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Morning arrived with a lot of cries from cockerels and the scents of food cooking. It was probably very early, but I couldn't wait to get started. Rolling out of bed, I dressed myself in a long, loose tunic and a very fine cloak, it was a real struggle, though, sitting on the edge of the bed, to bring my foot up to a position where I could get a sandal on it. Should I wear my crown? For now, I just carried it in my hand.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeoKtcsbSj
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On leaving my room, a guard outside looked at me in astonishment before composing his face into a neutral expression.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9Hbq7auFF
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It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea of my way around this castle, yet it would be very strange if I were to ask the guard. So I just followed my nose and again, was met with looks of disbelief and alarm by servants and soldiers until I found my way down and around some wide stairs to a hall big enough for a feast, though all the tables were bare.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHZgLmuwfm
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'Ah, sire, we weren't expecting you for many an hour yet. I'll hurry the cooks.' A female servant came over as I sat myself at the top table in what was obviously the king's large, padded chair.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKILmQuxczF
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'Just two poached eggs please and an apple and an orange.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfoByWyaLS
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'We have apples, sire. Not the other.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYaouW3rj9
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBUdVLnlgV
'Ahh right. Two apples then. And if you can press a few more to get juice out of them, I'll drink that.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZC2eFXswND
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaceDIchWR8
'Yes sire.' The servant, a middle-aged woman, had worry lines across her forehead. 'So no roast pork?' She gestured towards a door that I presumed led to the kitchen, judging by the concentration of cooking scents from that direction.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObXeK6PUXG
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'No.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRDE2d0DvM
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpyYhgSvS3
'Er… forgive me, but just to avoid error, sire, no beef slices in horseradish sauce?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BUsNYFEYS
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNh9Fq3D8B
'No.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhdHX4u9HQ
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiPGZkfhZS
'Nor the chicken breast in garlic? The bread-and-butter pudding? The…'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6r4RliHWS
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OPTbFRHye
I caught the servant's eye and with a gulp she stopped speaking.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97Akp60TC1
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'Nothing,' I said firmly, 'other than the eggs, apples and the juice.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFlasOZ2XA
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmYWqFURoY
'Certainly sire,' the woman backed away with an anxious bow.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAFF0SZHG9
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdszAhMJru
It would have been interesting to chat with someone and learn something about the world, but none of the guards and servants would dare look at me. The large dining hall was silent as though empty, even though I could count six guards and four servants.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGk6elrvPh
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HjF3Gq1RU
Oh well. I raised my right arm and cascaded some menus. Good, steel pickaxes had been researched, my town now had the knowledge of how to produce them. So I opened up the smithy and planned for a build of 84 new pickaxes, one for every miner. That left my research queue empty and I crunched on one of the hastily delivered apples as I eyed my options, there were hundreds of possibilities, grouped into three core categories: economic, cultural and military. Currently, the food crisis was my biggest concern and my plan to solve it was via exporting ores. Assuming all my neighbours were hostile (and even if they weren't, I wouldn't want any of them to have extra iron supplies), I needed to get my ores further afield. And that meant… Navigation. A six-day research project.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsIhJ5fne2
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl3t93y604
After breakfast, with the help of a servant, I changed into tunic and trousers and good boots, then sent for my trainer.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRqeUyC7kc
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQqvHjQm5u
Carradock Goblinbane was missing an arm at the elbow. I didn't ask; maybe the king knew his story already. On the short walk from the castle to the barracks training ground, I briefed him. I needed strength training as rapidly as possible. I didn't voice it aloud, but I knew that I just could not risk progressing my character until I understood the issue of stats better and, in particular, whether I could push them up through training.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHgFb0ngxo
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbq9wweYwy
'Strength it is, sire, and all-round fitness.' He looked at me longer than most people did. In fact, most people here didn't look me in the eyes at all. 'It will take a while. We must not rush. You're too big and too – excuse me – soft. You'll hurt yourself. For the first day, I just want to you walk around this ground fifty times.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F8SjsEBT2
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR8xalfIau
'Fifty?' How hard could it be to walk fifty laps of a square whose sides were only about a hundred metres?474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUs48gTpXep
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72ABQSzhEo
It was very hard. After one lap I was sweating. After the second my thighs began to ache and I found myself slowing down from my fast initial pace. After the third, I was panting and my huge body was complaining pretty much everywhere. On ten, Carradock handed me a tankard with cool water in it and I gulped it down. Then he offered me a sword hilt. It was a practice weapon, a rod of iron with no sharp edges. I reached out for it.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxcVjQwU4f
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FfbnlZaOH
'Are you sure?' Carradock looked sceptical.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zxl41RTAd
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefm29N9P5H
'Of course. I can do this.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtlfrxTB0s
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7oZMtvvYQ
'No, I mean, your left hand.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoEyTQTlOo
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc1CxQO7yA
I had grasped the sword and raised it in my left hand. I tried it then with my right, shook my head, and shifted it back. 'This is better.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtERG7brl6j
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXiJwsdOZg
Back on Earth, I was left-handed. Had the king been right-handed? Was this a sign to everyone I wasn't their old ruler?474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfA2hklu9aM
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsz9WuAUR4c
'Carry it as often as you can. It will make your sword arm stronger.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPJOzPubSd
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPl0zZTUQR
'Now?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy1JH62F0R
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Carradock nodded, perhaps with a hint of a smile on his narrow, fox-like face.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNkWVTyU5A
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BF7qQO8VM
Then off I went again, with a new source of pain slowly moving up from my left wrist, my arm and along my left shoulder. At twenty I took another breather. One side of the barracks square was a two-story, grey stone building. The other three were enclosed by a low, wooden fence. And at the fence were gathered a dozen people, looking in at me. On their faces were expressions of dislike but also astonishment.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUgyZSZjHL
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9StX8QHck
All this walking had been good for my thinking. 'You,' I pointed to a woman with dressed in a tunic whose design matched that of the other castle servants. 'Get me the ambassador, Figus.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZSjDGHgbs
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMSBzLvMph
'Yes, sire.' She curtsied, but I could tell from her body language she didn't like the duty.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwdMbAx0uf
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnXZaOB6dp
'And the rest of you, get along with your business.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpaBrZPt0l
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No one spoke, but they all immediately hurried away.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVMlPCanvt
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It was another two laps before my ambassador came to the square around which I was walking. No doubt I was red-faced and quite a sight, but that didn't excuse the smirk on his face. Figus was quite the rock star. Unlike everyone else here, his hair was not a natural colour, rather it was bleached somehow and stood up in clusters of spikes. With a grace in his walk and a cynical smile in his bright blue eyes, I could see his Charisma of 15 was definitely in play. What was mine again, 3? I suddenly felt very conscious of my frown lines and a posture that was sagging at every point, including my face.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvv7S1edR8
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuj3jNREpY
The ambassador drew up close, took in a breath and then bowed. 'Sire?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCH6YzH7Sb
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQe2pSWNM6
This was a welcome excuse for a break, though I was aware that Carradok was watching and probably disapproved.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTtmumoUnQ
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzqh6CWI0p
'We need to trade ore for food, what's the best way to go about it?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGP6KbQMNh
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIvvS44ZTn
Figus looked up with some surprise on his face. 'You are seeking my advice?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3LxYFICJc
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡingex8HbIF
'Uh huh,' I was still catching my breath or I'd have pointed out that he was our ambassador after all.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG98wv3eSRW
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Aj4umKAl1
'Well, as you know, we are at war with Southway and Trolland, our nearest neighbours. So they are out. That also blocks the inland routes. By sea, we could trade with Cantreth, the Kingdom of Lost Souls and Rockguard…' he paused in thought. I paused in tiredness.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEmfplwoe1
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmV8i2YdKXv
'Your majesty has no scruples dealing with a Necromancer?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH86bvLRsqo
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvk9huxTnW
'Not at all, some of my best friends are Necromancers.' I was thinking of Storm Wars of course, but the look of consternation on the face of Figus made me feel like laughing.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHGekqQ6Xl
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZb0D8MmY4
To be fair to him, the ambassador recovered his poise quickly, 'in that case, I think the best deal we could make would be with the Kingdom of Lost Souls.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nphbBobqA
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'Right so, off you go and make that arrangement.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4KbzaD3fm
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe65fUizHdv
'Now sire?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFc8aBuApPk
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I nodded.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIXkwazfk8
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He hesitated. 'How much ore and of what kind and quality will we be offering?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hPd7S3uyS
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHVW0c5ZLi
I didn't have to call down the menu for the mines, we were currently producing 2 ingots of standard iron ore per day. Assuming that would rise with the new pickaxes… 'Fifteen standard iron ingots a week.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhEsRd7Hjg
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLuEcQFIvz
Figus nodded and then with a temerity that was unusual in the people around me caught my eye. 'One more question, sire, if I may?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfKfYPyOKI
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVMKerPIuP
'Yes?'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuwA6zQwKL
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuJUM3d2Sk
'We don't have a trading vessel, but we would get much better terms if this exchange happened in our ship.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewP1aKndWZ
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrBM7vqVJD
'I'll make that a priority.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGYG2ypNPF
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSffrNMMud
'Right so, I'll be off then.' There was a jauntiness to the man's step as he left me to my circuits. Had he deliberately just parrodied my turn of phrase? If so, I rather admired him for it.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9wLoOxjqw
