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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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkxeATByPV
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pBHqnYFAb
On leaving my room, a guard outside looked at me in astonishment before composing his face into a neutral expression.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6jHfhHdCA
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACUUOJTTxn
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHv68LLF58
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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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcMifChIsP
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'Just two poached eggs please and an apple and an orange.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfM14wmSzh
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzZ1KUTdeN
'We have apples, sire. Not the other.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXLIgBbZZR
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBG6ZqS51C
'Ahh right. Two apples then. And if you can press a few more to get juice out of them, I'll drink that.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVoRvxi2FO
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOqAXXvimo
'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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4Z9HBj2XD
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'No.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFElBftNyKq
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2qIoyWQqH
'Er… forgive me, but just to avoid error, sire, no beef slices in horseradish sauce?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkgKhcw4Ua
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZRfVDI9CA
'No.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRBOynD93E
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMaXyrWpXm
'Nor the chicken breast in garlic? The bread-and-butter pudding? The…'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEpw78hTch
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtd0QpCWZk
I caught the servant's eye and with a gulp she stopped speaking.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqdFb5f92s
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJLMSz4wtV
'Nothing,' I said firmly, 'other than the eggs, apples and the juice.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEckAPq6cE
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEboG0N1LA
'Certainly sire,' the woman backed away with an anxious bow.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsLBvRYEze
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVsiDcATL2
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfmXNY8GP8
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeANiPpbJz
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalBSaDHqO2
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb7xgdZyDB
After breakfast, with the help of a servant, I changed into tunic and trousers and good boots, then sent for my trainer.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVUzS1iveU
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpiUOydFOx
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZtnJp297o
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMMpmwhmEd
'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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7fuUkQr9v
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzD8bXfwpUo
'Fifty?' How hard could it be to walk fifty laps of a square whose sides were only about a hundred metres?388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7dRS7ZVNd
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgjGWSnw7G
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnmpmC9p7I
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5SOMHj3eX
'Are you sure?' Carradock looked sceptical.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKOhVJP0oB
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN4q13gbSI
'Of course. I can do this.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS4fzxL4rD
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTW0izUptBN
'No, I mean, your left hand.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J0xHagD1W
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGM3e8LS6Im
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.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVefSMXiQNo
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokW8flclow
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?388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mTIGO8vqY
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiEM4j9vCC
'Carry it as often as you can. It will make your sword arm stronger.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVd5vMJnzX0
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxrrbTXf9A
'Now?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXAlfUii0h
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ163TvTc4em
Carradock nodded, perhaps with a hint of a smile on his narrow, fox-like face.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTk1Ni9ReH
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGKXVbbb0k
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrYs3WeDWB
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkb8sfd4Z3
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.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuM74MV5z1
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXjUlmuuzz
'Yes, sire.' She curtsied, but I could tell from her body language she didn't like the duty.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqyb8JCNec
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6aKx30tuO
'And the rest of you, get along with your business.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMUiIUi7Eo
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmdqjn5n2Q
No one spoke, but they all immediately hurried away.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yBPIQpUrB
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlDRPOgeL7
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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZhiu4DGQk
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcVvREUsN4
The ambassador drew up close, took in a breath and then bowed. 'Sire?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjX46H07Sj
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1HSiU6c2S
This was a welcome excuse for a break, though I was aware that Carradok was watching and probably disapproved.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QBfO56ywC
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXMwNXkaBR
'We need to trade ore for food, what's the best way to go about it?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZkKSAzzEM
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZgtoBM7xX
Figus looked up with some surprise on his face. 'You are seeking my advice?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbINxB40YZ
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoOvMXvRO6
'Uh huh,' I was still catching my breath or I'd have pointed out that he was our ambassador after all.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRDdDy9mEh
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKd6D6T6gwB
'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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVZ129ZOJj
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJAMiOoxRh
'Your majesty has no scruples dealing with a Necromancer?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAD4N5THIG
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5HNTwfgqr
'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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrMFQO5pVu
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylCUBLe4ew
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.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ch6v6bH8E
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6HqWDhqI2
'Right so, off you go and make that arrangement.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx3nLjcOhv
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCssQEvZyjG
'Now sire?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56KgbQei6Y
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgH1xVWM01
I nodded.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkg0I8KAjny
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi2GEV92DW
He hesitated. 'How much ore and of what kind and quality will we be offering?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8hhiQIQiP
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgLdLnkPV0
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.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Hbm0YkaV
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzbZwXBLkZ
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?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDeY6VsJL8
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8MDF7InDP
'Yes?'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpR0QraUD1
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf8xN5wdXG
'We don't have a trading vessel, but we would get much better terms if this exchange happened in our ship.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaIq0luEg5
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOH69sEJAGp
'I'll make that a priority.'388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2FcudVWTa
388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPeMvIpf1Q
'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.388Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3hsscuJCr
