by J. T. Wright
A female Recruit, training at the back, fell out of formation and ran towards the Sergeant with her spear held in front of her. Coming to a stop in front of Cullen, Tersa grounded the butt of her spear and sounded off. “Reporting, Sergeant!”
Cullen stared down at the freckled face of the fourteen-year-old Recruit. Her helmet had slipped forward while she was running until it nearly covered her eyes. Recruits never tightened their armor properly, Cullen privately believed they preferred to be blind.
“Recruit Tersa, you have orders for a special detail for Captain this afternoon. That detail has been canceled,” Cullen said. “Instead...”
“Sergeant, my orders came from the Duke’s personal...” Tersa could be thoughtless sometimes.
She spoke up without thinking. She had been looking forward to this special assignment. She didn’t know what the assignment was exactly, but she was sure it would mean good things for her career. The Sergeant couldn’t just cancel it!
“Recruit Tersa,” Cullen cut her off, his voice soft. “I know, I truly believe in my heart that you did not just interrupt me. Furthermore, I am absolutely certain that you didn’t try to contradict me. Because if you had done that, I would have taken that spear from you. Having taken that spear, I would have broken it over your head before putting you on special wall cleaning duty, during which you would clean the entire outer wall with your tongue. As you are not currently licking stone, you must not have interrupted me.”
Tersa paled. The Sergeant wasn’t known for making empty threats. “No, Sergeant, I would never interrupt you!”
Cullen reached forward and pushed Tersa’s helmet back with one finger. He leaned close, staring into her eyes. “Then I also believe you will find it in your best interests to go and find the Captain and tell him I would like a word. I believe you will do so promptly, and you will be out of my sight within one minute and back here with the Captain in less than fifteen!” Cullen was red-faced and shouting by the end of this, and Tersa was doing her best not to flinch. She took off running as Cullen bit off the last word, still carrying her training spear.
Cullen sighed as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a pipe and tobacco. Recruits could be thoughtless, but Tersa was a promising seed. A little too eager at times, but eventually, Cullen would train or beat that out of her.
Chapter 8
It was closer to thirty minutes later when Tersa returned, following on Michael’s heels. She was praying that the Sergeant would blame the Captain for her failure to return on time, though the truth was, Michael had headed for the field at a brisk pace the moment she managed to find him.
Cullen was still standing where she had left him, quietly puffing on his pipe as he watched Trent at the training post. The boy hadn’t maintained his frantic speed, but he hadn’t slacked off either. He was obviously having trouble keeping his arms up, and there weren’t many kicks, elbows, or knees being thrown now, but he kept striking.
Michael came up to the Sergeant and watched, along with him, for a moment. He frowned a bit as he saw Trent, red-faced and sweating, gasping for air, as his labored punches struck the post’s padding. He made no comment, though, trusting the Sergeant’s methods.
“Is there a problem, Sergeant Cullen?” Michael asked.
Cullen took another drag on his pipe. “No, Sir, not exactly.”
Before Michael could ask what the Sergeant called him for, Cullen shouted in a loud voice, “Recruit Trent, here, on the double!”
Trent immediately stopped what he was doing and ran to the Sergeant.
“Take out a Stamina potion, Runt,” Cullen told him as Trent came to a halt. Pulling a potion out, Trent held it loosely, a curious expression on his face.
Cullen took the vial of green liquid from his hand and held it up with three fingers, “This is the most commonly misused tool that soldiers and Adventurers carry. Do you know why?”
“No, Sergeant,” Trent answered, shaking his head.
“It’s because people don’t understand how their Stamina pool works,” Cullen explained. “Stamina potions are an emergency measure that should only be used when you have to keep fighting, but you don’t have the energy or the time to rest. If you can rest, you should do so. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your Stamina recovers fast enough by itself, just by standing still and breathing. What else have you noticed?”
Trent considered the question seriously, “Each time I rest, it takes longer for my Stamina to recover, and it drains quicker each time as well.”
Cullen nodded approvingly. “Exactly, and that’s because you are more than what your Status says you are. The exhaustion from training or fighting builds up. Eventually, your Stamina won’t recover, or it recovers so slowly that it’s imperceptible. That’s when these come in handy. These potions not only restore your Stamina pool they also cleanse the underlying exhaustion.”
Cullen opened the vial and handed it back to Trent. “Drink up.”
Trent did so. The liquid was both tart and sweet, tingling as it hit his mouth. He swallowed and felt a wave of energy flow through him, restoring tired limbs and burning lungs. Mere seconds later, he felt even better than he had when he woke that morning.
“Recruit Tersa!” Cullen barked. The nervous young woman stepped forward. “Trent, this is Tersa.”
Trent offered the girl a shy wave, which she started to return. Her hand lifted slightly. Then she remembered she was a Guard Recruit and it fell back to her side. A curt, acknowledging nod that she imagined was more professional, replaced it.
“Tersa is going to join your training from now on, Trent. Take a few minutes to get acquainted while I talk to the Captain,” Cullen instructed.
Both Trent and Tersa were taken aback by this development. Trent because he had no idea how to “get acquainted,” and Tersa because she was afraid this new development would put her behind the rest of her Recruit group. Trent was clearly years younger and levels lower than she was.
Tersa was the first to recover. Remembering the Sergeant’s earlier threats, she stepped forward and took Trent by the arm. “Let’s walk.” She led Trent away hurriedly.
Michael waited patiently for the two to leave, “What’s this all about, Sergeant?”
“You’re making a mistake, Sir,” Cullen said as respectfully as such a statement could be said. He plowed ahead before the Captain could respond. “This afternoon, Tersa is to accompany that lad to the Guild where they will perform low-level quests. Recruit Tersa is a fine girl, but this plan is both wasteful and dangerous.”
Michael shot a sharp look at the Sergeant. “You are better informed than I am, Cullen. I knew someone would be going with Trent, but apparently, Helmand thinks he can commandeer my recruits without my approval.” The Captain was fuming. It seemed his and Helmand's working relationship still had a few kinks that needed ironing out.
“I thought you knew, Sir.” Cullen’s expression also hardened. He might speak to the Captain anyway he liked, but no one else would be allowed to undercut the officer’s authority as long as he was around, “I will...”
“I’ll deal with it personally, Sergeant!” Michael snapped, and then softened his tone. “The order probably comes from my father. Helmand just failed to notify me first.”
“The Duke is involved with this mess?” Cullen grimaced. “Harder to tell his Grace that he’s being stupid.
“Harder but not impossible, and very necessary,” Cullen continued, as Michael was indignant at the Sergeant’s implication. “That boy shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Guild, and he can gain the needed Core for leveling by running errands in the Keep.”
“He needs more than levels, Sergeant.” Michael shook his head. “He needs to know more about everything. You can tell how sheltered he is.”
“Any other Guildhall in any other city, and I’d agree with you, Sir.” Cullen relit his pipe, “Problem is, the Duke’s territory is too tightly run. The boy will be doing fetch and carry quests for 10 XP and take months to level. There are no low-
level kill quests. You have to travel a week to enter a wild area, and I doubt you want the boy that far away with just Tersa for protection.
“The biggest problem with a successful and tightly run territory,” Cullen offered his pipe to Michael, who waved it away, “is jealousy. You know, as well as I, that the Guild is full of spies looking for any news to pass on. Royals, and nobles, have eyes everywhere. One look at that boy and they’ll see, as plainly as I do, that he isn’t ordinary. One look and he’ll be snatched up, willing or not.”
Michael didn’t disagree with any of this, but their options were limited, “We can’t train him properly in the Keep. His potential...”
“I see the problem, Sir. The military and service-oriented Classes lack diversity. Plenty of warriors, mages, scouts, and healers, but very few of the Unique and Champion types that don’t fit in overly-structured environments.” Cullen resisted the urge to tap Michael on the forehead. “What you’re not seeing is that it doesn’t matter. The runt is special, and no matter how you train him, he’s going to walk his own path. That’s why you’re going to give him to me for a month, at the minimum. That’s why I’m going to take him and a few recruits, with a squad of trusted men, out on field-training. Because you need to get him trained, fast! And you need to do it away from prying eyes!”
Michael didn’t disagree. What the Sergeant didn’t know was that Trent was a Summons with a rapidly falling Loyalty Rating. All their plans had been made with that in mind. Michael originally wanted Trent’s contact to break, but the Duke was against that. The Duke wanted Trent tied to the Al’dross family as closely as possible.
But the Sergeant was right. The local Guild wasn’t set up to train newbies. Low-Level Adventurers traveled to low-leveled Trials to gain Core. Or they spent their time outside the city, hunting at the edge of the Duke’s territory in the wild.
To level up in the keep, Trent would have to be employed by the keep. Guardsmen and servants earned Core by performing their duties. Service-oriented quests required a binding oath that Trent literally couldn’t perform while still a contracted Summons, even if his master was an Al’dross.
“It won’t work, Sergeant.” Michael shook his head. “I can’t go into the reasons, but Trent can’t swear to the keep. We can’t issue him quests.”
Cullen looked at the sky and sighed as if asking why he must be surrounded by fools. “Michael, do you know why I’m in charge of training for the Guard?”
“Well, you’re pretty old, so you know quite a lot about a variety of subjects, you’re too stubborn to retire, you’re too...” He couldn’t fail to notice that Cullen wasn’t keeping up appearances anymore, and he had been demoted to from Sir to Michael.
“I’m all of those things, Brat,” Cullen said, “but I also have a Profession as Trainer and the Mentoring Skill. That means not only am I better at my job than any officer I can name, I can also issue quests personally. No need for Bound Authority, Apprentice Oath, or Questing Pillar. I can freely issue quests to anyone I take under my wing. I don’t, usually, because it takes my own XP to do it, but in this case...”
Michael stared blankly at Cullen. This changed things. Their current plan was to train and level Trent as much as possible, while the Duke convinced Kirstin to take an interest in her Summons. Lewis was confident it would be less than a week. Once Kirstin was interested in her Summons, she could use her authority to issue quests to Trent.
The risk was that even if Kirstin was interested, she might still treat Trent as an item, and break his contract all the faster. That wasn’t an issue with Cullen. He may or may not be able to affect Trent’s Loyalty Rating, but he would treat Trent the same as he treated any trainee.
“Let’s go see my father,” Michael said at last.
**********
Meanwhile, Tersa and Trent were walking in awkward silence. With no destination in mind, they ambled slowly toward a shady area beneath the wall. Trent thought walking quietly probably wasn’t how one got acquainted with anything, but he didn’t know what else to do.
Tersa was lost in her own thoughts. This boy was younger than her, shorter than her, weaker than her. But, for some reason, the Sergeant felt he was more important than her. That was the impression she got at least.
It hadn’t been said outright, but it was clear that the “special detail for the Captain” that the Sergeant had so unjustly canceled, had something to do with this kid. But there was nothing that stood out about him as far as Tersa could see.
They reached the wall, and Tersa tossed her spear down (she’d forgotten to put it away again), and plopped down to sit, leaning against the cool stone. She took her helmet off and shook out her bright red hair. The damn helmet was uncomfortable and was always sliding around. She began tossing it up and catching it.
After a few seconds, Trent sat down next to her, his eyes following the helmet as it rose and fell.
“So, what’s your story?” Tersa finally said.
She’d asked a question that Trent didn’t really have an answer to. He was told not to say anything about being a Summons and barring that, there wasn’t much to his story.
“I’m Lady Kirstin’s servant.” He settled on. It was pretty much the truth.
“Yeah? What’s that like?”
“I haven’t been at it long. It’s not what I thought it would be,” Trent admitted. He hadn’t given much thought to the matter at all, but he was pretty sure his life wasn’t going the way it was meant to.
“Hey, wait!” Two and two made four in Tersa’s head. “Are you the kid that almost died yesterday?”
“Uh. Yes, I think.” Trent bit his lip. “I don’t think I would have died, though.”
“Whatever, close enough right? What did you do to make Lady Kirstin so mad?” Tersa missed catching her helmet and it hit the ground to roll away, ignored. Tersa stared wide-eyed at Trent.
Trent shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t really know. She just doesn’t like me. She doesn’t want me around.”
“Huh, weird, ‘cause, you know you’re still here.” Tersa bit her lip. “Why don’t you just go home? If someone treated me like that, I’d get the hell gone, you know? I mean, all the Sergeants yell and threaten, and Sergeant Cullen scares me something fierce sometimes, but they don’t really treat us bad. Look out for us mostly.”
Trent shrugged. “I can’t leave, I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Oh, orphan huh? That’s rough, but, yeah, if you don’t have anywhere to go, you stay where you’re at, right?” Tersa said sagely. “So, you gonna join the Guard? It’s a pretty good deal. You get training, regular meals and we sleep inside mostly. It’s safer than adventuring, and we still get to enter the Dungeon, er, Trial. Get to keep what we find in it, too. Keep what you kill, Sergeant calls it.”
Trent listened to Tersa’s recruiting pitch and wondered. Michael, Nell, and Sergeant Cullen were all in the Guard. They’d all taken care of him so far. It seemed like a good thing to be attached to. But, “I don’t think I can. I’m still Lady Kirstin’s, ahh, servant.”
Tersa laughed. “Well, maybe you’ll get lucky, and she’ll fire you if you won’t quit. You could probably join then. Sergeant Cullen and the Captain have taken a shine to you.”
“The Lieutenant has too,” a sugary sweet voice said suddenly. “And what she says goes around here. It’s why recruits never leave training equipment like spears and helmets laying in the dirt where they might get tarnished or rusty.”
Tersa squeaked at the sudden interruption, and her head jerked to look forward. Her face went pale for the second time that day. Trent merely smiled at Lieutenant Nell; he’d seen her walking up.
“Trent, you’re with me.” Nell smiled back at the boy.
“Uh, Lieutenant, I was just,” Tersa stammered.
“Say no more, Recruit Guardsman Tersa.” Still smiling, Nell caught the attention of a passing Corporal and waved him over. “You were just about to make sure all the training weapons were properly sto
red and maintained. With that kind of initiative, you’ll probably have my job someday. The Corporal here will oversee things to make sure you get proper credit.”
Tersa held back a sigh. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to today.
**********
“I agree with your reasoning Cullen,” The Duke said leaning forward at his desk, “but you lack a few pieces of the puzzle.”
“That may be, Your Grace.” The Sergeant was completely respectful with the Duke, and Michael was trying not to let that bother him. “But the biggest piece is the boy himself.”
“He obviously doesn’t have parents, or he’d be at home choosing a Class right now.” Cullen continued to make his case, “He’s in service to Lady Kirstin, but not sworn to the keep, which I’m not asking about, despite a burning curiosity. Whatever the reason, you can’t depend on her, and word is she doesn’t care for the lad.”
“I’m dealing with the Kirstin problem as we speak,” Lewis said blandly.
“That’s well and good Your Grace, but, beggin’ your pardon, your daughter may be a fine lass, but responsible she is not.” Michael found it interesting how Cullen could use words like “beggin’” while sounding like he was making a demand. “Even if she agrees, you should see the boy with a few levels under his belt. With his Ability, she’ll drag him into the Trial well before he’s ready, otherwise. She won’t be able to keep him safe.”
“I’ve made arrangements,” Lewis started.
“I’m aware you have Alistern babysitting,” Cullen cut off, wincing as he realized he’d interrupted the Duke. He started to kneel, to Michael’s wide-eyed amazement, but the Duke stopped him.
“Oh, stop it, Cullen. You’re too pigheaded and arrogant to apologize properly anyway.” Lewis put a hand to his forehead, “How do you know about Alistern?”
“The Craw boy is good at what he does and plenty sneaky.” Cullen shrugged. “I’m better and sneakier.”
“What I’d like to know,” Helmand broke in, “is why you’re so set on training the boy personally. Even to the point of using Mentoring.”
