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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9Uq1aSmnu
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHpbS0lMzi
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UGnvVyg6B
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVyEocMsvp
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJjTdWPPb3
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbV97bRktd
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FF2QvPeyj
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWgNtNWmpl
Str 7532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjEP3sqnEi
Dex 4532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmHVY6cfBQ
Con 8532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKmAVKgili
Int 16532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7t4FK9Rix
Wis 16532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqm2bz53KGa
Cha 4532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbd6LOAFI2
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxOZICQNJh
Please choose a character archetype:532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47K6AMZ64s
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OwlOCpVK0
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywa2iYCbhe
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2ZCibB5Jg
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVXBLK98NT
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK6ZgaNF4a
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Qiduuargl
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzuFLhOBQr
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 8.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZJzzcsd8s
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrOQDJFnsx
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgiTvGpkCC
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4cfqUEMka
I selected Fighter and got a message:532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgfFGfJj2I
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaH5OUrfHBQ
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelPPnf3waa
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoLr1DPlwC
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvUVmqvXjF
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdYUxXtSqu
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYniMGbAj1H
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ7mxT5ujZ
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJTWa51PUt
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojIWMGqlrG
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynYPukqKaR
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3mWCJWwNH
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDodAiSrSdm
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1447E2o2vu
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAthDVrpBTx
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNLC519Fb8
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GSBnWfsPp
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPbnBfXz23
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4mZoSsXk6
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerwydckd8i
Skills are capped at Level x 5532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdG2VHl1iZ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhOmIKmfcs
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrHx95MeCq
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFV34yHDbqR
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzv9Z5OSEd
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MuC6C7OGH
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfv67856b8
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxoywRMLL4
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6xWycDgm4
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRvFYpK9kd
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZVqvFsQBu
Str 7532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv01AArQuD4
Dex 4532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGZrMwcvjd
Con 8532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgDKzKHG6u
Int 16532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHroUQwTAyw
Wis 16532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZTP30lKMC
Cha 4532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprnkAYvUe9
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJXQydWCNI
Lunge 5532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bX4F7f4WG
Parry 5532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7angLT2H0Y
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpcUiQcqdH
Exp 5/100532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxp8U9VbFd
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX68X0NnT2h
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJU0G5eEyw
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxC7LySrLZU
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9G7z3EguV
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKURBsDrJN
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5JLh6VCMt
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH9wUMPg7V
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhXugcc0dD
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwKo85t5r0
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3Ei5bvVHl
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAnC3osC9U
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2UlmZYN9N
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXufYIXT4ri
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeaDzSwedk
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI209tb6rLZ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqprY0GLo3
'Stiff, but yes.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiutz0PIey
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cvYfdEmrz
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EdJMe7Ofs
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWFBM1Z4Op
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwnXvvc51w
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bXu94EtZp
He looked at me expectantly.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2coDNrjEy
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBJX55Papg
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Fen4Cn04v
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CM0cm37hd
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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeHE7s8p5b
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrgFUn1S5o
'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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByQ6bqEHrp
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x1LFHHAL2
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwCpjD7HLb
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtk5gndK6w4
'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?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY4gMa3EM2
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqthsGcdwMf
'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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiGqVjPPit
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanVZyE6Joc
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cwWSDvugC
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGBvyEvIet
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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ru355zjuk
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9nxjukm5w
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwG7mi6PlM
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBur4BKbvN
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?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tC4951peu
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcMzEmoCtB
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ798EiFWfRA
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYEZzcOL2b
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMGjeHTGVU
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcjI9Gjk6Q
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiqu9xsM6g
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEZ2y829HU
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLroeJ8hEQ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt71GUJfYy
'You wanted me to help with quests?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHC6qVnj6gS
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpZnuYrx9m
'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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiypoJvQsCA
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWkbY6PADG
'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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAjZQDJRY4
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEV0d4OMSap
'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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BuebwFQF2
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhN9CUQ6hg
'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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvR4Yp405B
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNad4XleuC
'He was a thug, right?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3G1x65waq3
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFDZ6JSQb2
'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.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGVw0xcS1R
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihyNfnhbeD
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx1J179yuY
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXObVkR0hB
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZbC9X0QTa
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O5PgHPKhg
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbsTcPCnxG
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVZEdXXzAn
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!'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDYa0G9KBv
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HJ3770XfW
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPN1ozNUTKv
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbI9gQJj3Iw
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uvwI1jlzv
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJWJXY85rH
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCnkWWHI3l
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuBkErpq6h
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?532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKUroPc567
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyZMRpL38k
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.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSJ7eI3XHD
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47bGIwKHVB
'You have a task?' I asked.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKfGZHlvgK
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW0asBmFKl
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoUDk9GLwZ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCN1SOnSGS
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIa0PYhBTSt
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPQckaYwfq
'Give it to me again.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuFyorv3BG
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhZhnpDGjd
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aOB34oMHQ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdiJpKxGqc
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZgCPDGlSZ
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl8zMU5HSy
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1dT1xUcoF
532Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdbp9deqkI
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.
