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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbw9hhlugEJ
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbTiJdFTAr
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKf2ek6Qze
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaAINoHKLl
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPu5r2w63f
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr6lBntxnM
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFSyn7Vz00
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIJW8QGdha
Str 7478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiKnuUZFZv
Dex 4478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zc6Nz1mWz
Con 8478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUcXJCG8dq
Int 16478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQ7Xd4KOSS
Wis 16478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14GTuUpe1t
Cha 4478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5syGPHmdB
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMjZ0L6Gwf
Please choose a character archetype:478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6ZVFljzS4
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xiLVumint
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOnJgnj2KO
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKDcVmmaaG
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXfQzxTCNu
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82TeK00MgA
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9iuEvSA1I
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhYDQCxOEC
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 8.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT41JsPdgp6
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ5Wa1dCGK
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibJUZFR8oH
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIhVoQZ4we
I selected Fighter and got a message:478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQtR9s7JF5
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyNXjE3avl
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7ItALINQB
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4M8691qqQ
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzg9MbdE6Jw
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWapTr2eAhk
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDV0QwgbPr
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4pNU2DOAK
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOluTCJ2bp
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoE56wkxeZc
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkxxTZv37V
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjceZtyorn
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3XJF5WfU6
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcYJV4zOf8
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiduETalvn5
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6QiSCLx1S
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5to7jo8I1
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5M2eKKMeG6
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnbE6EciBZ
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAR6Q1X1Ef
Skills are capped at Level x 5478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjWr74XnxZ
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmbYrEkFrt
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLTsODlDKD
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12r2Mv4r3w
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0QmiDbQ3Z
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeyQ4RI5BH
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kARb04chq
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzQWdx4VAU
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDVMLSfrLZ
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVazfxOm4LS
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLboe9prJd
Str 7478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWYRMsjcaH
Dex 4478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkuKfK1uZf
Con 8478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOgFGUb5bh
Int 16478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLxiRbKGy2
Wis 16478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeB2frBvap
Cha 4478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqjZny2kba
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoqe4gBtwm
Lunge 5478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvNpe50Zd2
Parry 5478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcA3lUmTla
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZCF9M50T5
Exp 5/100478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIM7fCfMWXD
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rHzcHlkKD
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQti5gvAwK
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORXhFzQpg7
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDnWutcvWK
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyslGz5yvd
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZvV9UcgS5
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln2ILk38iu
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVuTB2UKgm
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMSzw7jDQO
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C2p3AYTjq
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMNPB8BKWw
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNTzGZXzHF
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek1Rho7gH6
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLiBcUU4ha
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE48FJNI09U
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYF9IgHkou
'Stiff, but yes.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAerjRRX42
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjj7ToNVj0
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvC0m1MF6Q
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hPgaZuAbz
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXrwnI727z
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIQmyg8pBw
He looked at me expectantly.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1uQFmQtPo
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmahGlnBQwu
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CYgErytgL
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9RRvfUgeL
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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTjkVxtOly
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1WgNnXhHa
'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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WZjp605DB
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVyuIU1sQy
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5wrLuoud5
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbGAtFHNhI
'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?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaQwJ8P2OP
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbP77PTJdcm
'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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7h3rqcT5z
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLg4GrdopxG
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SJn7npaCT
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSYglr6ZzO
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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLAYhublYn
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEybChMO2Rv
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriwCXaD4LK
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7lgg8c4EO
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?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFaUXiImoD
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQpQvBim7j
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVucVe0KiD
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1oV2balrs
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkluWDid9bk
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkNmnwUgw1
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLszzaftSDl
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbO3ASRKit
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekLEyHQkM3
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTtwPJPjtu
'You wanted me to help with quests?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAt5ggMkae
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8WtC7aaEe
'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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvrPWvfdNh
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8jopx3djx
'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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTAEDP6GNk
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIsx1h3PMI
'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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z0Cykyckr
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iMAHUUTVG
'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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLycHAeaKU
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurXRHkm89O
'He was a thug, right?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUphoWdhn6s
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O99kJnC2Y
'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.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lc3vxzNkU
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03wYXaioOC
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI50GtjEA7o
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW8aMIbeeT
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU8i7cL0Uf
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINUb5ektAl
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzK1NYpQVNe
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4cnfSinFL
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!'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcekfsYz26
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf5uqWeryc
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjVqCQVp2o
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuD64yZNav
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8e6ZUVQlCO
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YBnY5xcxF
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJEJpqacia
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwrPf9UD09
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?478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pa5os6DLd
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTiIb2dNk3
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KHsySosTZ
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZtuDAS1mN
'You have a task?' I asked.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWLNZvEnZh
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopoxR3cKzE
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0JncgQ9mk
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCvgCpwI1B
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDehFZ1PSBn
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zCxIjZhde
'Give it to me again.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpdl33sjNF
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMytRL63Qz
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvengPECzV
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4hPssL1Q8
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecYW02kpLL
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk70r9oK1w
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJkojMHeyi
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhSPGNJFKK
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.
