After forty-two laps, I was beyond exhausted, my large body drenched in sweat, my left arm on fire. Every time a citizen came through they stopped in complete astonishment, sometimes gathering in groups to stare, until a frown sent them scurrying about their work. I lived for the nod of approval from Carradock each time I arrived back at the gate against which he leaned, often in conversation with other soldiers. Also, for the thought of a long, long warm bath.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMbuCtGPc1
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A castle servant, the one from breakfast, was ahead of me, twisting her apron in her hands and looking everywhere but into my face.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNuj57q68o
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'Wha'?' I wheezed out.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsa83pelXvP
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'Chef–' she flung her hand out in a gesture towards the keep, where a short man in what looked like a grey baker's outfit '–wants to know what to prepare for dinner.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmdyQwts4F
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoNeza7x79
'Dear lord.' I came to a stop, worried my aching legs would not want to resume. 'It's not important. But keep it simple.' My predecessor had obviously enjoyed eating extensive meals with several courses. 'Just a couple of slices of roast meat and …' What would an athlete eat? Food with plenty of protein and vitamins. 'Wait. Grilled fish. Nuts. Fresh vegetables, like tomatoes and carrot, that don't need much, if any, cooking.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeUu2y5hX3
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I wasn't really hungry just now, my body was too stressed, but no doubt my appetite would revive later.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvcX50EMg4
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'Ahh…'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWg3W2sYGZ
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'What?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JgFCzENrx
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'Chef won't be pleased.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWglVAfQh5
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I stared at her. 'Hands up if you are king.' I put my own hand up. 'That puts me in charge.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9WYJVIKHC
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JU1QFlz5S
Once she had turned away, alarmed, I returned my focus back into my final few laps. Although it was distracting I when I turned a corner and was facing the keep: there I could see the chef remonstrating with the servant. He kept looking over at me, as though in appeal, but I wasn't having any of it and focused on moving one leg, then the next, and on keeping hold of that enormously heavy sword.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR8OA1Vuyt
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I wasn't allowed to settle into my rhythm again though, for with a clatter of metal-hooves on cobblestone, a small group of riders came into the barracks yard. Some were soldiers of mine but one was carrying a green pennant (deep green, with a golden wolf's head) and dressed in expensive-looking clothes.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke3ODWkvKi
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'King Carlos?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBIO0A48HA
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Either I looked dumb, having forgotten my name here, or else the new arrival was dismayed by my appearance.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoQq7pRKd6
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'King Carlos?' he tried again.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoVpMnhYCJ
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'Yes?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6VHOLYJa0
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My impression that this was a man who was attentive to his looks was reinforced as he dismounted and made his bow. No one had a beard as neat his without some effort.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TJX5F84Hy
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlY4C9D7zWq
'Lord Oseso, ambassador to his majesty King Wace of Southway.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWs0dldBSs
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPj1S0OlRMM
'Pleased to meet you.' My politeness was automatic. I felt no warmth towards this man. Quite apart from the fact his rich, fur-lined cloak and black, oiled hair alienated me, this was the enemy.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1FLidazAj
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A crowd was gathering as soldiers and civilians moved closer to hear the ambassador's words.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw47G4QQC02
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'Perhaps we can take some refreshment in private?' Lord Oseso suggested.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjusIbpdLYw
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I shook my head. 'There's nothing you can say that I would hide from my people. Why are you here?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7DXExnRX8
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'Are you sure?' There was a knowing sneer in his gaze, inviting some kind of complicity from me.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeLcvn8DA1
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'Get on with it. I'm busy.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsQXyGxYvR
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Supressing a smile, the ambassador from Southland shrugged, as if to pass off any blame. 'King Wace, in his generosity, offers to make Greyland a dependency of Southway. You,' he gestured to everyone, 'are spared conquest. And you personally, sire, will be given a comfortable retirement, dining on the finest food of our realm in the company of delightful personal companionship, in return for implementing the decisions of his highness on your interface.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQScfwYilMg
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A silence fell over the square and even the crows stilled their caws, as if to listen to my answer. I let my heart and breath settle.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm3oOiBxuX
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlEPTx9sdU
'Firstly, we are not conquered yet. Secondly, we all know what it would mean for our kingdom to be run by an invader…' I raised my voice for all to hear. 'People dragged off to work wherever your ruler wanted; our soldiers used up in his battles to spare his own troops; our wealth drained into your coffers; starvation and ruin here.' I knew what I was talking about, it's what I intended to do to them.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP8Ec7MAws
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Lord Oseso shook his head. 'Careful what you say next, this offer won't come again.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjPPzrrvtY
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iI8B9dE0K
'Good. If we see you again, you'll be executed as a spy. Greyland will never surrender and you can tell King Wace that unless he withdraws from our territory, it is he who will suffer conquest.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnxoD0eHdA
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'I'll tell him of your empty threat and he will laugh. And he will remind you of it when you are in chains at his feet.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4GVFKyUVW
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRvobisloN
'That is disrespectful.' I was furious and at least a part my anger was drawn from the uncomfortable feeling, fear even, that he was going to be proven right. I walked over to him, using my height and bulk to lean down and snarl. 'Vincit qui patitur, he who endures conquers. And Greyland will endure.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FAkbzCmpe
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Perhaps he saw the determination in my eyes. Perhaps he understood how close I was to striking him with the sword in my left hand, which no longer felt heavy. In any case, the ambassador's head dropped and he stepped back, then turned away to find his horse and remount.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdfYaV44I4
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'Blindfold him and lead his horse. Don't let him look around as he leaves.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrosZ3tBvtI
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'Yes sir.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nfhXU9sZ2
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'Right, then everyone, back to work. We're going to have to work extremely hard, myself included, to endure and escape conquest.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfPb9bblIM
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcZgVEaa4L
Muttering broke out among the people and it was hard to judge the tone. Certainly, it was not the cheering enthusiasm of a people rallying to their king. But among the soldiers especially there were several faces that looked brighter and more supportive than they had.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3mWhQBJk7
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'Now, Carradock. I was on lap forty-four, was I not?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmLyJNLyue
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'Forty-three sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyZLN1o3yE
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'Damn pedant.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZml3piIgWW
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjSjedlmcB
The last few laps were painful. It did help, however, that I could study the town menus and take my mind from the constant complaints of my body. That gave me one measure of the effect of my responses to the ambassador from Southway, which was that the score for Happiness under the people menu had risen from 14 to 16. At least it hadn't gone down, so on the whole, they seemed to approve of resistance rather than surrender.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrOpEfWQS8
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It was the military menu that got me thinking again.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQr0pvYEff
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Military387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpTHPV5a09
Light infantry: 32387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhf5oKtIER
Heavy infantry: 12387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzllZYCz4A
Archers: 18387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtMpuYSEJ5
Light cavalry: 24387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5rb6C4AOX
Heavy cavalry: 4387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA25fDyzky
Ballista: 1387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZZU5uDHzk
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Hospital: 17387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0FDalIBWy
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFJvbn1Q31
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Currently training: 1 heavy cavalry387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQhhYhfItN
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwIzqvBbkz
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Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
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Why was I training heavy cavalry? They were costly in terms of iron and tactically useless. We would be holding defensive positions for the foreseeable future and while I hoped the day would come when I rode at the head of a line of formidable heavy cavalry, that was a long way off. Although it meant losing whatever raw materials my predecessor had invested in the project, I cancelled the heavy cavalry from the training queue and instead added fifteen archers to it, at a cost of 10 iron ingots and 15 gold and 15 of the unassigned townspeople.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDzPm3krRB
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That left me 12 unassigned townspeople to think about. Before setting them to various tasks, I needed to know about building a trading vessel. When I tried to call up information about ships, I got a frustrating message.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSom6HNH4bo
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Shipbuilding387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGCELHvYYw
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Unknown.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW05C8NVTNz
Create a Shipwright to unlock this option.
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'Hey, you!' I called out to a skinny youth, who was hanging around near the steps of the keep watching me with earnest eyes as though I was last man in for a cricket team that was over a hundred runs behind. And I couldn't tell if he wanted me to fail or succeed.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGh3Ox4Dk6
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'Sire?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNJdRKkEqj
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'Get the Chief Carpenter for me.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAz4ZWe3kPM
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'Yes, sire.' The lad got up without any urgency and strolled down a shadow-filled street.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EeA7QzrHE
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I was on lap forty-six when the carpenter arrived, he was a bald, confident looking man, with intelligent brown eyes.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKZ6uwaAY3
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'Walk with me,' I grunted.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCOPUqPE6G
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'Sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlR0KKgJd1N
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'Can you make us a trading ship?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTImFGDicwx
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The question came as a surprise but he took it well, hardly faltering in his step. 'No sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtbjvG3B9H
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'What if I researched Shipbuilding One?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTy5QRHSmK
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The man looked at me, surprised, then down at the ground. 'As you know, sire, I only have access to a limited menu in order that I can view my tasks... I couldn't be sure about research, but Shipbuilding does sound like it will make the role of Shipbuilder available to you.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVNW8VRv4V
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'And I can then assign someone to it?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibLRYbexpu
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'If it becomes an option sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaD1gYCiwn
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'Would you like to do it?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIW0x4ly5qn
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'Me? It's up to you sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67JxsyEcQh
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8iumPwyXN
'Yes,' I said, a little impatiently. 'I know that. But I'd rather people enjoyed their work than hated it.' This wasn't just coming from my innate sense of politeness, it was practical too. I wanted that town happiness score to rise and surely by assigning the right people to the right jobs, at least when it came to specialist roles, that was going to help?387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeugd0AJF8
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLj0jjs2m4
We walked the entire length of the barracks square and turned back towards Carradock before the carpenter answered. 'I think I would like that sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tLcfyW1N2
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmGygezmOz
'Right so, find someone in your workshop who wants to be the Chief Carpenter and I'll make you Shipbuilder in…' I checked the research menu, dropped Navigation (there was no penalty, but I risked having to restart it again from the beginning), as it still had five days to go, and swapped to Shipbuilding 1, 'four days.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmRRJGKL0n
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'Thank you sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBd0iqH0HgB
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'Now tell me this. I see a lot of people in the town. But not very many on the menus. Why is that?'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9y2Y7odqT
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5QijjctSp
Again, the carpenter looked astonished. Then a little wary, as if I'd set a trap. 'People want to join the menu, sire, to serve the goddess... and you. But it's limited, isn't it? They can't get on unless you've been able to make room.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctyQbftXZ9
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05kW3CdJ9w
That wasn't an answer that clarified very much, but I gave him a grunt to signal he could go back to work. It was as much as I could manage. As for the twelve unassigned people in the town, I decided to leave them for now. Soon I'd want shipbuilders and sailors.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtczextv8OH
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Forty-seven.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAGXtoTCDh
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Forty-eight.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CGopb8tqi
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Forty-nine.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbj9NHBcuN
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Fifty.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKKTfZ1VxL
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'That's me done for the day.' I spoke to Carradock with as much nonchalance as I could muster. As if I could do another fifty, although every muscle was groaning.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11dI8a4iAJ
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyjp6wsBGd
'Well done Sire.'387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4waWGGPid5
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That acknowledgement lifted me all the way back to the keep.
