by Eric Ugland
And that’s pretty much how things seemed to roll. We drove most of the day, turned off the road somewhere close to sunset, and circled the wagons. Well, squared them at least. Kind of tough to make a circle with just four points. Then I trained with Cleeve, ate some stew, did two watches during the night, threw axes, did pushups, worked up to being a bad ass.
When we passed other caravans, maybe once or twice a day, there was a sort of professional courtesy wave between drivers. Mutual respect and disregard. We’d pass farmers more often, usually a single wagon doping along, sometimes driving right down the center of the road. Then Cleeve or one of the other guards on horseback would have to ride up and get the wagon to move to the side. Occasional bands of armed men on horseback would ride by, always sitting up tall in their saddles, letting their flags whip in the wind. Twice, we passed small bands of the Imperial Legion, marching in time with long polearms and heavy shields. They were serious groups, and we’d often slip off to the side of the road to let them pass. I swear, once we passed a group of adventurers. Disparate races, outfitted with a ton of weapons and armor, only five of them. It was the only thing I could think of that made even an iota of sense.
This went on for a week and a half. My skills slowly improved, first with the axe, and then in the war hammer and the spear. Cleeve still used wooden rods, smacking the shit out of me on a regular basis. But the notifications kept popping. My skill in the arts of war was leveling up. I got closer to touching Cleeve, but it was very clear he was significantly further up the skill tree than me. Also, I’d managed to get nowhere leveling. Killing the goblins and Mahrduhm soldiers on day two of Vuldranni life had done significantly more for me overall than my week plus of being a caravan guard. It forced me to wonder if there’d be any sort of leveling purely through skill development. Were normal people kept low-leveled because of this?
The leveling bothered me, but nowhere near as much as the one thing that truly sucked about this world: no one ever talked to me. I expected the guards and drivers to keep separate, but once we were on the road, there was perpetual mixing. At least socially. Everyone talked to everyone. Except me.
I sort of got it — I was the new guy, and a super-green new guy at that. They were waiting to get the measure of me. But if I was being totally honest with myself, I was doing the same with them.
Darius and Lee were very good friends, which made sense, considering they shared a wagon. But it was a delightful picture seeing the two next to each other, with such a massive disparity in size. They spoke quietly together, and since I knew Lee was new to the world, I started to wonder if the minotaur, Darius, was as well.
Cleeve spent a long time looking at maps, reading books, and writing things in a little notebook. Any talking he did was more or less business oriented. Watching the guards, there was a hint they were all ex-military, as they still saluted on occasion. I wondered if they’d all been part of the Legion. If they’d all been in the same company even.
We passed two small towns, stopping briefly to restock our food and water, but spent our nights under the stars in the middle of nowhere. It almost made me feel like a Boy Scout again, the campfires and sleeping outside.
Chapter 23
On a frost-tinged morning at a crossroads, I finally saw the full might of the Imperial Legion. It sounded like the road itself was rumbling, as a cloud of dust rose from the south. Mounted soldiers came first, taking up the entirety of the road. They didn’t have on full plate, but I assumed that was because they were in traveling mode. Hundreds of heavy calvary rode on massive destriers, looking hard and grim. Then, hundreds more light cavalry. A ton of wagons, laden with supplies of all sorts. And then thousands of foot soldiers. Hundreds more archers. The command group was somewhere in the middle, a bunch of very smart looking men in uniforms in a single extra-large wagon that took up most of the road. There were military units I couldn’t really identify, men and women, races of all kinds, massive creatures I would have pegged as monsters, and even a host of machines of war, like siege weapons and ballistas.
As soon as it was clear the Legion was approaching, we’d pulled off to the side and gotten down from the wagons. I stood there with my mouth agape. It was incredible to see the fighting force the Empire was able to put in place.
“First time seeing the Legion?” Lee asked softly.
“Yeah,” I replied, not taking my eyes off the mass of humanity. And other races. I realized the term really no longer applied in Vuldranni. There were plenty of dwarves, elves, and man-beast hybrids in the ranks. Yet the bulk was still human.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Lee said.
“Same,” I replied.
“Never really a great time, really. Life is busy on the road.”
“And there’s the training.”
“That too.”
“Are there a lot like us?”
“From Earth?”
“Some,” Lee said. “Darius is.”
“I suspected as much. Just the way you two talk and stuff.”
“He’s the only one I’ve met, so, I mean, the only one I can totally confirm.”
“Earth?”
“Oakland.”
“No shit?”
He nodded. “Cleeve hired us on the same day. He thought Darius would be good as a guard, but, well, Darius isn’t exactly—”
“Cleeve mentioned something about that.”
“Yeah. Turns out, though, he’s amazing with animals. Was a vet in, you know—”
“Previous life.”
“Yeah. And I was hired to cook the books.”
“Accounting?”
“Yep. Surprising amount of math involved in the caravan trade.”
“What’s Cleeve’s story?”
“His to tell.”
“I suppose that’s fair.”
“It’s also due to me knowing little about the man. I’ve only been on from Bergamo to Arenberg.”
“Where’s Bergamo?”
“South.”
“Like, south south? Like big bad desert south?”
“I spawned in near there. Thought I wanted to see it. Saw it. That was enough.”
“Why’s that?”
“I was in a city there, mind you—”
“Bergamo?”
“Yep, and even that was more dangerous than I could’ve imagined. It’s still the Empire, but the Erg is full of monsters. Stuff I never believed could exist. Like, breaks the laws of physics existence.”
“Could you give me an example?”
“You ever read Dune?”
“Yeah, a long time ago.”
“Like that. But there’s a clear line, grass meeting sand, very weird, but literal. One side green grass and trees, the other, sand. Now, some sand blows over or whatever, but it doesn’t really accumulate. But those worms will come right up to that line, fighting each other and trying to snag anything moving on the other side. It’s a pointless place. A place of death and nonsense.”
“Sounds like Florida.”
Lee laughed. “Not far off.”
The last of the camp followers trundled by. Those offering services to the soldiers didn’t move with as much discipline, but they made up for it in speed.
Finally, we all saddled up or got on our wagons, and continued west. The Legion had come from the south, made a turn and headed east, and I figured they were going to supplement the Arenberg defenses. Which is totally just something I overheard from the guards and realized was probably the case.
Cole, as per his usual jovial self, looked out at the road with disinterest and displeasure.
“Pretty cool, huh?” I asked Cole.
He looked at me, raised his eyebrow just a hair, then looked back out over the landscape.
We were back to routine.
Chapter 24
From the crossroads on, the road became less and less cohesive. There were definitely sections where it appeared someone had made off with the cut stone, leaving hard packed dirt behin
d. We were out of the of the forests again, and into something closer to rolling hills. Lots of grass, trees here and there, and a lot of rivers. Most were small, with simple stone bridges across them. But one was large enough that we needed to ford it, driving rather deep into the water. Thankfully, being the end of the summer, the rivers weren’t swollen with water, so it was more an interesting exercise than anything actually dangerous.
It was peaceful there, very tranquil. Guarding the caravan was turning out to be remarkably easy. And in those grasslands, it was easy to see things from a tremendous distance, so even if there were bandits or monsters looking to ambush us, it wasn’t exactly likely to happen.
We hadn’t passed many travelers in a while. There were some farmers, wagons trundling along. Mostly though, it was hunters, who were always willing to trade meats and pelts. Cleeve (or Lee) had clearly planned for this, and had plenty of small items ready to go. Bundles of arrows, bags of arrowheads, bow strings, even a new bow for a particularly delicious sturgeon. It was nice to have fresh meat for a change.
Weeks three and four were in these river lands. Mountains stood tall far to the north, and behind us in the east. The road, however, headed ever westward. Occasionally, we’d see forts and castles in the distance, some looking powerful and strong, some looking like they’d fall over if you sneezed nearby. Cole was masterful in ignoring my repeated questions about what those castles were or what they may be guarding.
I continued to practice nightly, most often directly with Cleeve, but occasionally with one of the other guards. Cleeve would always be there, though, instructing me against the other guard. At first, it was hard to get anyone to help, but as soon as they realized they were allowed to actually hit me, a host of very excited volunteers signed up overnight. The pain was a bit much, but considering how quickly I healed, it didn’t really bother me. Besides, any time I was actually sparring, my skills jumped up much quicker, and I could feel my muscles finally understanding what I wanted them to do. They knew how to move a sword to catch a thrust, they knew how to recover when I’d overextended with a war hammer, and they knew how to stop the axe to countercut on a dime. After a month of pretty much constant work, I got a notification.
Congratulations! Due to hard work, you’ve gained +2 STR!
Congratulations! Due to hard work, you’ve gained +3 CON!
Congratulations! Due to hard work, you’ve gained +2 DEX!
I felt stronger and leaner than I ever had in my life. My muscles were huge, veins popping out everywhere. My body fat had to be in the single digits. My hair was still growing, long and luscious, and my beard was full and seemingly perfect. I looked like I belonged on the cover of a viking romance. It felt good.
Bumping about the wagon in the middle of the day, watching over rippling grass fields, I decided to look over my character sheet.
Montana - Lvl 3 Nothing
Traits
Race: Fallen
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 220 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Blonde
Renown: 0 - No one even knows you exist.
Statistics
HP: 139
STAM: 428
MP: 212
Armor: +12 (Studded Leather)
Active Effects: None
Attributes
Strength: 34
Agility: 15
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 23
Wisdom: 13
Intelligence: 13
Charisma: 17
Luck: 27
Unassigned points: 0
Skills
Riding - improvised (LVL 1): You can now ride improvised devices. +5% to handling.
Falling (LVL 1): You can flail through the air with the best of them. Watch for the sudden stop at the end.
Animal Handling (LVL 5): You can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount from getting spooked, intuit an animal’s intentions, or, if you’re really lucky, tame a wild best.
Investigate (LVL 1): Now when you don’t know, try and figure it out! +5% to find the hidden, +5% passive perception.
Harvesting (LVL 5): You can pick plants, you can grab fruit, you can cut neat things out of creatures you slaughter. That’ll save the world, right? At Level 5, you are able to harvest common elements with no penalties. +10% successful gathering chance
Swords (Lvl 2): You can swing sharp objects and likely not hurt yourself. +6% damage. +6% skill.
Spears (Lvl 1) Remember, the pointy end goes towards the enemy. +5% damage. +5% skill.
Unarmed Combat (Lvl 9): You can strike with the fist or the foot, and must register your hands as lethal weapons. -13% stamina drain. +13% damage.
Axes (Lvl 8): You can chop down limbs of trees or men. Or monsters. +19% damage, +12% skill
Large Weapon Throwing (Lvl 9): Take that massive weapon and throw it away! +13% accuracy, +13% damage
Warhammers (Lvl 5): Everything IS a nail. +9% damage, -9% stamina drain
Light Armor (Lvl 3): A little bit of leather goes a long way. +7% dmg reduction, -7% movement penalty
Abilities
The Sword of My Enemy is My Sword: You’ve found that, in a pinch, every weapon will do. +1% dmg for each new weapon used in a combat.
Feats
None
Boons
Powerful Build (Mister Paul) - You are bigger than you look. For all strength roles, you are counted as one size category larger than you actually are.
Regeneration (Mister Paul) - Outside of combat, your body will repair rather quickly. Given enough time, it’s possible you will heal from nearly any wound.
Gift of Gab (Mister Paul) - Should you encounter a language you do not understand, as long as you hear at least three words of it, you will understand it, and speak it, perfectly.
Indicium
None
Relationships
Rumib Pass (destroyed) - Liked
Languages
Goblin
Imperial Common
Mahrduhmese
Spells
Lifeform Identification (Lvl 1) (costs 1 mana) Identify uncommon or lower lifeforms.
Basic Object Identification (Lvl 1) (costs 1 mana) Identify any non-magical common or lower item.
Heal Other [lvl 1] (costs 100 mana). Through the use of magic you are able to heal another through touch. Heal 50 Hp.
Humus [lvl 1] (costs 10 mana). This spell gathers dirt and organic materials, moisture, and bacterial ingredients within one mile/level of the caster and places the mixture anywhere the caster wishes within range. This is humus, the black, enriched soil excellent for growing plants in pots or gardening. Of course, the mage may use it however he wishes, but it is usually for growing things in pots and window boxes. If no such materials are within one mile/level, the spell has no effect.
Not bad. I was moving up in the world, to an extent, and I could definitely see how my nightly sessions were helping me. Despite that, my best skill was, oddly, throwing large weapons. Something I don’t think Cleeve, or anyone else on the caravan, had any idea that I did. I wasn’t exactly sure how useful it’d be in real combat, seeing as it’d mean relinquishing my main weapon, but, well, it might be a good finishing move.
I asked Cole about his character sheet, and about leveling and how this all worked. If there had been any, like philosophical exploration of why there were leveling systems in place. But, the moment I opened my mouth, Cole glared at me until I shut it again. I’d have better luck talking to horses.
But, looking at the sheet did make me realize I wasn’t doing what I could, well, as a gamer, to really maximize my build. Any minute of any day could be spent grinding in some form or another. So I started identifying each and every life form I passed. It was mostly trees and shrubs, but there were plenty of birds too, and some occasional rodents. I tested the range of the spell, trying to get a bead on lifeforms that were farther and farther from the wagon. I discovered it could go about a hundred yards. After
that, nothing. Also, I needed to keep my attention focused on the object for about an entire second, which doesn’t seem like a lot of time until you try to focus on a bird a hundred yards a way while riding a bumpy wagon.
At night, I added some more spell-work to my routine, identifying everything in walking range, then casting humus over and over again, leaving small clumps of fertile earth everywhere. And whenever I found a hurt insect, or anything really, I healed it. Heal other as a spell can be very versatile because it seems to heal anything living that isn’t me. Including plants. Every place we camped became a little healthy oasis, and I felt good leaving every morning, knowing that, at the least, I’d made a small place better.
Chapter 25
We left the river lands and climbed up a long set of hills. The land became thick with trees, big deciduous things, and there were lots of little critters about the place, scurrying about and chittering at us from their upper bough safety.
Coming around a bend in a thick part of the forest, we found the wagons in front of us had stopped. So we stopped.
I saw something across the road, so I pulled the axe out of the wagon. I walked up on the side of the wagons until I heard muffled voices. Cleeve and Nikolai, the head guard, sat on horseback, talking to each other.
“… obviously an ambush,” Cleeve said. “Question is, what kind.”
Nikolai looked around, “Shoddy. They have given us too much time.”
