《Eldritch Blade: Knight With A Thousand Eyes》 C1 - Useless Human Boy (Double-Length Chapter) Once, humans were the only people in the world. They built a magnificent civilization, and although they warred against each other, it was nothing compared to what would follow. Everything changed when wizards discovered summoning magic, which they first used to pull creatures from another world. These creatures looked mostly like regular animals, but usually bigger and sometimes with unfamiliar patterns to their skin or fur. Dwarves and elves also came through the summoning portals. These were mostly pioneer expeditions, and they shared their knowledge of magic with the humans. However, once the doors opened, monsters came through¡ªand the worst monsters of all were demons. Demons bore a horrific power: when they killed someone, they got stronger. The demons who killed the most people quickly became generals and leaders of smaller armies of demons. Before many years had passed, three great Demon Lords rose and conquered their own kingdoms. Humans fled from their own civilizations toward the south, away from the demons. There were many fewer resources in the south, but the demons didn¡¯t seem interested in chasing them. The humans tentatively built new kingdoms and worked hard to survive in a more hostile corner of the world than the bounty they¡¯d once known. News quickly spread that the three Demon Lords had made a truce with each other so that no competitors would ever rise among them. Demons were heavily regulated concerning who they could kill, unless they were very weak to begin with, so the Demon Lords would have no new competition. Non-demon monsters lacked this power of growth, but they grew stronger when they lived in the lands stagnated by demonic influence. So, mostly, monsters stayed in demonic lands. The farther one got from the demon lands, the safer one was. So long as they kept their distance, humans were fairly safe. Humans reforged an empire, and the Imperial Knights were known as righteous heroes who protected the weak. One of the greatest Imperial Knights lived several hundred years after the Demon Lords made their kingdoms. His name was Ajax, named after an ancient hero. Ajax was said to have not even a single character flaw. People said that he¡¯d never uttered a lie, not even as a child, nor had he ever struck another person out of anger, but only raised his sword to defend those who cannot defend themselves. He was rumored even to be a friend to the emperor himself. So it was a great mystery when Ajax took his wife and young son and left the capital, going to live in a village to the very far south. Gossip quickly spread across noble society that Ajax had been putting on a front his whole life, that he was actually a cruel and selfish man who had used his position to take whatever he wanted, and that the emperor had exiled him upon learning the truth. But Ajax lived a good life as a village farmer until he died several years later. He left behind his wife, son, and his newborn daughter. About 10 years later, his son Achilles was sixteen, and was unfortunately a useless boy. The village was small, and everyone was supposed to work hard to help everybody else. There are few resources in the area, so farming was very careful work and a single animal getting sick was a great tragedy, because if it died, nobody could eat its sick meat. Achilles hated working. Though he was proficient in tending to vegetables and animals, he didn¡¯t enjoy doing it, and often shirked his duties. He preferred to practice with a ¡°sword.¡± It was really a stick that he swung in sword drills he¡¯d invented. All of this exasperated his mother ¡°I know you want to become an Imperial Knight,¡± she said, ¡°but you would¡¯ve needed to start at the age of ten! You would¡¯ve needed to be at the Imperial Academy six years ago!¡± She said fate had decided he was to be a farmer, so it was his duty to be the best farmer he could be. Achilles was to work hard so that when he was a man, he could marry a good girl and have a good family with her. Achilles hated hearing this! He was ashamed that, even though his father had been an Imperial Knight, that he couldn¡¯t follow in his footsteps. He had no idea why his father had left the capital to live in this village, nor why he¡¯d chained up his sword and kept it in the cellar, nor why Achilles wasn¡¯t allowed to touch it. Achilles told himself every day that he simply needed to practice in his free time, so that when he was a man he could leave for the capital. By then, he¡¯d have developed his own fighting style. That would take the place of the training he would¡¯ve received at the Imperial Academy, and have the advantage of being unique and original! There were some other children about his age in the village, and none of them liked Achilles very much, because he didn¡¯t care about the things normal children liked to do. He didn¡¯t enjoy dancing on festival nights, nor going into the woods and throwing rocks into the stream. No, whenever Achilles had free time, he trained. Their village was far from the demon lands, about as far away as one could get in the country. Because of this, there were few monsters around. Usually, when news of monsters came, they were attacking a town a couple of days away. Small villages like theirs had little for monsters to capture, except maybe livestock. But one day, as Achilles was practicing, he saw a man limping down the road coming toward the village. The man clearly needed help, and Achilles ran to his side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mister?¡± he asked. He¡¯d thought the man was perhaps old when he saw him and how slow he was walking, but as he got closer, Achilles saw that this was a man in his forties, holding a traveling cloak around him which was stained dark in places.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Orcs!¡± said the man. ¡°Orcs killed almost everybody in the two villages just north of here! I¡¯m sure they¡¯re coming here also, and then going even further south! Run, boy, and warn everybody!¡± There were no villages farther south. Theirs was the last one. Achilles¡¯s heart froze with fear for a moment, but then he felt a tremble of excitement. Monsters were coming! He would defend his village with the other men! Their village was larger than the two to the north. Surely, the men of those villages would¡¯ve weakened the orcs and they would be in no shape to attack this village! And of course, there wouldn¡¯t likely have been anybody in those villages who would know how to use a sword like Achilles did. Achilles led the man to his house, where his mother was grinding grain. ¡°Achilles!¡± she exclaimed when she saw him. ¡°What on Earth is going on? Who is this man?¡± She quickly understood the truth, seeing the bloodstains on his cloak, and laid the man down and prepared medicine for him. She listened quickly to everything the man said, her face pale. ¡°If only your father was still alive!¡± she said to Achilles. ¡°He might¡¯ve been able to save the other villages.¡± Excitement filled Achilles. ¡°But I have his sword, Mom! And I know how to use it! I can help defend the village. We¡¯ll fight them off, I¡¯m sure of it!¡± His mother looked as though she wanted to slap him. ¡°We can¡¯t fight them!¡± she snapped. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen orcs before! You don¡¯t know what they do to the villages they attack! An orc stands much taller than a human, and they have enough strength to cut through a shield! Even a normal soldier would have a very hard time surviving a fight with an orc. Only an Imperial Knight would have any hope of beating one.¡± Achilles had never seen his mother like this. He felt fear again, but pushed away. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell everybody else,¡± he said. ¡°Then we¡¯ll decide what to do!¡± He turned and ran away, even as his mother yelled at him to not do anything stupid. Achilles ran to the other men of the village and told them what the injured man had said. To Achilles¡¯s astonishment, none of the other men wanted to fight. They all looked as terrified as his mother had, and they talked among themselves about how there was nowhere they could go close by, how they would need to go Northeast and try to get to a larger town defended by actual soldiers. Achilles wanted to yell at them that they were being cowards, that if they created an ambush and used a good strategy, they could surely defeat the orcs. What his mother had told him about the inhuman strength of orcs seemed foolish. How could a creature be so powerful they could break through a shield? If there were truly monsters like that so close by, Imperial Knights would¡¯ve wiped them out. Most monsters were only about as dangerous as wolves. At least, that¡¯s what Achilles had heard from the people who came through town from other places and talked about the monsters and interesting things they¡¯d seen. Shortly after Achilles had spread the news, all the adults came together in the biggest house in the middle of the village, and they tried to figure out what they were going to do. The injured man said the orcs were several hours away, that they wouldn¡¯t arrive until night. Achilles tried to tell people they should fight, but no one would listen. They all treated him like he was an idiotic child. Eventually, it was decided that the women and the children would immediately flee, while the men would prepare a barricade and made it look as though they were defending the village from the orcs when they came. Hopefully, the orcs wouldn¡¯t immediately go searching for the women and children. The men would then flee in a different direction, and hopefully lead the orcs away and outrun them. After all, the orcs had just destroyed two villages. They must be exhausted. Achilles decided he needed to take the role of the man of the house and help his mother pack everything up. They didn¡¯t have much. When they got to wherever they were going, they could fit all their belongings within a small city apartment. Achilles¡¯s mother said that he¡¯d once lived in a large house in a city, but he couldn¡¯t remember that. They¡¯d left the capital when he was only six, after all. His sister, Diana, had never lived in a city at all. She¡¯d been born in the village. Being ten years old, Diana was bright and glowing and full of life. She and Achilles had golden curly hair, like their father, not like their mother¡¯s prematurely gray hair, which had turned that way from stress. Diana understood that monsters were coming, but she didn¡¯t seem to register the gruesome aspects of everybody being murdered. She did understand that they were being driven out of their home, and this made her cry. But Achilles gave Diana a tight hug and told her he would protect her and their mother, no matter what. He said that everybody in the village was going too, so they weren¡¯t really leaving anything behind. When they moved somewhere else, it would just look a little different, but they wouldn¡¯t have really lost anything. Diana calmed down after that and returned her brother¡¯s hug. However, Achilles wasn¡¯t allowed to stay back with the grown men to barricade the village and pretend to defend it. He argued with his mother for a long time, loudly, until she grabbed him by the shoulders. ¡°This is the moment you show me you can be a man!¡± she snapped. ¡°Show me that you can protect our family as your father protected us. Come so that nothing will happen to us. Do you understand what I need you to do, Achilles?¡± Achilles understood that, on some level, his mother was treating him like a child. She was making what she ¡®wanted¡¯ him to do sound more appealing. But he also understood that what she said was true. It wasn¡¯t as if the other men of the village even intended to face the orcs. They only wanted to give the impression they were going to defend the village. Achilles might as well be with his family so that he could protect them on the road. So he agreed. ¡°All right, Mom. I¡¯ll stay with you and Diana.¡± They put their belongings in a cart and had their four goats pull the cart. Achilles¡¯s father¡¯s sword was at the bottom of all their belongings, for his mother said he couldn¡¯t touch it. Achilles carried his practice sword instead, which was a heavy stick. It would do the job better than nothing. They traveled on a side path in the forest along with the other women and children of the village. Trees loomed over them, their leaves orange and red as the season turned to fall. The wind whistled through the trees, bringing sounds like footsteps nearby. For the first time, Achilles felt uneasy. But the enemy never appeared at the back of the path, and they walked four hours until the middle of the night. However, Achilles had a scheme. He couldn¡¯t just leave the other men of the village. If somebody just provided them an example of courage, surely they would be inspired to defend their village. They could destroy the monsters, and would never let them kill anybody again. So that night, when his mother and sister had fallen asleep by their fire, Achilles snuck to the cart which carried their belongings. He held his breath tensely as he rummaged¡ªand finally felt the cold, heavy object at the bottom. Achilles wiggled the sword free of the cart, its sheath chained to the crossguard so tightly that it didn¡¯t even rattle. This was the first time he¡¯d held it. Achilles couldn¡¯t draw it, because the chains were welded shut. However, it was his father¡¯s weapon. It would be a better weapon than a simple stick, and Achilles believed his father¡¯s noble spirit would bless him through it. The travel from the village had been agonizingly slow. The path was narrow, not intended for carts drawn by goats and pigs. When Achilles sprinted back down the path, he hoped it would be much faster. But Achilles hadn¡¯t accounted for the oppression of isolation in the dead of night. Though the fat moon was high in the sky and provided trickles of light through the swaying tree branches for Achilles to see by, it felt as though the darkness hid a thousand predators, each with their eyes fixed on him. Could Achilles fend off a wildcat? What about a wolf or a bear? No¡­ probably not a bear. Achilles swallowed hard and tried simultaneously to keep his footsteps quiet and to run even faster. Once he caught up with the men of the village, they¡¯d have strength in numbers. But despite how fast he traveled alone, Achilles was surprised when he glimpsed the dancing glow of fire light ahead. It hasn¡¯t even been an hour, he thought. What¡¯s going¡ª He skidded to a halt in the middle of the path, because the hulking shadows he barely saw coming around the bend at the furthest edge of the path weren¡¯t human at all. More than a dozen tusked, two-meter-high figures lumbered along the path, grunting and barking at each other. Clad in tattered animal hide, they wielded torches, shields, and huge axes that were like cleavers in their green and meaty hands. All the weapons were covered in fresh blood. Orcs had killed all the men of the village, and Achilles was now standing under moonlight, easily visible to them. They were coming for the women and children. C2 - Awaken the Eldritch Blade Several orcs saw Achilles! They pointed with their weapons and shouted in their strange, guttural language! Achilles turned and sprinted off the path. The orcs¡¯ torch light had taken away some of his night vision, so he stumbled over rocks and branches as he ran. He clutched his father¡¯s sword to his chest, grateful that it was chained so tightly shut that it couldn¡¯t clank, but wishing desperately that he could draw it. came a voice from very close by. Achilles almost soiled himself and ran faster in terror. said the voice again. Achilles stumbled and spun around, looking for who was talking to him. He could see nobody. There were no orcs close by, nor even any humans. And the voice that spoke wasn¡¯t one he recognized. It wasn¡¯t even the voice of the man who warned them about the orcs. But then Achilles heard the strange language of the orcs and realized they were coming through the tree line toward him. They¡¯d killed all the men of the village who couldn¡¯t get away in time, or who¡¯d maybe fought back after all instead of fleeing to distract the monsters from the women and children. Now they were going to kill ¡®him.¡¯ said the voice. Though bewildered at this voice, Achilles was quick-thinking enough that he didn¡¯t just stand there, but he continued running away while he was trying to understand what was going on. ¡°This sword?¡± he said in a whisper, between heavy breaths. His father¡¯s sword? That made no sense. said the voice. Achilles realized he was running back along the path toward the women and children, and he felt sudden horror at the idea he might¡¯ve been leading the orcs toward them. He veered off the path, running toward the stream in the woods. Since orcs were monsters, they might have a strong sense of smell. Achilles knew that when you hunted a wild animal, your dogs could lose the scent if the animals went into the water. said the sword, Virgil. ¡°I ¡®borrowed¡¯ you,¡± said Achilles, ¡°but I am being chased by orcs. They killed all the men of the village!¡± said the sword, ¡°He died a long time ago,¡± said Achilles. He felt suddenly, irrationally angry toward his father. If he¡¯d been alive, he could¡¯ve saved everybody! How dare he die a stupid farmer¡¯s death instead of continuing to live as a knight? Surely the gods had punished him for his cowardice!Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. said Virgil. Achilles flushed with shame. He couldn¡¯t believe those thoughts had just run through his head. He was a terrible son to think such things. Whatever his father had done, surely it was for a good reason. Achilles couldn¡¯t remember him very well, but he¡¯d always been a kind, hard-working man. But then he realized the sword had responded to his thoughts. said Virgil. Achilles kept running. His night vision had returned. Whenever moonlight came down through the trees, it gave Achilles enough of the picture to see where he was going. But he was still no nocturnal predator, so he kept bumping into things and scraping his arms on thorn bushes. said Virgil, Achilles cried out as he stepped on a sharp rock that pierced through his leather shoe into his foot. said Virgil. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything!¡± said Achilles instinctively, then forced himself to communicate with the sword only through his thoughts. ¡®If all the men couldn¡¯t stop them, how could I? Even if I had a proper sword, I don¡¯t even think I could fight ¡°one¡± of them! I¡¯m not a knight.¡¯ Virgil agreed. Achilles¡¯s destination, the stream, came into view ahead. Moonlight shone upon it, reflecting an otherworldly silver sheen. The orcs sounded as though they stumbled through the woods. Not being used to the area, and likely having no better night vision than Achilles did, they weren¡¯t even close to catching up. Their infuriated cries were halfway between screams and roars. Achilles came to the water¡¯s edge. ¡®All right, he thought, ¡®how are you supposed to help me? Even if I was a master swordsman, I can¡¯t break the scabbard chains with my bare hands!¡¯ said Virgil with a chuckle. Every chain link shattered like brittle ice! To his astonishment, Achilles now held a much lighter sword and sheath. They seemed unnaturally light, as easy to carry as a tree branch. said Virgil, ¡®I don¡¯t care about that!¡¯ thought Achilles. ¡®I just want to save my mother and sister, and the people who¡¯ve taken care of me here all my life. They¡¯re good people!¡¯ said Virgil, sounding patient, ¡°So what do you want for me!?¡± snapped Achilles, driven to speaking by the terror of the approaching orcs. Achilles hardly had to consider it. Of ¡®course¡¯ he would take this responsibility. He would be a hero some day, and that¡¯s what heroes did. ¡®Yes,¡¯ he thought. Virgil screamed. Achilles drew the eldritch blade. From his shadow, into the darkness all around him, upon the trees and on the rocks and even across the water, there sprouted one thousand shining eyes. They revealed to him the truth of the world. C3 - A Warriors First Battle! (Double-Length Chapter) Achilles drew his father¡¯s sword, and one thousand eyes spread from his shadow onto the ground and the trees and the rushing water. He didn¡¯t know how he could count the eyes so fast, in an instant, but he somehow knew there were exactly one thousand there! New information poured into his head. He realized truths about himself that had been invisible before. He had a ¡°class¡± that was called ¡°Human.¡± Of course, he¡¯d known he was human before, but now he understood that it granted him certain abilities. He had the trait ¡°Human Versatility,¡± which gave him a bonus to all experience points he earned. However, he saw that humans gained Hit Points, or HP, at a very slow rate. They got 1 at birth and then 1 additional HP for each ten years they lived¡ªuntil they faded with the weakness of old age. He understood that HP referred to how many solid hits from any enemy a person could take before dying. And as the orcs burst through the tree line toward the stream where Achilles was standing, he could see their own classes. There were seven orcs, six of which only belonged to the basic Orc class. In an instant, Achilles understood that orcs were also born with one HP, but gained between 1 and 8 HP every time they gained a level, though they gained no more simply by aging. Because these orcs had only one level each, they had between 4 and 7 HP each. There was one enormous figure at the front of their group, and he wore a spiked helmet which gave him an air of menace. He was 2nd Level, and his class was Orc Captain. His HP was 15! Achilles¡¯s head whirled with all this new information, this new way of looking at the world. Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. screamed Virgil. The orcs didn¡¯t react to his voice, and Achilles realized that only he could hear Virgil. said Virgil. Achilles suddenly understood how to do this. He extinguished one of his thousand eyes and then could see clearly in the darkness, up to ten meters away! said Virgil. But can¡¯t I fight them now? asked Achilles, even as he was turning to dash away. This is amazing! I feel like I could conquer the world! Though he felt unstoppable, Achilles saw the logic. Holding the sword in one hand and the sheathe in the other, he splashed through the stream and disappeared deeper into the forest. Because he could see up to ten meters away, it was simple to could dodge between trees and boulders. He knew these woods well, even so far out, and quickly regained his bearings. The orcs fell farther and farther behind, unable to even track his footsteps in the middle of the night. Achilles stopped and breathed hard behind an enormous boulder in the middle of the forest. His eldritch eyes slithered all around him in the shadows cast by moonlight on the trees in the rocks. Achilles realized he could probably only see them also, just as the orcs couldn¡¯t hear Virgil¡¯s voice. This is incredible! thought Achilles. I can¡¯t believe I can see in the dark. said Virgil. If one can let me see in the dark, thought Achilles, then I can¡¯t even imagine what the rest can do. said Virgil. Achilles nodded. asked Virgil. Yes, thought Achilles. I saw that they deal 1d2 damage. That means either 1 or 2 damage. I don¡¯t know what that means, though. I wasn¡¯t able to think about it for more than a few moments. Achilles hated to hear that, but he knew in his heart that what Virgil said was true. Then they can easily kill me. He could see all his own system attributes. He only had 2 HP, and so only had a 50% chance to survive even a single blow from one orc. And there were seven of them! said Virgil, This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. No! thought Achilles. I¡¯ll be a hero. I¡¯ll become an Imperial Knight, like my father was. said Virgil. He sounded irritated. Then I¡¯ll just have to do that. Well, thought Achilles, there are more eyes. I¡¯m going to save my mother and sister, no matter what. So Virgil revealed several enhancements which Achilles could access with no risk of being corrupted by the eldritch power. First, he spent an eye to increase his sprinting speed by one meter per second. He was already an agile boy, but now he could keep out of the orcs¡¯ reach much better. Next, he spent two eyes to increase his Armor Class, or AC. Virgil claimed this measured how easily he could dodge solid hits. He¡¯d started with an AC of 10¡ªwhat most humans had¡ªand raised it to 12. I should probably go even higher, thought Achilles. If I raise it enough, can I make it impossible for them to hit me? said Virgil, So they stuck with those defenses. said Virgil, Achilles¡¯s heart went cold, but he realized it was a risk he had to take. I¡¯ll do it anyway, he thought. said Virgil, Achilles braced himself, but was unprepared for the overwhelming pain which freezed and burned his whole body at once. His brain itched worse than anything he¡¯d ever felt, then seemed to have melted inside his head! And then¡­ Achilles had lost ten eyes, but knew how to use a sword. It was as though someone had long ago taught him all the basics of swordsmanship, having embedded them into his muscle memory. All Achilles¡¯s practice in the village had been childish stupidity. Even if he¡¯d fought a mere eleven-year-old who¡¯d practiced for a single year under a proper teacher, that child would¡¯ve defeated him! Now, Achilles could probably beat most other ordinary humans who¡¯d been taught for even five years. Three eyes burned away and Virgil¡¯s blade ignited with a black and purple fire that drank in moonlight, leaving perfect darkness in the shape of a blade above the hilt. Achilles smiled. His new vision that he received from the eyes, which showed him the system attributes of people, also showed him the attributes of Virgil as a sword. <> With this blade in his hands, Achilles felt unstoppable. The terror of danger, of being unable to protect the people he loved, receded as determination filled him from head to toe. Virgil barked. The casual admission that Virgil didn¡¯t exactly need Achilles to live was disturbing, and Achilles wondered if he was making a mistake. But, as Virgil had said, there was no going back now. Achilles pushed his trepidation aside. Then I need to fight them one at a time, he thought. Achilles crept in an arc around the path the orcs were obviously taking toward him. He watched from ten meters away, using his knowledge of the surrounding forest to stay hidden. For almost fifteen minutes, the orcs wandered in a loose cluster, but eventually split up. Achilles longed to attack as soon as they divided, but controlled himself. Patience was the key. One orc wandered about fifty meters away, and Achilles finally took the chance to sneak up behind him¡ª Then, despite his darkvision, he tripped and cried out! The orc spun and hefted its greataxe! Achilles swung Virgil up and parried the first blow. Despite the orc¡¯s force, his training allowed him to redirect the force, so it didn¡¯t crash down on him. Certainly, as a human teenager, it was impossible for him to block altogether! He swung and hit directly, digging Virgil deep into the orc¡¯s arm. The enemy¡¯s system information changed, its health dropping 5 to 3. screamed Virgil. Achilles scurried away, dodging the orc¡¯s awkward, one-handed axe swipe and disappearing into what would be, to the enemy, blinding darkness. It staggered after him, but Achilles was waiting behind a shadowed tree. He swung with all of his might at throat height as the orc ran past, and the advantage of his position gave him what the system called a Critical Hit. A surge of adrenaline and glory filled Achilles! It was as though some supernatural force had filled him at just the right moment, letting him throw more weight and power behind the blow than was physically possible. The orc¡¯s head flew off. said Virgil. As the orc died, light manifested around its body, then coalesced into a ball that slammed into Achilles¡¯s chest! Achilles braced himself, but rather than being an attack, he realized the ball was a bunch of Experience Points, or XP. It was as though all the orc¡¯s strength and power had become energy, which he absorbed. <> <> <<1. Warrior>> <<2. Rogue>> <<3. Mage>> Achilles trembled, awed by the vast potential which Virgil¡¯s eldritch sight trickled into his brain at the sight of these options. He instinctively realized that he was now offered a choice that would change his life. It felt unreal. Virgil? What do these mean? That was an interesting thought. Achilles started thinking about what kind of class he might design, but he had so little idea how classes other than Warrior worked that there wasn¡¯t much room for his imagination. He examined the system traits of his own Warrior class, and realized he had three available weapon proficiencies. ¡°How do these empty proficiencies work?¡± he asked. Achilles thought back to his duel with the orc. ¡°It seems like learning how to use a polearm would be useful,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe I should find somebody to teach me that.¡± said Virgil. Eventually, the carriage pulled up to a magnificent mansion with a wrought-iron gate in front of it. They had come by now to a very rich part of the city, with gardens and shrubs all around. Achilles stepped out and the carriage pulled away, probably to return its horse to the mansion stable. Achilles walked to the front gate and tried to open it, but something had tightly locked it on the other side. ¡°I wonder how I¡¯m supposed to get in?¡± Achilles wondered aloud, and then jumped back. A tall thin the man with very pale features and short black hair stepped from behind a shrub on the other side of the fence. He was dressed in a formal black suit and wore pure white gloves. ¡°Yes?¡± asked the man in a severe voice. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Are you the butler?¡± asked Achilles. ¡°Yes, of course. I am Lanter, butler of this house. I repeat: what do you want?¡± ¡°Sir Azarah sent me and said you¡¯d help me settle in.¡± The butler¡¯s gaze flicked up and down Achilles, not seeming pleased. ¡°A likely story. Then where is Sir Azarah?¡± Achilles suddenly felt a tinge of doubt. ¡°He had to do an errand! Look, I know who you are, and I know who your boss is, and I have the sword that he probably told you about, so just let me in already!¡± The butler¡¯s eyes were full of contempt. ¡°We¡¯ve been dealing with some very suspicious characters lately. It appears some people are spying on Sir Azarah and trying to sneak into his estate. You could be anyone in the world, and that could be any sword in the world. It is ridiculous to think my master would send you back without coming himself. Unless you have a writ from him allowing you entrance, I must insist you leave immediately!¡± Just then, the carriage driver emerged from between several shrubs inside the fence. He looked annoyed. ¡°Mr. Lanter!¡± he said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find you. Are you having trouble getting the gate open? I keep saying that we should oil the latch, if you don¡¯t mind my saying so, Sir.¡± The butler spun toward him. ¡°Oh, so you are back, after all. Please verify my suspicions that this insolent child is an impostor trying to gain entrance into our employer¡¯s residence.¡± The driver looked at Achilles with pity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lanter, but this is the one Sir Azarah was talking about. I saw him come right out the front door and saw Sir Azarah right behind him. I don¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t come back with the carriage, but I¡¯d stake my life on it that this is the right lad.¡± The butler¡¯s face was suddenly consumed with frustration at having made a fool of himself, but he showed no anger in his actions as he undid the latch and stood aside to let Achilles in. ¡°Please come this way, Young Master,¡± Lanter said with a voice like ice. ¡°I will prepare a bath for you immediately.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a bath,¡± said Achilles. ¡°I had one just a month ago.¡± The butler¡¯s voice became even harder, if that was possible. ¡°Would you prefer orange peel or rose blossoms for your bath scent, Young Master?¡± Virgil laughed. Achilles sniffed his own skin, but it didn¡¯t smell bad to him. However, he decided to be gracious to his host, so he accepted the orange scent option. The butler bowed deeply to him. ¡°Your room is on the top floor, behind the door with the silver triangle symbol on it. A servant will draw your bath in the adjoining bathroom, and then we will eat dinner in two hours¡¯ time. Please be punctual, Young Master.¡±
C7 - Plot of Betrayal
GEBBO''S POV ¡ª SOMEWHERE IN TOWN
Though it was the middle of his shift, and he was supposed to be cleaning the floors, Gebbo left Sir Azarah''s mansion under the pretext of buying more cleaning supplies.
However, he did not go to the town''s market, but slipped into a side alley and knocked in a complicated pattern upon a dilapidated door.
The fellow on the other side of the door heard this password and let Gebbo through.
Gebbo, whose mouth seemed always twisted into a sneer, descended the stairs quickly. The two thugs at the bottom of the stairwell recognized him and let him pass with a simple nod.
Beyond was an impressive chamber where, at the moment, Gebbo''s true boss sat in a huge carved chair while his many thugs gambled and drank.
Though it was the middle of the day, they were celebrating a heist they had just pulled off without a hitch. Sure, they had needed to murder a half dozen innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they got their money, and that made up for all the trouble.
The huge chair seemed comical, for upon it sat a muscular dwarf by the name of Ghetorix. He was the boss of the gang, and only watched in amusement as his men partied. He himself would never get drunk at this time of day. He was far too cunning for that.
The gods help anyone who laughed at how tiny Ghetorix appeared on his throne! The crime boss had been known to chop his enemies apart, centimeter by centimeter, checking each time to see if they were still taller than him, until they were finally smaller.
Gebbo, of course, knew better than to mock his boss. His intelligence had earned him the position of spy in Sir Azarah''s mansion, and it was on this spy business that he now came before Ghetorix.
The dwarf saw his spy approaching, and waved a hairy arm at the men ¡ª all of them humans, most of them commoners and not leveled ¡ª so they would quiet down for a minute.
"Well?" he asked in a voice that always sounded like he was chewing with his mouth full. "What brings you here in the middle of the workday? If you''ve blown your cover, I''ll skin you and turn you into a cape!"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
But Gebbo was not frightened. He knew the value of the information he brought.
"It''s finally the right time, Boss! The knight has some pity project he''s invited over tonight, some refugee that it seems he plans to give some charity money and then send to die on the frontier against monsters!"
Several of the men around laughed. As though any villager had what it took to become an adventurer! Even among them, fewer than ten percent of their ranks were made up of 1st Level Rogues, and they were far too intelligent to waste their lives on the frontier when there were so many pickings in this fat town.
"And?" Ghetorix asked coldly. "I assume you intend for us to do a job and blame it all on this rube, but you''re neglecting the fact there is still an Imperial Knight to deal with, and a renowned member of the Silver Circle at that!"
Gebbo smirked. His boss knew of his intelligence. This was almost teasing, just for the sake of the others watching. "As it happens, Boss, I''ve also learned that the knight is overseeing some crafting project across town. He''s gone like a giddy schoolgirl to check on it twice today, and I heard mention from a messenger that he should come back near midnight to channel some of his divine energy into finishing the process."
Ghetorix''s eyes, huge as all dwarves'' were, gleamed in the smoky lamplight of their lair. "Well done, Gebbo! See, you bunch of idiots! This is how you do a spying job."
The leveled Rogues, of which there were only a handful nearby, touched their daggers and shot angry glares at Gebbo.
He was only a commoner. They could practically kill him by hurling a fist-sized rock at his head. If it weren''t for his usefulness to Gebbo, surely at least one of them would try to kill him for embarrassing them like this. For, of course, they were not trusted with this spy mission!
Ghetorix rose from his huge throne. "I''m sending eight volunteers for the job tonight. Rather, Gebbo, five commoner thugs, and two Rogues. You ready to steal some Imperial platinum, maggots?"
His voice rose to a shout with his last words, and he raised his signature weapon, knuckle dusters made of pewter with huge spikes emanating from each knuckle.
The men cheered in response, and set to partying extra hard, knowing there would be hard work that night.
Gebbo slipped away to buy some cleaning supplies and then return to work as though nothing had been amiss.
On the way from the lair, he heard two commoners muttering to each other about how it was idiotic that a dwarf bossed them around, and how they would have to assassinate him and take over one day.
Gebbo twisted his lips into a grimace of bloody humor at this. He wouldn''t be the only one to overhear. Soon, these men would be made examples.
Likely, Ghetorix would fight them both at once, stripped to his waist and wielding nothing but his knuckle dusters.
And a couple of idiotic commoners would learn the power of a 3rd Level Rogue. C8 - The Butlers Mysterious Secret - Part One Though the butler, Lanter, had told Achilles he would have a servant draw his bath, by the time Achilles climbed up the rich stairs of polished, dark wood and went down the hallway and found the room with the silver triangle on it, he found the bath was already prepared. The tub was filled with steaming water, and the delicious scent of oranges filled the air. There was a little table nearby which had bars of brilliant white soap and a mug of hot tea upon it. There was no servant in sight. Achilles frowned, looking around. Something seemed strange. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it takes to heat all that water in a town like this,¡± he said, ¡°but surely it takes more than the minute I spent walking up here.¡± Virgil seemed amused. ¡°What, you know the answer?¡± asked Achilles. Achilles pondered this as he walked to the bathroom door, closed it, and locked it. Then he took off all his clothes, folded them somewhat haphazardly, and dipped a careful toe into the water. He had never taken a hot bath before, not one ¡®this¡¯ hot, and he was worried at first that it would scald his skin off. However, the water was actually quite comfortable, and he slipped into the elaborate marble tub. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice any system elements,¡± Achilles said thoughtfully. ¡°So there¡¯s something I missed. I¡¯ll need to pay closer attention from now on.¡± He paused, then grabbed a bar of soap and begin scrubbing his skin. Usually, soap made his skin extremely dry, but this seemed to be very fancy stuff. It left his skin feeling smooth. That was strange and felt somewhat girly. said Virgil. Achilles felt irritated that Virgil wouldn¡¯t simply tell him, but he considered this to be part of his training toward eventually becoming an Imperial Knight, and he said nothing. He gave up the soap, however, and simply scrubbed at his skin with his hands to dislodge dirt. The smell of the oranges was nice, but he didn¡¯t need to have smooth, feminine skin. ¡°Something I just thought of,¡± said Achilles. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen your thousand eyes again. Or ¡®my¡¯ eyes, rather. Not since waking up. Why is that?¡± ¡°Why on Earth does it work like that?¡± asked Achilles. He had left Virgil on the table which held the bathing supplies, and he now had an urge to draw the sword and see the eyes again. However, the air was fairly cold outside of the bath, and he was too lazy to get out just for this. Virgil laughed. ¡°That sounds like it¡¯s intended to be some kind of limitation,¡± said Achilles, ¡°but I¡¯ll always be wielding you, so what does it matter?¡± said Virgil, though his voice sounded begrudging. Achilles smiled. ¡°You consider them to have rescued you?¡± he asked. ¡°How bizarre. Considering they chained you up and then sent you away so that no one could use you.¡±