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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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMtH2I3E6Z
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP0tO0QEJg
On leaving my room, a guard outside looked at me in astonishment before composing his face into a neutral expression.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUNcyw4TYS
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Gntv9tNc
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdhybdKlaL
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQFzn1HAs0
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuPcP5Rs0F
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUZMevhqIg
'Just two poached eggs please and an apple and an orange.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeptCxAkiY
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVT32PteOJ
'We have apples, sire. Not the other.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMW31uaD6x
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjahNudHKg
'Ahh right. Two apples then. And if you can press a few more to get juice out of them, I'll drink that.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NBqozSC7q
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaZI7iY7Em
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu7QX9FyWI
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1oDi0KS9n
'No.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87D5paM3lT
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXjss5S1hu
'Er… forgive me, but just to avoid error, sire, no beef slices in horseradish sauce?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgi9oPnTsy
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjAtDx2R8u
'No.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmj5AKnx6c
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODUDVQbRDr
'Nor the chicken breast in garlic? The bread-and-butter pudding? The…'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplLgFzvWiK
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxGPIHPHni
I caught the servant's eye and with a gulp she stopped speaking.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGm258deUZ
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcRDGrYeOw
'Nothing,' I said firmly, 'other than the eggs, apples and the juice.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpTnFaPo8b
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCf41dTFfv
'Certainly sire,' the woman backed away with an anxious bow.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nFNbqqgMz
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGNa9KvPtd
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytySPMGwhY
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnG16xwoADe
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX2aucadtz
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QRUlZ0rYR
After breakfast, with the help of a servant, I changed into tunic and trousers and good boots, then sent for my trainer.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQrtGQXB1o
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPt4EeCjq4
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXdvnPDaIe
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ567UzB0ehi
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL13CNrtJlR
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CX1sC7nZv
'Fifty?' How hard could it be to walk fifty laps of a square whose sides were only about a hundred metres?487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4M8yZ4eES
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyM8eEpIJR
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57qpQwLtc3
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfI7Ogb2y1A
'Are you sure?' Carradock looked sceptical.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehdz2MDTPH
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxZMqZr6LQ
'Of course. I can do this.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluFdstXLDE
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wORONFrnm
'No, I mean, your left hand.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpskguUnNxc
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkeFs4zSCS
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.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgBeyXhbcf
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7yC4hpBkp
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?487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jRZDZKOf5
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAr1xI9HxW
'Carry it as often as you can. It will make your sword arm stronger.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0sCxMAcsa
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCv8nsiydz
'Now?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnmWozPHay
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTvV8Dyd6P
Carradock nodded, perhaps with a hint of a smile on his narrow, fox-like face.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmn9xW94Nz
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6d9DJvJqr
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLtaARSsuH
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQ41zE13X6
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.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnjV4VEAoW
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmcZVocnqX
'Yes, sire.' She curtsied, but I could tell from her body language she didn't like the duty.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqUHYcqEZ3
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8jWBTEyyn
'And the rest of you, get along with your business.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd083wRjZWg
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX29LzM1Ni
No one spoke, but they all immediately hurried away.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhc3Wnrftg
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmze26t23Se
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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbfVE94Yf4
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dUaJVlKUc
The ambassador drew up close, took in a breath and then bowed. 'Sire?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm3NnN4Y3R
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWODIyDqWzc
This was a welcome excuse for a break, though I was aware that Carradok was watching and probably disapproved.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUgSSOz89d
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbM7E1iY94P
'We need to trade ore for food, what's the best way to go about it?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6kvCAMZbb
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRq17NGhbQ
Figus looked up with some surprise on his face. 'You are seeking my advice?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNZOqynMl2
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvygblOnVRU
'Uh huh,' I was still catching my breath or I'd have pointed out that he was our ambassador after all.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ykcHMjPQo
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Zxrd7fIfK
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDURgen8Nc
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYTAu3ivsu
'Your majesty has no scruples dealing with a Necromancer?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHJEJWDIxj
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FbOhG4gBS
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi2kTVabl6
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwA7TqZyGcu
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.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj6OPs7PLZ
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6czOZu3L4r
'Right so, off you go and make that arrangement.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMeqe0sFIX
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyhQr3Biiu
'Now sire?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgcEhU3Ck3
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw0hDDa3pV
I nodded.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4dM6KOoWn
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecAWzTSkwH
He hesitated. 'How much ore and of what kind and quality will we be offering?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EZ6Yv1E36
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPusKYLulLo
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.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pua1OFgcu
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lwOZZcGIA
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?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqFQ3aTZ8m
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEkqYA0Z0q
'Yes?'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJS2V4HLBa
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpXxBhfzcs
'We don't have a trading vessel, but we would get much better terms if this exchange happened in our ship.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnkwtxoyjQ
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE8M63ji6k
'I'll make that a priority.'487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91vRwHJsdP
487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdJ47gFMwY
'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.487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNGnpcOR99
