Acheron didn’t know Ash or Leo all that well, but it still felt like a thunderclap to find out they were the children of a duke. He had been brought up in a small village where the mayor was regarded as nobility, so to meet a true noble, one that was a child of one of the nine dukes was both unimaginable and overwhelming. The realization left him feeling a mix of awe and intimidation, as he tried to reconcile the friendly faces he had come to know with their lofty heritage.
His separation from such influential people wasn’t his only source of surprise, these two had been caught by a group of fourteen bandits (counting himself). If they had been guarded by even four or five iron rank soldiers from the duke’s garrison, then they easily should have been able to protect them from a handful of bandits. In fact, Acheron didn’t think the bandits would have been stupid enough to attack them if they knew they were the duke’s children.
The soldier who had been apologising to the two nobles when Acheron interrupted her glared at him, while Ash and Leo turned to look at him apologetically.
“I’m sorry Acheron”, Ash began “I did want to tell you, but Leo convinced me that we should wait until we got back to Ultu, just to be safe.”
Leo stepped up beside Ash, “we don’t know each other that well and for us to tell you would have had no benefits.”
Acheron nodded along, he wasn’t very hurt by their actions, as they said, telling a random bandit who had you trapped in a cage only a couple days ago that you were the child of a duke would only lead to problems.
As Leo finished speaking the soldier protested, “Lady Ash do not apologise to this man, he is nobody and you’re the dukes daughter. And Lord Leo, you do not need to explain yourself to him, you will one day be his duke and he will obey all your commands.”
Acheron nodded in agreement with the soldier, fully aware of his status as a mere peasant. Neither Lady Ash nor Lord Leo needed to lower themselves to his level. He was just thankful they hadn’t been offended by his rowdiness and lack of hygiene as they returned to Ultu.
Wanting to express his agreement, Acheron racked his mind for any of the lessons on manners his mother had taught him. He had learnt proper etiquette when he was but a child, but had never had much use for it until now.
Facing both Lady Ash and Lord Leo, Acheron bowed, he was pretty sure that was something he was meant to do. While he was still bowed down, he tried to be as formal as he could, “You need not explain yourselves to I, I am but a humble servant to my lord and lady. I thank you for the opportunity to travel besides your most esteemed presences,” Acheron was pretty proud of his formality and decided that he would try to get out of this situation before the guard asked Lady Ash or Lord Leo how they had actually met him. “Please, allow me to depart so that I shall not waste another moment of your time.”
Both Lady Ash and Lord Leo looked upon Acheron with befuddlement while the soldier looked to be happy with his display. Turning towards a group of other soldiers that didn’t seem to be doing much, the guard lieutenant began giving out orders.
“You five, come with me to escort Lord Leo and Lady Ash back to the dukes manor, and you, get this man 4 days rations of food before you turn him away.”
Many of the guards looked pleasantly surprised to hear that Ash and Leo had both found their way back to the city.
Looking up, Acheron realised that the guard lieutenant was speaking about him when she mentioned giving a man food before turning them away. Acheron opened his mouth to protest about not being able to enter the city, but Ash beat him to it.
“He will be coming with us back to father,” Ash spoke, pointing at Acheron while speaking firmly to the lieutenant, “he has done a lot for us and has urgent information for the duke, regardless, why would you turn him away from entering the city?”
The soldier bowed to Ash, “My apologies, it’s just that duke Marquadt has made a decree that only residents may enter the city due to the food shortages that have been plaguing the country.”
Acheron’s stomach dropped as he heard this; it sounded like the bearkin had made more progress as he waited in the administrator nexus.
Ash and Leo both had confused and worried expressions on their faces, but the soldier just shook her head, “It would probably be best if your father were to explain it himself, now if you’ll all come with me, we’ll head to the manor. And you,” the soldier said, jabbing a finger at Acheron, “give me that sword, now you better behave yourself, otherwise we won’t hesitate to put you down.”
Acheron nodded fervently, he had no desire to fight innocent guards and definitely didn’t want to die yet.
The group of nine set off, with the lieutenant, Leo and Ash at the front and Acheron and the other soldiers trailing behind. They walked through the large gate and Acheron looked around expectantly, from everything he had heard about cities there should be people everywhere.
However, as they were lead through the city, there seemed to be few civilians walking the streets, and those that were also had the suspicious stares they had seen on the road. All over the city houses and shops were shut up, making his surroundings seem odd. Where Acheron had imagined seeing bustling streets and sprawling markets, he saw marching soldiers and closed shops, the sheer lack of people gave a sickly feeling to the city.
With the streets almost empty Acheron had a clear view of the buildings around him, they were mostly made of stones and were much larger than the small hovels that had existed in their village. These houses had large sloping roofs and multiple stories making them each seem like mansions compared to what he had grown up with.
Looking further away Acheron could see two groups of spires, on was a group of six forwards and to his left, this he was pretty sure, would be the cathedral for the six sovereigns. The other set of spires was almost directly ahead of them, it came from a large almost castle like building which he presumed to be the manor that they were heading towards. It was made of dark grey stone blocks, each one being so large that he wondered how they could have been moved. The castle was quite tall especially due to its spires. Upon the tallest spire of the manor flew the banner of Marquadt, a shield on a mountain set upon a red background.
Acheron continued gawking but to everyone else this sight was mundane, ahead of him Ash and the lieutenant were discussing what had transpired since leaving the castle.
“-were in those cages for 2 days,” Ash said, a tinge of revulsion creeping into her voice. “But then he came”, Ash pointed at Acheron who was staring in awe at a particularly large building they were walking past. “He singlehandedly fought all fourteen bandits and won, saving us all from a horrible fate.”
Acheron frowned slightly when he heard what Ash was saying, she had altered the details slightly to make it sound as if he were not one of the slavers and was rather more of a hero. He didn’t say anything but made a mental note to thank Ash later for what she had done, if they had found out he was one of the people to catch her they would likely not be as forgiving as she was.
“He offered to travel with us all back here to Ultu to make sure we were safe, the others didn’t want to go, but we decided to ask for his protection, and it was lucky we did. A pack of wolves with a bronze rank alpha attacked us and once again Acheron protected us. After that we finally reached the road and the rest of the journey hear was uneventful.”
All of the guards especially the lieutenant looked at Acheron sceptically, his very pudgy stature and dishevelled, bloody appearance probably didn’t instil them with the idea of a might warrior who would fight something that was bronze rank.
“So, what skills do you have? They must be pretty rate for you to be able to do what you did.” The lieutenant who had introduced herself as Lavina to Ash and Leo asked Acheron, looking at him curiously “and what rank are you?”
Acheron didn’t want to cause trouble but knew that telling random people all his skills was probably not the best idea, “I’m bronze in only one skill and that’s [Weeding]” he said, ignoring the first question altogether.
The guards around Acheron laughed while Lavina glared at him, “are you trying to be funny? You took down fourteen bandits and a bronze rank wolf, I know you aren’t some simple farmer. Tell me what skills you have and their rank now.”
Acheron backed up a step in the face of Lavina’s short-temper, Leo steppe between them and placed a hand on Lavina’s shoulder, “He really does have [Weeding] at bronze, and he’s saved our lives multiple times, stop mistreating him.”
Acheron bowed in thanks towards Lord Leo who once again looked at him in puzzlement, before turning to continue their walk. It was much quieter after that, and they soon came upon the duke’s manor.
There were far more people here and Acheron guessed that at least a quarter of the city’s population must have been outside the manor. As they approached, the guards who had been walking besides Acheron moved forwards to create room for the rest of them to move through. Eventually they had pushed their way through the throng of people and came to a moat.
The drawbridge which had been raised, preventing the people from swarming into the manor grounds was now slowly lowered, with the portcullis behind it also being raised. It was slow, but eventually they had crossed the moat and had passed through the manor walls into its grounds. With the extra guards staying behind to prevent any people trying to cross the drawbridge.
Acheron now stood before the duke’s manor, it was truly a grand structure, adorned with intricate carvings and gargoyles perched at the corners. Tall, narrow windows lined the facade, each framed with ornate stonework. The roof crowned with battlements that gave it a fortified appearance.
On the opposite side of the bare grounds, he now stood in, was a set of two large doors that would lead into the actual manor. The large double doors at the entrance were made of heavy oak, reinforced with iron bands, and adorned with the duke’s crest.
Lavina moved to open one of the large doors which swung open with a deep, resonant creak, revealing the grandeur within.
Stepping inside after Ash and Leo, Acheron found himself in a spacious hallway. The floor was made of polished stone, reflecting the light from the chandeliers hanging above. The walls were lined with rich tapestries depicting scenes of historical battles and noble gatherings. Suits of armour stood at attention along the walls, their polished surfaces gleaming in the light.
The hallway was only about 20 metres long and yet in it Acheron saw enough wealth to buy his entire village possible more than once. The sheer gaudiness of the place was staggering, he had never been so pressed for money that he resorted to thievery but at that moment he was very tempted to grab a golden candlestick and run.
Ahead, the hallway led into a large hall, a vast room that took Acheron’s breath away. The ceiling soared high above, supported by massive wooden beams intricately carved with floral and geometric patterns. Large stained-glass windows cast colourful patterns on the stone floor, creating a kaleidoscope of light. At the far end of the hall, a grand fireplace roared with a welcoming fire, its mantel adorned with the duke’s family crest and various trophies from hunts and battles.
There was a single large wooden table the ran perpendicular to the long room, meaning that those sitting at the table would all be quite far from the entrance into the hall from the hallway.
The table was set with fine silverware and silver goblets, the walls were decorated with portraits of the duke’s ancestors, their stern faces watching over the room. The air was filled with the scent of burning wood and the faint aroma of a feast being prepared somewhere in the manor.
Acheron couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and intimidation as he took in the opulence of the duke’s manor. It was a stark contrast to the humble village he had grown up in, and he knew that his journey had only just begun.
Sitting in the very centre of the table opposite them, on a large thronelike seat was a large and gruff looking warrior. And he was a warrior, that was the only word to describe him. The man must have been seven feet tall with a body that was covered in muscle, he had no weapons and yet his very presence felt dangerous. It created quite a dissonance with his finely embroidered garments and the open book that he held in his hands.
Instinctively Acheron knew that if this man wanted him dead, there was nothing he could do to stop him. Acheron reckoned that the thirty bronze rank bearkin who had set alight the granary in his last life wouldn’t even be able to stop him. This man’s very presence was so terrifying that it took all his effort not to turn and run at that very moment.
“His presence is a bit overwhelming, isn’t it?” Came Ash’s voice from beside Acheron, he nodded, wondering how she could look so calm while also experiencing feelings of utmost dread.
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The warrior before them looked up from the book he had been reading upon hearing the sound of voices. He immediately stood up, his eyes wide, in almost an instant the man was suddenly standing before them, “You’re back!” he said, a smile slowly appearing on his face, “your mother and I were so worried about both of you.”
“We’re sorry,” Ash said looking downcast, “We had no idea that there would be such danger so close to the main road. But what’s this about there being food shortages?”
The duke grimaced, “No serious talk until after dinner, otherwise it’ll spoil the food. Now, tell me everything that’s happened to you, but let me get your mother first.” In an instant the man had disappeared.
It didn’t take long for an elegantly dressed woman to burst through a side door of the great hall and rush over to Ash and Leo, embracing them both in a large hug. After a lot of crying, from their mother, they were all led to the table for Ash and Leo to explain what had happened. Everyone listened intently as Ash told their story, with him being especially attentive at the start due to his curiosity of how they had been caught.
It turned out that Ash and Leo had snuck out of the city because they had wanted to go and visit a neighbouring city that had a circus visiting. Their father had already told them that there was too much going on for him to be able to spare them both from their duties, so they had snuck out. This was likely why the bandits had targeted them as they were two young people alone on the road.
Neither Lavina or Acheron had actually been invited to sit at the table and so were still standing awkwardly near the entrance of the great hall. The story Ash shared was mostly the same except Ash revealed that during the battle, a spear had impaled him, but Kaiya had given him a second chance to keep on going. Upon finishing the story, duke Marquadt turned to look at both Acheron and Lavina. First, he spoke to Lavina, “thank you for escorting her through the city safely, you may go now.”
Lavina nodded, then bowed before walking back down the hallway.
Duke Marquadt turned to look at Acheron, “I apologise for my lack of manners, it’s just that I was so happy to see my children alive once again. I am Lyron Marquadt, the duke of Ultu and the Ironhold district, please come and sit down. I owe you a great debt for saving my children’s lives not once but twice, if there is anything I can do for you please, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Acheron tried to be as polite and formal as possible but upon hearing the words of the duke could no longer hold in his burning desire to know the answer to a specific question that had plagued him ever since he had first seen the man. “What rank are you?”
The duke looked a bit taken aback for a second before he just chuckled, “tell you what, I’ll tell you my highest rank skill if you’ll let me view your status page with an information orb.”
An information orb was an enchanted crystal orb that when one placed their hands on it, displayed their status page for anyone to see.
Acheron’s skills were awesome for him but were nothing surprise the duke more than a bit. However, Acheron’s status page had a couple differences to a normal person’s that would immediately tell the duke that there was something different about him. The first was that his status did not display his age but rather his number of cycles, the second and even more noteworthy part was that he had an additional section called administrator enhancements. Acheron didn’t know how the duke would react if he saw it but didn’t think the man would just let Acheron go without investigating him.
Sighing, Acheron shook his head, “I apologise duke Marquadt, but I will have to turn down your most generous offer.” He was very eager to know just how powerful the duke was, but his freedom was more important than that, if he truly could reincarnate endlessly then he would eventually reach the dukes power level anyway.
The duke’s eyebrows rose, “truly? You would prefer to not know my rank and most powerful skill just so that I do not see your status? Hmm, that is interesting… but what am I saying? You saved the lives of my children, so I’ll tell you for free.”
Acheron almost rolled his eyes at the noble but barely managed to restrain himself, it was pretty obvious that the man had been planning on telling Acheron his rank either way but had just been trying to get information out of him for free.
“My highest rank skill is [Unarmed Proficiency] which is gold.”
Acheron blinked; the man had just casually revealed that his power was on par with the heroes in the stories that he had been brought up on. Gold rank was considered to be the apex of skills, a height that only the most talented could ever reach, those people would have wealth, influence, and power all at their fingertips. They were considered to be national treasures in case of times of war and were highly sought after.
Acheron had never even heard of someone getting a skill to silver rank, and so to hear that he stood before someone with the [Unarmed Proficiency] skill to gold was almost a dream.
Ash, Leo, and the duke all burst into laughter at the sight of Acheron’s awe-struck expression, before the duke motioned the still standing Acheron to sit down at the large table.
Hesitantly, Acheron pulled back one of the seats and sat down, they were quite comfortable, with cushioning built into the back and bottom of it. There was a wide range of forks, spoons and knives set before him and he looked at them curiously. He had never used cutlery, just eating with his fingers from a bowl or plate normally.
The family spoke to each other happily, talking about inconsequential things as Acheron sat there, feeling like a fish out of water. Acheron tried to tell the duke about the bearkin but when he had told him it was urgent news, the man had told him to wait until they finished dinner. For that reason, Acheron sat uncomfortably and waited as the cooks prepared their food.
After about half an hour of waiting, food began to be brought out. There was a far too much for five people to eat, there being roast boar with crispy skin, seasoned venison, and whole chickens cooked to perfection. Aside from meat there was also Bowls of steaming vegetables, freshly baked bread, and an assortment of cheeses. Jugs of rich, spiced wine and honeyed mead were carried out, with servers filling their cups. Acheron had never smelled such delicious aromas and his stomach protested that he had not already started eating.
After the duke had begun eating everyone else began grabbing pieces of food with forks and placing them onto their plates. While tempted, Acheron held himself back, his mother had always told him that it wasn’t right to eat someone else’s food, besides he had never been taught proper manners when eating and would surely make a fool of himself.
He just needed to wait until the dinner was over to share his knowledge about the bearkin invasion that ‘Kaiya’ had given him and then he could leave. If he thought that he could push his luck he would also ask for a map to get to Ninethorn.
“What’s the matter Acheron?” The duke said, frowning, “Is the food not to your taste? I’ll have the chef cook something just for you then.”
Acheron hurriedly shook his head, “No m’Lord it’s just that I’ve been taught that it is impolite to eat another person’s food. I didn’t want to infringe upon your hospitality.”
“Well, such things do not matter here, please, eat! How can I otherwise be in good conscience when the man who saved my children starves while I eat my fill before him?”
It wasn’t hard to convince Acheron and the next second he had picked up a fork, he tried to copy what Ash had been doing to pick up a piece of venison, it was actually much more difficult than he had thought and took multiple tries. After he had brought the piece of venison to his plate, he picked up a knife and cut a large piece from it. Using the fork, he brought the piece of meat to his mouth, it was too large to eat in one bite, but he didn’t mind.
Grabbing some with his teeth, Acheron tore off a part of the chunk of meat and began devouring it. The meat was deliciously tender, and juice dripped down his chin, his eyes were closed in bliss as he chewed the meat. It was certainly the most delicious food he had ever eaten; this was why he didn’t notice the hall go silent.
After swallowing, Acheron opened his eyes to find four pairs of eyes staring at him, a small smile curled up Ash’s face. “Umm… Sorry? I don’t know proper table manners.” Acheron said, feeling his face heating up.
The duke laughed, “It is no matter, I’m just glad to see that you are enjoying our food, even if this is nowhere near enough to repay you for your actions.”
“It’s fine,” Acheron said, “I was just doing the right thing. But this food tastes delicious! I’ve never had anything that tastes this good!”
The duke nodded proudly. “Thank you for the compliments; I’ll be sure to pass them along to the chef.”
The dinner continued along for a bit longer with pleasantries being exchanged before the duke once more turned to Acheron, “Now, Acheron, I’ve heard quite a bit about your recent exploits, and I must say, I’m intrigued. Would you mind sharing a bit about your background and how you came to be here? I’m always fascinated to hear the stories of others.”
Acheron didn’t mind telling a slightly altered version of his life, where he had been living on a farm somewhere around the Ironhold district, his parents had been killed by bandits and he had then gone into a downhill spiral. He had resorted to fighting whether it be beast or man and had one day heard the cries of people. He had then followed those sounds and come to find the slaver camp, he had fought valiantly, dying in the process but being given a second chance by Kaiya herself.
Acheron wasn’t the best at telling stories and so did a lot of jumping back and forth, trying to fill in potholes that he had accidentally left in his story. Nevertheless both the duke and his wife seemed intrigued by his story, Ash and Leo looked like they were trying to figure out which parts were true and which parts had been added to his him being one of the slavers.
It took a little while, but Acheron eventually finished his story, at roughly the same time that dinner finished. When it finally finished, Acheron made to share his knowledge, but the duke prompted him, turning to Ash and Leo “You wanted to know about the food shortages right?”
The pair nodded curiously.
“Are you both aware where most of the country gets its grain from?”
“We get it from the southern coastal districts, which is Orcon, Draven, and Myrith.” Leo eagerly answered as proof he did.
“Very good, now recently there has been attacks on major granaries where entire cities worth of wheat are stored to be transported beyond the district, at this point there is a major shortage of wheat, barley, oats all of those grains. This is a problem because these grains play a major role in feeding the country, and we’re now having problems sourcing enough food for all the citizens. This is why we’ve had to shut out any non-citizens as it wouldn’t be fair for them to be eating the food that they have worked for.”
Both Ash and Leo looked shocked and worried at what duke Marquadt had said so Acheron chose that moment to throw more wood on the fire.
“These attacks, they’re not being done by bearkin are they?”
The duke frowned, “well… yes, how did you know that?”
“Because it’s part of the knowledge that Kaiya gave me as part of my second chance.”
Hearing this, the duke leaned forwards interestedly, “so what else did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything but rather put the knowledge in my head. What she told me was that the bearkin were going to raid food stocks to weaken and starve the confederation before the troops they were amassing at Ninethorn would begin an invasion.”
The duke looked at Acheron with wide eyes, “did she truly put this into your mind?”
“Yes”
The duke sat back, his head in his hands, “If they’ve already got troops there then they’ve established a foothold, but if that’s the case then Rhinhart surely would have noticed it and said something.”
The duchess leaned over to the duke, “it is possible that he has been bribed blackmailed, or even killed, he has been awfully the last year.”
“If that’s the case then things aren’t good, the bearkin tribes are far more united than our so-called confederation. Once they have a foothold to land troops safely it will be difficult to remove them, especially if the other dukes are as selfish as they have been in our last assemblies.”
“But you’re gold rank!” Acheron exclaimed, “Couldn’t you just go over there and kill them all?”
The duke laughed, “I wish it were that easy, but no, they would have their own gold rankers there to protect against that very possibility, besides, I need to stay here to make sure that the empire doesn’t try to slip through Ironwatch pass.”
Ironwatch pass was one of the main routes between the mountains separating the free confederation and the empire and for that reason was highly defended by both countries. The district of Ironhold happened to have the entrance to the pass inside its land meaning that for the most part the duke of the Ironhold district was the one to mainly man the fort that blocked the pass from their side. Even Acheron could remember what it was from his lessons due to its significance.
“What do we do then father?” Leo asked worriedly, “we can’t march out ourselves because of our duty to protect Ironwatch pass, but we can’t just sit back either.”
The duke sighed, “I’ll have letters drafted and sent to the other dukes informing them of what we believe is happening, we’ll have to hope that at least some of them take us seriously enough to send troops down to Ninethorn. But don’t you worry, we won’t just sit idly by, we can still send some troops but more importantly Ironhold is one of the free confederation’s main suppliers of metals. We’re going to have to increase production to start making more weapons once we get confirmation that there are bearkin at Ninthorn.”
They chatted a bit longer with the duke asking a couple more questions from Acheron about his knowledge of the invasion before he excused himself to write the letter that would be duplicated before being sent to the other dukes. At that point it was quite late at night, and everyone was feeling ready for a nice long rest, in the absence of the duke, the duchess offered Acheron a guest room to stay the night in. He had protested but she had been rather adamant and had even offered him a hot shower before he went to bed.
Acheron had heard that some wealthier people had everyday items in their houses enchanted to do strange and unnatural things and these hot showers turned out to be one. They were small cubicles that held spouts on their ceiling which were connected to a special piece of metal. When the metal slate was tapped, the spouts would produce water, additionally the temperature of the water could be changed using two other slates of metal.
Acheron had never felt so clean, previously having washed himself either in the sea or with a bucket of freshwater. Standing in the water and feeling the warmth seep into his bones was quite a pleasant sensation and it gave him ample time to reflect on the previous few days.
After much more time than was needed to clean himself, he stepped out of the cubicle, feeling a level of cleanliness he had never felt. Acheron dried himself off with a piece of fabric that had been provided for him before he turned to put his previous clothes back on. He could find no traces of them despite being sure of where he had left them, fortunately he had been provided with a similar except clean version of what he had been wearing. Thus, saving him the embarrassment of trying to find one of the servants inside the manor while not wearing anything. Pulling on the tunic and pants, Acheron made his way back to the great hall, where a servant then guided him to his guest room.
When he walked in, he once again realised just how poor his family had really been, the room was larger than his house had been and the decorations inside were probably worth enough to buy multiple homes inside their village. Even then, it was pretty simple decorations, just a large bed, a single cushioned chair, a rug and a painting of a mountain range that looked far too real.
Exhaustion that even his [Physical Exertion] skill couldn’t overcame washed over his body and mind, making him feel incredibly sluggish and tired. He flopped onto the bed, it was incredibly soft, far softer than the ground he had slept on in his own home. He tossed and turned around on it before finding a less soft patch that felt a bit less unfamiliar. As he lay there on the bed a feeling of peace that seemed to seep into every part of his being slowly engulfed him.
He had died twice; his country was about to be invaded by bearkin and currently he was far too weak to affect the outcome, but he wasn’t worried. He would get stronger, and he would get revenge, those were the two constants in his world, so long as he held to them, he would pull through.
…………
Acheron awoke early the next morning, the first light of dawn filtering through the gaps in his curtains. He had no real reason to arise at such an early time, but his disciplined routine had always driven him to rise with the sun, never one to squander the precious daylight.
Making his way through the manor, his cold feet making no sound on the plush carpet that covered the floor, he made his way towards the great hall not knowing of any other exits. Today he had two tasks, one was to visit the church of the six to see if the priests or Kaiya could tell him anything about his reincarnations, the other was to get a map that would show him the location of Ninethorn.
Finally reaching the great hall, Acheron was surprised to find someone who had gotten up even earlier than himself.
“Trying to sneak out were you?”
“No m’Lord, I just didn’t want to bother you any more after your gracious hospitality.”
“I would say that’s just about the definition of sneaking out, but it’s no matter,” the duke said, pulling out a chair beside him, “come sit next to me, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Nervously, Acheron walked around the table and took a seat in the chair the duke had pulled out, at that moment he was acutely aware of just how fast the duke could move and just how little Acheron would be able to do if the duke wanted him dead.
“Relax, you look as if you fear for your life,” the duke said placatingly “all I wanted to do was make an offer to you.”
“An offer?” Acheron asked curiously.
“Yes, you seem to be quite the capable fighter from what I’ve heard and as you know we’re gonna need all the fighters we can get for the coming times.”
Acheron nodded, immediately seeing where this was going, Ash had joked about him getting a position in leadership, but he hadn’t actually put much thought into it.
“I would like to offer you a position as a lieutenant in my battalion, I know you wouldn’t have the same kind of training, but we should have time to give you an adequate substitute. It comes with a pay of 4 silver talents a week and there would be living quarters provided.”
It truly was a fantastic offer, the pay alone was hard to comprehend for Acheron, if you split their profit on the farm into weekly pay, they would have made maybe four bronze a week in a very good year. This meant that Acheron would get paid 10 times what they would get weekly on the farm, not to mention that he would get free housing and access to the facilities that soldiers got. Acheron hadn’t really had any plans for this cycle, apart from going to Ninethorn and fighting bearkin, and this could be a great way to spend the cycle.
As he considered it, Acheron inquired of the duke just how soon he thought the bearkin would attack.
“Probably not for some time, their leaders won’t be stupid, they’ll know that the worst of the food shortage won’t come for some time, so they’ll likely be content to wait and build up forces. That benefits us too, as we’re gonna need time to amass our troops. If I had to guess I would say that we’ll likely have most of our forces ready within three months while the bearkin would probably be willing to wait four months to invade. Although that’s just a guess, it depends on how many troops they already have mustered and what their strategies are.”
“So, it could be four months until the invasion?” Acheron asked, shocked. He had been thinking more like weeks or days, not months.
“Well, that’s just a guess, it could be more or less, but I would say four is a safe bet. So, what do you say, will you become a lieutenant?”
Acheron shook his head fervently, “I can’t just wait around for three months! Even if I’m getting training, the best way to improve skills is in life and death battles. I’m going to head to Ninethorn as soon as I get a map so I can fight the bearkin!”
The duke laughed loudly, the deep sound making thunder sound like it was just trying to imitate this man, “I like your spirit! But if you seriously think that you’ll be able to do anything helpful you’re wrong! They will have hordes of iron and bronze rankers, not to mention the silver and gold rankers who’ll be able to squash you like a bug.”
Acheron growled, he knew that if he just tried to fight the bearkin he would die swiftly. It might give him a chance to acquire or upgrade a skill but would also result in him having to wait another painstaking 31 days. “Well, what do you suggest I do? I won’t just wait around, for three months, I need life and death battles to improve.”
“Do you have a death wish? Rushing into battle unprepared will only get you killed. Train with my best soldiers and take on smaller missions to gain experience. This way, you’ll be ready when the real fight comes.”
“I’ll think about it, but those missions better have high stakes, otherwise I’m not sure I won’t say yes. Now would you please allow me to leave so that I may visit the church of the six?”
The duke nodded solemnly “All I want is for you to consider it, now please, do not let me stop you thanking Kaiya for the boon that she has given you.”