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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOuWuwzYPd
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb7NTroicR
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E5YlmIG9d
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YkFFkpRlP
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmNhJKj6mT
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwyN7JKBGR
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDCywFnK28
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09Obhuxu8V
Str 7447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojpztCEDRx
Dex 4447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbgNdqBX6T
Con 8447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPPs1v3g5G
Int 16447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUVrevdUkJ
Wis 16447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AZwu5z2dj
Cha 4447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZ3B0IrlxF
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaBgxYsNWU
Please choose a character archetype:447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGaY5Hzxy0
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwNRQS24tk
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNyBI4Yeqk
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK39S5vWgg
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQPuZRv4fc
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0q3D3LuqC1
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGUCaKR9rP
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ji6s8dIva
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 8.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuk9zUcf6r
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2Nml1vwlS
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEMlgYhTWL
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYkTaewLOg
I selected Fighter and got a message:447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVxUtEXVmc
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFf5meozOtH
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzjX3ToBSy
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zOdGvmRGt
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq983ZT1Sn
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDLUl7jfAW
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxii4VoUDb
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy25gGV503
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboo2VXtwpy
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5yxwaCoq5
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbCkE4vJK7
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLalayv96vt
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYGdIEAxuk
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iRwRdHfr7
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBIfIBFMJh
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCKQ6o9Int
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJ88Qg66Si
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu64Q4ZDHtJ
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRnzOhaS3c
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqMj5Wm0YB
Skills are capped at Level x 5447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9hC9rGHFg
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDJWA5X33e
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLBXBFzIH6
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6lFGL7wgc
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfNxDbSZFt
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3wnnxgSwr
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX5cvNBUOF
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ue779Mr5s
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIuK9TXOzR
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNkyQwIxjJ
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzI6ZkaAIe
Str 7447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvQy5LveYM
Dex 4447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTt5Kl7rgm
Con 8447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjxr47M2Iz
Int 16447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGS2uomni6
Wis 16447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICWxprYE4e
Cha 4447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVIbQwQAzr
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7fI23e0DQ
Lunge 5447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AEEmNdFi0
Parry 5447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygQI0dZFgA
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxWwT4HJ9N
Exp 5/100447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EWPD5qGBE
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnWmGgwCXX
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbeUooqSKu
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYcK0wXZe8
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Hhq6BbiMp
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCG8MI9Jy4U
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfvC0ZkfAC
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtsfeIhOd9
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOH4Ze4nDD
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFguJATogwE
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJOuHCFR2F
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsrgAONRA4
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajUVobM1qw
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJMV8GcOtU
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCk6mhcqho
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qH1G9rUpg
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVws7opEuJ
'Stiff, but yes.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJZwzxpv4z
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaV8luZhts
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPVMNy2gfK
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8oQuOQrl6
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTp6wtTT7Gt
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0Oaf7igbw
He looked at me expectantly.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlXOMC5ykG
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliT4Y0MC70
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHKCt9qTpX
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIH9dS6ds2
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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlpA4ZpN6w
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jS4N7UNAM
'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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5VKrJ2Bb7
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykQfs6PPcW
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqXiEPHx1m
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrNhF6z78x
'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?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2HsLDX6gZ
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvj57P1G0mi
'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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfuBAbrWuk
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eHM7VgJ6I
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnD2u9A6k4
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKSOkijyOL
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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBWgF8JDZA
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ642Ut5BUPd
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MRoJcmAji
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuqDXQ3XE7
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?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpFqFYU3vY
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8gjeZmeRE
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEv1vAqyRS
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtJvxz0eCN
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtrZ46A37z
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7X1btqY0v
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurtEOHb2Bf
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGR8W6r3sd
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2lIevPp3R
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMuGY7q3H2
'You wanted me to help with quests?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QjtPJXGTX
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUtQUQBXhk
'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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sb8sQ0E3q
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡom1FaRpRmI
'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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfzWHr4nm2
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWFhzm7uNd
'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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P7fPdgodS
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxicsc6nm9
'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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ckY0irHjN
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPnWBOQN6Y
'He was a thug, right?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbHtHfKvMR
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjLnqB7MOX
'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.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxOSdjdPD4s
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDtM1qkh0c
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95nkBkAXZP
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxbC44AkTy
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF150GSIY3G
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx7hQhusMo
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9s7bU4p92
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfxzlkwm67
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!'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGAB2ZuoJE
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvn48TmWXL
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATEvqkz40J
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG09w9NUeXl
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmj1zdREdi
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZACp7i0Vx7
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6O5HK0Se27
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1u7hWpeaar
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?447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtbgPdVzA3
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9pVYgOaap
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.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJHw2A43hw
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVVrCcOF38
'You have a task?' I asked.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaOM1WHhA4
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiu4RUx9f7W
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1PqVl3jUE
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNADUIlFLh
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHyGUqZP1Z
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4Cofu4QsN
'Give it to me again.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwqcdiS7AE
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNXIcwMTvn
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xHgcJOCiL
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WHDN4nicP
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF61qHfNqOY
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU72wdVsPg
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqXcjYA8WR
447Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYy8kSncB1
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.
