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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhARhjW0HZn
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo56Js5cukT
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkn92agzQZY
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgJed0FGLf
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nB9t4xHrg
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S125VzW83
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAg4otNxy2
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI5HUXGa1h
Str 7464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaQcChxhz3
Dex 4464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MEm6KDtyN
Con 8464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9IO9wFzYo
Int 16464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8R0JS9LpP
Wis 16464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhixFrzLKGy
Cha 4464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkFKoxoehf
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNNCevjslk
Please choose a character archetype:464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSqnuZpblu
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtbxU4E4yt
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqq7Rgdmf3u
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagRiZY9JxQ
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4QXWLJpRF
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotkvRRUFFl
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKAOGPzIx3
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRX7sDC9Zrx
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 8.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0cPN1BD0u
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlaE7cQwvU
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3vFAEV9WJ
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbiUgaZnJG
I selected Fighter and got a message:464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MUR4t8emk
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpN4FwjO9C
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJH7yUmvTQf
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEeJmgZM9R
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9peA9eHhZ
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcBnlAUoFg
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLyPmMiEOe
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcq5mu3ASz1
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx44is1dKKs
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfREoUn3mf
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCztdBArNW
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFOm4ZJthu
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuliFcfyvE
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmphOQuk2ku
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2BemF3N3F
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UWJkgvE3T
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4nhSzVAdi
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqDpG602zk
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGupU56JCC
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzK6FBYgiwe
Skills are capped at Level x 5464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUGURnqhA4
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMJNAl6DXA
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2i849A3oi
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv96DpdwQAq
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUcVwMaBog
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vNjTPtkpQ
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUcyy68xQG
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Mz3esTLGE
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQD4MMrjPKj
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4lft17g5B
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCUzs4s1Ou
Str 7464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡls8DrXBmt6
Dex 4464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7Xgc7tftV
Con 8464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGImIJyLDI
Int 16464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uRgxvZpp1
Wis 16464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYEULjS6Sz
Cha 4464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBiYxSwcBX
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn9w8TIqDf
Lunge 5464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAD3hXz6IH
Parry 5464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspk9NHNJCL
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSX27znCAF
Exp 5/100464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlPHm156Kr
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzcw1WdjD4
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcYJjb6bNP
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRLXMco2oC
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5c0SqT4iT
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1f3HwZGu6Y
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJd62Eks09h
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwJUAR1bnh
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEjyyg2pBX
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡez5BKL1yWa
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHpbKKm96D
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8G2kkC9Ncx
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtSJbUd3pn
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnPg1GrGKX
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPNyFdu0w3
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuT9eMpBCI
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uhF0r631G
'Stiff, but yes.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKarWaQHXH
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOBrBw4UZn
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q9qSQT3Gh
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAis5k14Fb
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZcFKZbvHG
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlF4mXsy7Q
He looked at me expectantly.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkE9oq6vMQd
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOEPdnPrrD
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc28TvMhBkA
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dHqsbAw4k
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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPXpXY5vms
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AQf9ad27U
'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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoBEPZxMA3
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8zdgUgQ43
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJkyYWv2rs
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzLCqYNUOE
'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?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvSOyl0EE7
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUE6hUoHCS
'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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E7rOcyo1v
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8vi8qubuq
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNnyG4eQcD
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQDHjoFkah
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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYEBk6i0Io
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe03F99UdLS
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VwVQH9cDq
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRZ4zEx3cl
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?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbg628c5UG
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrcjDrGyrJ
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCezc0Kw83o
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dY6B3QNMH
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUAlZrkWzN
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6lyaRgvYm
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgotNhMY3xX
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugmvjTVZAr
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AUtPVhhev
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPlmAu5ktt
'You wanted me to help with quests?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszFZHujTdJ
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSiAdvLFNH
'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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3txtkObEE
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXbxtnwCdv
'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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE4T3RECdr
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOc975yGJjI
'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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpl3eivVLf
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3OXMvirc5
'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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡippumSStuI
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPdvpokk9S
'He was a thug, right?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNNOYjtZy0
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjqPfriYl7
'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.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuPyqktyEF
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0X322wjok
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhM0NYvchVN
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiusYwiGAhF
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHvoEroR8T
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaShRddMVx
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNzhgNqfLz
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJaQ83YlrW
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!'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7q0wPv0nKe
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEXcZd6i5L
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRVW10x7Fe
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxBVEIEuho
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiQoKx2Fe7
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2tAbgrZFz
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6echXco8HJ
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MnltvZNfj
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?464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WO2To9bnj
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYd0dU0OTL
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.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq4Z3J2kHW
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYtUdE4046
'You have a task?' I asked.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomA7q1rf2Z
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvdJDDb0ro
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RacwZYOos
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASkfRzaLXI
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty65AMZvVl
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZuvOhRvSa
'Give it to me again.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mJq9fcN1R
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkFlGJOoqH
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdFM8VOqUY
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbcOfpMuXv
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnmG4SAn3C
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksun642FwI
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBatWHfDMy
464Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuv2lwfIpa
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.
