Farcrest’s cobbled paths were covered by rainwater. Puddles had formed in the hollows of the street, reflecting the gray sky above like hundreds of small mirrors. The sound of raindrops echoed around me as the water drained from the rooftops and the scent of wet earth and damp wood filled my nostrils.
The only downside to rain was the dozen leaks on the orphanage’s roof.
As I walked up the main street and got closer to the Great Hall, the town bustled with activity. People cleared debris from the streets and made quick repairs on the roofs of their houses in case another rain cloud burst over Farcrest.
I approached the Great Hall with the wooden box under my arm and stood in front of the inner wall.
“What is your business in the Marquis’s Great Hall?” A gatekeeper barked. He quickly examined my attire and came to the conclusion that I wasn’t an important guest.
“I want an audience with Captain Kiln.”
“The Captain isn’t receiving visitors right now. Come again next week.” The gatekeeper replied. I could tell by his mocking grin that he was implying I wasn’t going to be received today nor next week.
“You are not understanding.” I said, summoning my character sheet and turning it around so the soldier could see the long list of titles I possessed. I was careful enough to hide my name and other sensitive information that could link me with my previous disputes. It was as easy as thinking about it.
After realizing I wasn’t a nobody, the guard begrudgingly disappeared behind the booth into the courtyard. I was left alone, wondering if my peace offering would be enough to gain the Captain’s favor if only momentarily. We only needed a week without any incidents and then the orphans would be safe until summer.
The courtyard of the Great Hall was a hive of activity as soldiers drilled under the watchful eye of their Sargeants. The sound of clashing swords echoed off the stone walls as the soldiers practiced their maneuvers, the Sergeants yelled orders amplified by their class skills, and the recruits grunted as their arms bulged from the effort. Rows of shields, spears, and swords were lined along the Great Hall’s stonewall, while piles of hay and wooden dummies served for the most inexperienced soldiers to practice on.
The Marquis had quite the operation going for what Farcrest was. I made a mental note to ask Captain Kiln about it, if things went well of course.
“The Captain will meet you right now.” The gatekeeper said, opening the gate.
As I entered the courtyard, two soldiers clad in plain leather armor blocked the path with swords drawn. What they lacked in gear, they made up for in experience. Their faces were weathered and their sunken eyes stark. I didn’t dare to Identify them but I knew I would find several levels into not-so-guardsmen skills.
“Search him.” The gatekeeper ordered with a malicious smile.
“I’m unarmed.” I replied, raising my hands and trusting they were not going to kill me just because. As the soldier threw me against the wall, I made another mental note. Establish my own city-state with a functioning democratic republic and rule of law.
“He’s unarmed, chief.” One of the soldiers announced after thoroughly frisking me.
“Open the box then. There will surely be something interesting inside.” The gatekeeper barked and the soldier seized the small wooden box from my hand. A shiver ran through my spine. Nobody except me knew what the contents of the box were, meaning I didn’t have an alibi if they decided to plant something.
“It’s just a set of leather cups.” The soldier announced with a disappointed raspy voice. “You promised a big bust, this idiot is a regular Scholar with regular Scholar shit. I bet my yearly salary he is trying to sell another dumb idea to the higher ups.”
If only they knew what the cups were for they would tremble. They were a weapon far more powerful than any sword, and would protect the orphanage better than any shield. At least I hoped they would for a few days.
“They might be poisoned in advance. The oldest trick in the book.” The gatekeeper glanced at me with a malign smile, as if he had already decided about my guilt. Suddenly, a visit to the Great Hall dungeon seemed dangerously close. I should have realized that this was a worse idea than I initially estimated.
A drop of sweat fell from my temple.
“You. What are these leather cups about?” The seasoned soldier barked at me, ignoring the gatekeeper.
“It’s a dice game, sir. I’m aware the Captain likes to… play high risk games, so I brought this one as a gift and a sign of good will.” I tried to sound convincing.
“This is not for drinking?” The soldier asked, putting away his sword.
I shook my head.
The veteran soldier glared at the gatekeeper.
“You are full of shit, Fibble, and you know it. We are taking things from here.” The veteran soldier said, moving to the side so I could enter the courtyard. The box was returned to my hands by his companion and they guided me inside the grounds of the Great Hall.
I felt Gatekeeper Fibble’s gaze glued to my back until we entered the guardsmen barracks by the side of the Great Hall. There was something strange about the gatekeeper without a doubt, but the real question was who was behind it.
The veteran guardsmen guided me to the Captain’s office without saying a word.
“Captain Kiln, you have a visitor with an important parcel.” The soldier knocked at the door.
“Go on, Markus.” The Captain yelled from inside the room.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
As I entered the document-laden office, the Captain’s face soured. With a movement of her hand, she dispatched the soldiers who closed the door behind me. We heard the two pairs of boots getting lost in the hallway.
“Did I mention I don’t like people who complicate things? Because you are a bold one showing up here after picking a fight with my nephew.” The Captain sighed and signaled me to take a seat in front of her.
“Did that happen?” I asked back, putting the chest over the table. There were two possibilities. One, the Captain didn’t know what actually happened in the orphanage, or two, she knew and she expected us to not put up resistance.
“What do you have there?” Captain Kiln was going to the point as expected.
Ceremoniously, I opened the box and took out two of the four leather cups. Then, rummaging through my pockets, I dropped ten dice on the table. The Captain must’ve guessed what was all that about because she put the reports and maps to the side and quickly grabbed a cup and half of the dice.
The woman rubbed her hands in anticipation.
“I guess people who complicate things aren’t that bad as long as they are exciting.” Captain Kiln said as I put my famished coin purse on the table. If my plan went well, then I was buying something invaluable with the small change.
The game was simple. The goal was to guess the right amount of a particular dice roll and call out other players wrong guesses. It was a bluffing game.
“Let’s start shaking the dice without showing it to the other players.” I said, shaking my cup. As expected, the rattling sound of the dice against the hardened leather was pleasant to the ear, and Captain Kiln seemed to have the same opinion.
“I’ll make a bid then. I say four fives, the aces counting as wildcards.” I said covering my dice and glancing at the woman directly in the eye. “Now, you can do four things. Rise the bid, this goes for the amount or the number. Bid aces, the amount being half of the current bid. Call, if you think my bid is incorrect and we reveal the dice. If there are the same quantity or more, the ‘calling’ player loses a die, otherwise the ‘bidding’ player loses one. Finally, you can say ‘spot on’, if you believe my bid is exactly right. If you are right you gain a die, if you are wrong you lose one.”
The Captain nodded as I explained the rules. As a seasoned gambler, she seemed to quickly catch the gist of it.
“You said four fives. I say five fives then.” The Captain said, squinting at her dice as if she was trying to estimate the chance of her bidding being correct.
“Call. I don’t think there are five fives on the table.” I replied with a smile as I revealed my dice. I had zero fives and an ace. The Captain cursed and threw one of her dice at the center of the table. She had two fives and an ace, making the total four.
“I can’t believe you bluffed on the demonstration round.” Captain Kiln sighed.
“But now you know you don’t have to tell the truth.” I replied with a smirk.
We played the rest of the round and then another one, this time with actual bets. Even if it was a few pieces of copper at a time, by the end of the game, my already famished coin purse was half its original size. The Captain glanced at me with a smile on her face while she jingled my coins in her hand.
“You are a shit player for a Scholar.” She said, unamused.
“I limited my [Awareness] to make things even.” I replied in a vain attempt to defend my honor.
“What makes you think I don’t possess a similar skill? And what makes you think I wouldn’t use it in a game of wits?” The Captain mocked me as she summoned her character sheet and with a movement of her hand turned it around to make it visible to me.
Name: Izabeka Kiln, Human (Strong).
Class: Knight Lv.53
Titles: Captain, (other 5 hidden).
Passive: Gambler’s Eye, Awareness, (other 17 hidden.)
Skills: (9 hidden)
Status: Pleased Lv.1 (other 3 hidden.)
“That doesn’t mean I couldn’t read you without the skills. You are clear as day.” Captain Kiln further rubbed salt in the wound as she grinned at me with a winning smile.
Then, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on her chair, which creaked as if the woman was heavier than she actually appeared to be.
“What's the real motive of your visit? Go on, I’m listening.”
I clenched my fist under the table and tried to hide any sign of satisfaction on my face. The gamble had worked. However, instead of feeling relieved, I forced a stoic expression into my face, in this unfair world any signs of weakness could be dooming.
“Sergeant Valerio Mer showed up at the orphanage the other day, he knocked down our iron gate with a skill, and tried to kidnap my kids even though they are yet to turn fifteen.” I said with a cold voice. “I didn’t mean to pick a fight with your men, Captain, but your men stormed my home and threatened the kids under my supervision.”
The Captain’s already thin lips turned into a fine line as she glared at me.
My hunch was right.
“So, that was what actually happened? A Sergeant and a handful of soldiers couldn’t steal a bunch of kids from a low level Scholar? Excuse me, but it’s hard to believe.”
“Look, Captain. I don’t want to have trouble with the guardsmen or the Marquis, but I’m not going to let go of my kids before they even have a class. I’m just asking you to respect what is lawfully stipulated.” I replied.
“You are playing a dangerous game. Robert Clarke. What if it was the Marquis who ordered me to conscript your orphans?” The Captain leaned her head to the side as she glanced at me without blinking.
“I don’t believe you gave the order. You don’t strike me as someone who would abduct children for personal gain.” I simply said. Most of my gamble was based on the assumption the Captain wasn’t the source of problems. “I do believe there is someone giving orders to the guardsmen other than you, Captain. I just came here to provide some information that you might find interesting.”
The Captain closed her eyes deep in thought and nodded. Whatever she was thinking, she didn’t share it with me.
“What do you want me to do then?” She said, finally opening her eyes.
“It depends on how much this gift can buy me.” I replied pushing the box with the leather cups across the table.
Captain Kiln sighed.
“I will impress upon my sergeants to leave the orphanage alone until the end of the tribute season. That should do for the time being.” The Captain stretched her back and grabbed the box with the cups and dice. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to fleece some courtiers.”
I bowed farewell, satisfied with the outcome of our meeting, and let the Captain walk me to the door. Just as I reached the knob, she grabbed me by the wrist and put five golden coins in my hand.
“To repair the gate.”
I glanced at the small fortune in my hands and I felt a weight being lifted from my shoulders. Five gold coins meant another month without starving, but didn’t solve the greater problem.
“I’d rather have answers than money. What set of skills did you have when you turned into a Knight?” I quickly asked, still with one hand on the doorknob. This could be my last chance to talk to the Captain so I intended to take all the advantage possible out of it.
“I see what you are doing, Robert Clarke, but you are not asking the right questions.” The woman replied. “Fencing, longsword, polearm, shield, spear, bow, riding mastery, it doesn’t matter. I have met a hundred Knights, some have one skill, others many, there are a few that didn’t have any of them. The System doesn’t care about skills, the System only cares about the content of one’s soul.”
Captain Kiln looked me straight in the eye and I noticed she was fighting an internal struggle. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it at the last second.
“The Marquis isn’t a tyrant. He is not your enemy.”
Before I could say anything, she pushed me out of the room and slammed the door shut. I had my answers, but there were the kind of answers that only raised more questions.