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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlqChXyFbT
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMi6t9ULWz3
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT2VOg8QR2
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkhNgcDdDU
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeqVjSbjFK
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNoyumAqWn
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57rEU5FQxJ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaNIDRdksJ
Str 7471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YTVxSiqBq
Dex 4471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnijbqrt2Su
Con 8471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH7OwJxU5P
Int 16471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTTeP0BL2p
Wis 16471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqrsrStx19
Cha 4471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8plhltYhSR
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IWV6J8roU
Please choose a character archetype:471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rpd7SGtxr
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mMSanE61Q
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpWcnUSnn2
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumhBylvufI
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTmRdYrqDL
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy70SoB4fyX
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1ux8qRyet
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT20i1kp6o
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 8.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIJB4Ii60s
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM6AUPQzyB
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOHnp8gYJN
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPjyYIW6AM
I selected Fighter and got a message:471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqtUBPgbRM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmCXs26Iv2
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwXWvFmfwn
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3XBd6JHTQ
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIckjg3W0QA
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOU6p8Mv9s
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrT8sU0Dz9n
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdJ58k9AbY
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbBdNtrDIH
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASh9lQCTNx
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BZUJpqIq4
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcteZhJCvF
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jgjLnMEKu
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCe3ou9K9t1
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPW7xZuamtp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCGcYmud6v
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRL1lYsdSBI
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6GyYdTtVD
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkgEhMYt62
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfqLzUvncq
Skills are capped at Level x 5471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wW6M7cT8O
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjn5zEBNzhS
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXTUUtsdhc
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0SDaLiJ3l
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFhmt4pmhu
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGTAvE4caO
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhmwA07CLv
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBJnS0EGJR
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lN7CeAfgq
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQU9WXXUqJ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlDZd6kc6C
Str 7471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMCjaTzZbK
Dex 4471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuEFhejI4U
Con 8471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFZjCJDAkS
Int 16471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LaMirKD36
Wis 16471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8HFscKcOx
Cha 4471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85MGCn6Pq6
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cN4sqnbEL
Lunge 5471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPnhc8scfe
Parry 5471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysnAJHoIDv
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJ8WradAgl
Exp 5/100471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8vm5cMHzz
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkT4t044BQQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHw9TZWZdtp
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RjvvAW5hS
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DyJfGGqEN
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9z71JVFMf
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBzRhm1LYQ
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoF4HRqd8Yp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEmv0daIxd
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Rro5nZAyz
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ12qP5Tkh8
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8aK5bCqmd
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJFibKpatO
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNaBqUvj2y
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WqaY9irIY
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFckwxhtwP
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxHGi12cGh
'Stiff, but yes.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6qMRX5YTt
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnVeDlZVCA
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgAzOMAR5u
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIIGxxV4MM
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8xj4RGx9N
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMLe5Cymd9
He looked at me expectantly.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjEwvtuiPz
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0vNMCoL5o
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEW7lv1vXL
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqAnlVCp3u
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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBIcZfcUoP
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbvkVgiOdI
'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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtdi7jiIhO
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOWCOEGDze
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bKldXBybW
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9drmcXKvG
'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?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd87WqKO8qM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oVh1YeXDW
'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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkYiAxD66d
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemjzNgNF8f
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewYcVxqlGd
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZ3I5gc0ga
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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6dDGuqMfD
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nlTSwoYZk
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6R6dWcKxw
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuqtYJJrsc
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?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYeV2YMR1n
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW3UPcExU5
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZp4JWiyqC
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXK9cJgs8C2
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66ojCtjH1C
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS30DjhcS5
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKxjDAstQ6
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFgAqrx3zI
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiwcu0ahci
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM3p7RYjPA
'You wanted me to help with quests?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6vvALBv5e
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6opOWEYJJ
'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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOMY5USUPN
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS93p6VyzDl
'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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ql8Dwq2Og
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDcdJ1kf39
'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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfYQiX3aBD
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLSXrFKCWb
'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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZK1TRizO8
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡserfOofsgw
'He was a thug, right?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64W4Sx1zJe
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBkVRw6xev
'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.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ndJem4Uhf
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESsN20KxtQ
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98J20nSkuA
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZLJt94H8Z
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YIm1ilkEO
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3uqITBW00
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK10xDfphwX
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOfMr1CCSD
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!'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ph34jthV8
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tvicluacB
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbmV45S2Zp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7vNElZOKH
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDUNyEnWTY
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFBuwILskm
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE81ZQIbcQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcKXevn6UL
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?471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqog8vPFWvM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60C7jS2CLy
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.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM7g8UXIPQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwaOeOSRFE
'You have a task?' I asked.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJk3dsHBH93
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSg18q0XQ2
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdjEoOB052
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3Jl8VRSNR
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxS5PISKcX
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAagjeyyrfA
'Give it to me again.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKPZp5AoAe
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9ZI7MWG1w
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HOfMYtalR
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmj9YuLKFD
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg7wftdWm6
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdpFOCVkrw
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk3r3U41G9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFne4inUmA
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.
