appeal, it was very situational. Whereas pretty much every fight I was in would involve the opportunity to parry.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSusY858Tlr
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3OKoaYPGc
My character sheet now had my class and skills, also, an EXP bar, showing that I needed 100 to get to Level 2 and HP. I had hit points! Not many though. And an armour class that at 0 probably reflected the fact that I had no armour on at all. Even if I did, that poor Dexterity score probably carried a penalty.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwnBqB1LIw
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVpIm99fc0
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5WDl7ErCV
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuR5EDptuRY
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWERXKsA3Ci
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzT7lSTHp4
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JnCZ9abk9
Str 7571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7suBGn3Ajg
Dex 4571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3YYwZYMyV
Con 8571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CoYCZ0ZYc
Int 16571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ChsmdTevf
Wis 16571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4sJNrWYkZ
Cha 4571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYQZu2dOi9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9OHBcaivC
Lunge 5571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4ufEeDewH
Parry 5571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhyfnGLmWZ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1msAJuAXki
Exp 5/100571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJidoVC8Wfe
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdotT41Feaz
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwSdPPRqkW
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdi2udBIpYk
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6BPDbIOWL
If it wasn't for my heavy body, I'd have leapt out of bed with a spring in my step and an eager desire to get going. As it was, I had to lever myself up and then struggle with every single garment before managing to get dressed. It didn't help that I ached all over from yesterday's marching around the barracks square. At last, I was presentable and down I went to breakfast.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Q9LHum818
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfF8TQuiql
Today, the castle servants were ready for me and along with a glass of apple juice was a bowl with more apples and a plate with two poached eggs. I felt desperately hungry and was tempted, when a new servant tentatively approached, to ask for more. But I had to get down to a size where armour could fit me and a horse could carry me. So I had to diet. End of. Back home, I had sometimes tried to cut out unhealthy snacks, and managed for a while, before invariably returning to them and sometimes bingeing while hooked up to Storm Wars. Here, I felt differently. Here, getting the king's body into shape was just as important as levelling up and sorting out Greyland's food supply. There was no 'Will I? Won't I?' discussion to be had with myself. It had to be done.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcp3vM2Rue
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO7XCEcQP1
After breakfast, I left the keep and walked slowly in the direction of the barracks. The citizens of the town hurried away from me or redoubled their efforts if they were working. For the first time, I noticed that stored away in the shadowy corner of a large cobbled square was a gibbet and a chopping block. Had my predecessor really executed people by hanging and beheadings? It was not a question I could ask anyone except one of the three who had been there at the summoning.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf4yNIQamN
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvExS5atyTZ
The soldiers were already drilling when I got to the barracks and I was pleased to see archers firing at straw scarecrows. Thirteen, fourteen… yet fifteen. Those were my new recruits. It might have been a dumb move using up all my iron before the steel pickaxes were completed but I was glad to see the archers all the same.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKqRl0tdlA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jPrPMGysP
Carradock was there, marching some foot soldiers back and forth. He passed the duty to one of the men and came over at a brisk walk on seeing me.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD9FokPDco
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHlKtRZGD0
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdC47OmEXlc
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST21VDY24S
'Stiff, but yes.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnA24lfM3u
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oI8ymxZhf
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp94rVqbEhz
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz81lQmMJOM
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTtfrfgXZV
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbiUDdjx6V
He looked at me expectantly.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5PqMhHMgS
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOXgBVUQxb
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfnYSBai4H
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aORqCBb8v
Surprise, then caution crossed the trainer's face. 'Not I sire. Skills like what you're talking about are special. You need to talk to someone like Lord Arval.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2bljqkRQS
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohToE37NuY
'Good idea. Send someone to fetch him will you.' As was my nature, I almost added 'please', but no doubt that would be taking my change in character too far.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMERtCdq2m
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDGojb3xwJ
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToZacCy3Qh
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZImgaeIfs
'Two questions.' I already felt the need to be economical with my breath. 'Active skills like Lunge, how do I use them? And what's the quickest way for me to level up? Got some giant bats I can kill?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkr1LkVKOL
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oCvkGEJLz
'Skills? You'll see them as selectable icons when the right conditions are met. I mean when timers are ready; or the right weapon is in hand; or you've moved yourself into the right position. Skills are very experiential. You get to discover them and advance them mostly by practice.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRk5uNEWuB
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyv75yRO4a
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItZgIUNaVi
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWuaB8nNaO
Lord Arval kept pace effortlessly. 'For levelling up, I think quests. Without access to the menus I can't be exact, but I felt that just by performing chores for the townspeople I became significantly stronger. Perhaps reaching level three or four.' He gave me a sharp look. 'It helps with your reputation with them too.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbT7P8jJkV
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAyOyPXziN
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPRWbi6HzA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ067WuIrQQB
First checking no one was close enough to overhear us, Lord Arval leaned closer and dropped his voice. 'I'd never disagree with a command of yours, but I was intending to take the new archers down to Three-Ways Fort and check on our defences. I could ask Carlena to show you the easiest town quests?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbDldvjsrT
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIObzo8Ll8d
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXBlIqq1Y2
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtRAnmapAu
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3e7hdf4Ll
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNmPTS7T2V
The laps today were a little easier and even a soft rain didn't deter me. Walking was good for studying the menus too and I drilled down into the kingdom's various options, reading up on descriptions of buildings and balancing their various benefits against the immediate need to solve our food problem and be able to resist an attack if Southway and Trolland continued their alliance.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RsUFHiUlD
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6atvBfkdyW
After I finally completed my sixty laps, I took a salute from Carradock and went back to the keep for a bath and change of clothes. Then I sat in the very large throne in the large hall on the second floor, the solar they called it. Outside, beyond the lead crosses that contained the window glass, the day was still grey. I could have rested there, alone, for some time, but Carlena arrived and waving away the servants who had brought her to me, came over.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZi0cDVHpz
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXBPV4ixBG
'You wanted me to help with quests?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKLFYPMw3D
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5KQtnlrHH
'Yes please. I've started as a Fighter but, honestly, I'm not in the shape to hit things yet. So quests are perfect. And Lord Arval said they would level me fast.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjRDxlomAF
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXAXDRU8iM
'Yes, they will. At least, they got me to my third spell. After that, you'll need to battle monsters. Also, your combat skills won't increase unless you do.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PMeGKVl8G
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYdmdap4RC
'Right so, let's go and do some quests.' It was painful, moving again after being seated for a while. But pain meant gain, right? And I had the incentive of levelling up to encourage me.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRgx6Kc4Fw
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNipEwIEIy
'It's been a while since I did these…' She looked thoughtful, long, silver hair tied back so I could see her severe face clearly. 'And try to be more like King Carlos. Everyone is talking about you. About how you've changed.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrM9C07KDpq
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTTVuYRbec
'He was a thug, right?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gXaf212xY
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGxYninJNG
'More of a sly creature, like a fox. Watching and waiting … then punishing. Never trusting anyone. You didn't know where you were with him. Not even me, who – forgive the lack of modesty – is the most important person in the kingdom. There was a time when I thought he was going to hang me for treason. Even though that would mean no sorcerer for our battles.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEZsWUE7b9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvovil2mp47
Having reached the large, double doors Carlena went silent and waited for me to lead her out. From just behind my right shoulder, she muttered directions as we walked down narrow cobbled streets until we came to a bakery.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbHqFnjwYr
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotdJ0xtGui
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HPIPZD2DX
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4nBxN00qC
I barged in, under the swinging sign of a loaf of bread. My bulky body made a small room feel even smaller: counter with several loaves; bare planks for floors; whitewashed walls; back room with an aroma of newly baked bread that made my mouth water.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOFETHK4fL
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivIDQcpj6p
A boy, about ten years old, was sweeping dust. His mouth dropped open. A thin woman behind the counter looked at me with pure horror, then said quietly, 'Miya bless me!'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJfaoQsDI9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpE20up9Xm
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fQtOWgaKA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNwNCgdXYq
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz54mCeNTKA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vV387mvzs
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtBJlzwqT3
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbU5hYzeaY
Feeling impatient, I tried to strum my thick fingers on the wooden counter top, but couldn't, they just thumped down in a group. My crappy Dexterity? Or simply lack of practice with this body?571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5owX47UxPi
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeZ02m5QsQ
At last the guards returned, holding the woman between them. She was clearly terrified and I would have said something comforting, except that Carlena wanted me to stay in character.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnp5vkifLJ
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'You have a task?' I asked.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmLSedA7tk
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'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykQ6Smj0RP
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7r8E7yx9mL
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEdWJAgF0G
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'Give it to me again.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaLKO6sWVP
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NCS8aGHBA
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiALYKGM6oe
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wTpuEOfm5
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMhbAZEOg5
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1GQraiS28
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI4jwdZbxJ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSe2L42D48
Exasperated and not wanting to cause the baker to suffer any further, I strode back outside, took a second to orientate myself, and set off back toward the keep. Levelling up was going to require a rethink.
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