Alix remembered the coffee beans that Leon had brought. He found a sack in the multitude of stores that now filled all the cupboards. Tifayn lit a fire while he picked up a handful of beans and fed them to the ring. Once they were in his inventory, he dismantled them down further into ground coffee. Then he dumped the grounds in the teapot, filled it with water and slumped into the nearest seat.
Once the coffee was brewed, he poured himself a strong cup. He used one of the large beer tankards from the night before. It was strange drinking coffee from a wooden mug, but it was better than no coffee at all. It had only been a few weeks since he had last had a cup, but it already felt like it had been years. It was the best coffee he had ever had. It restored him like the tonic couldn’t.
Mr Bones appeared just as Alix was finishing off his second cup of coffee.
“What are your orders, my lord?” Mr Bones asked. Alix still felt foolish giving them commands in their own home, he wished he could just tell them to do what they wanted, but they seemed to enjoy him telling them what to do.
“I guess we should continue to focus on repairing as much of the castle as we can. Start with the rooms around these ones and work your way out,” Alix said, still unsure of how best to make use of the skeletons. He pulled up his map and scanned it for any parts of the castle that could be ignored. “You don’t need to worry about the Chapel, the Stables, or the Barracks for now. The Kitchen probably isn’t urgent either since we are only feeding ourselves, and thanks to Leon we have plenty of food.” And ignore the north tower, he almost said, suddenly remembering yet another stressor he had to deal with.
“We can mix mortar ourselves, but soon we will need other materials like wood to get any further. The collapsed roofs will be a big job, and then we will have to replace all the broken glass,” Mr Bones said.
“I will see what I can do about that. I managed to collect a load of sand already. Maybe I can learn how to craft it into glass.”
“Thank you, my lord. That will give us something to go on for a few weeks at least,” Mr Bones said, leaving to carry out his orders, even though they were basically the same as they had been before.
With his coffee finished, Alix decided to return to the garden and finish the job he had started there. It felt like a mental block that was stopping him from thinking further ahead. The gardens had to be cleared and the castle restored to a liveable state before anything else.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Tifayn said, urging him to go. “I know the needs of the Darknight better than you do yourself, so I can handle the skeletons if they have any more questions.”
“What are you going to do?” Alix asked, worried she meant to help the skeletons with the heavy lifting. Don’t be an arse, Alix. She’s more capable of that work than you are.
“I’m going to start planning your training. After seeing what this Solknight is like, I have no intention of letting you lose to him.”
Alix felt a weight drop into his gut at what that meant. If he was to live then Leon would have to die, and he would be the one that killed him. He pushed the thoughts far to the back of his mind and left Tifayn to her planning, content knowing that she wasn’t going to be doing anything dangerous.
As soon as he stepped back outside and saw just how much of the grounds were still a mess, he decided he had to change how he worked. Pulling up his map, he found the dot of Mr Bones and tapped on it, opening a line of communication.
Mr Bones, could you send a dozen skeletons to my location? I’m sick of the grounds taking so long to clear, I’m going to borrow some labour for the day and get it finished, Alix said to Mr Bones through the ring.
They will be with you shortly, came the reply.
A few minutes later a dozen skeletons appeared before him.
“Orders?” one of the more intact skeletons inquired.
“I want to finish clearing the grounds today. Grab whatever tools you need, or use your hands if you have to, but I want everything cut back. Dump it all in a pile and I will absorb it with the ring.” Alix led by example and began hacking away at every overhanging thorny stem and leafy weed, working with frantic energy. The skeletons got to work behind him, spreading out to every corner.
By the time he had built up a good sweat, a dozen large piles of cut material dotted the grounds waiting for him to absorb and the skeletons had cut deep into the worst of the tangle. With a swipe of his Azurite blade, he finished clearing a patch of large broad leafed weeds that had nothing of value other than Aloe. The notification bell went and he saw that he had unlocked a new Title. Harvestman. Bulk Harvesting.
As he looked around, he noticed a glow appear around the plants yet to face his knife. “What does this do?” Alix asked the ring.
“If I had known you were going to spend so much time in the grounds I would have mentioned it sooner. It unlocks after harvesting one thousand plants. That glow you are seeing lets you target all the plants of a kind in an area and harvest them all at once.”
I really hate you sometimes, Alix thought, hoping the ring heard him, but there came no reply.
The closest plant was an Ivory Leaf and as he focussed on it, a glow appeared around half a dozen other plants in his vicinity. The closest glow grew into something that almost resembled a magic circle, something he could almost reach out and touch…
Before he realised what he was doing, his outstretched arm tapped on the glow and the Ivory Leaf disappeared with a whoosh, along with half a dozen others.
* Obtained 12 Ivory Leaf
I could have been finished with this bloody job ages ago…
With renewed fervour Alix began to clear large swathes of the grounds, exposing old pathways, streams, wells, and a large walled area that looked like it had once been some sort of training ground. Old doors appeared from behind walls of vines, entrances to parts of the castle he hadn’t been able to reach before.
* Obtained Mercy Vine
What looked like the entire lower half of the castle lit up as he harvested the vine. Without thinking, he tapped on the harvest button that appeared, and the castles lower walls were exposed for the first time in centuries. A slight groan came from the walls as years of growth were removed from the bricks, as if the castle was sinking down on itself. Alix froze for a second, expecting the walls to fall down on him, but everything appeared remarkably solid, or at least most of the walls did.
A few steps in front of him were the remains of what had once been a doorway into the back rooms of the castle. A collapse inside had destroyed the entrance, with only part of the arch above it the only indication that a door had once been there. Over the years there had to have been further collapses behind it, as when the vines suddenly disappeared, the debris rushed out of the hole.
Once the tumbling stones came to a stop, Mr Bones popped his head out of the darkness beyond.
“Thank you, my lord. That has saved us a considerable amount of time. We have uncovered the forge and now this doorway is finally cleared,” Mr Bones said once he caught sight of Alix.
“No problem,” Alix replied awkwardly. “We will have to repair this entrance as soon as possible now. Make sure there are some guards placed here tonight. The last thing we need is another unguarded entrance.”
Mr Bones quickly got to sorting out the rubble, finding the stones that had once made up the doorway, the arch and the keystone, and which stones belonged to the compromised walls within. I really hope the place holds up long enough…
By the time Alix had finished clearing all of the weeds and the overgrown plants, reducing them all to seeds or their baser components, the sun had almost set. It was only then that he realised he had worked throughout the day without a break. The tonic kept the edge of his hunger, and he managed to get a drink from one of the streams he unclogged. Once the stagnant water was flowing again, it soon became fresh water off of the mountain, fresh and invigorating.
A new notification that had gone unnoticed flashed again, catching his attention.
* Reached Lv. 6
Alix had a quick look at his stats and noticed that they were steadily climbing, but he still hadn’t really noticed any difference in himself. His HP and MP were constantly full and the rest of his stats felt near meaningless at the moment. His Strength and Defence were increasing, as was his Agility, but he hadn’t suddenly developed a sixpack or become noticeably nimbler. His Luck was increasing the slowest, but that was probably the one thing he needed the most of now. His Attack matched the Power Rating of whatever weapon he was carrying, currently the Azurite Knife with a rating of 38.
The sun glinted off of the great glass panes of the greenhouse as it sunk behind the horizon. Some spell had to have been placed on it for it to have survived fairly unscathed so long. Alix decided to head inside and call it a day. He had cleared the garden, and tomorrow he could focus on more pressing matters. For now, the drink that Leon had left was calling to him.
Just as he sat down with a mug of wine, deciding to wait until he had figured out the spells for chilling the beer before he tapped anymore kegs, Tifayn appeared.
“How was your day, master?” she asked, after pouring herself a mug of wine.
“Can you please call me Alix?” It didn’t feel right being addressed as master. She was acting like she was his property and he didn’t like it. “Treat me like you would anyone else.”
“I can’t do that…Alix,” Tifayn said after a pause. “You aren’t like anyone else. You are the Darknight, and it is my duty to help you as much as I am able to.”
“I’m glad that I have you here at least. I would probably be sleeping in a ditch if you hadn’t found me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous m- Alix. You think too lightly of yourself. The ring will always help you find shelter.”
“You can see from Leon that the rings are a bit more difficult to use than you think. I feel like I am just figuring out the basics, but he didn’t even know that.”
“That is to be expected, and it will work to our benefit. He is being provided so much by the king that the ring has no need to tell him anything. He has a roof, unlimited food and help, money and training. The less he figures out by himself the better. I heard the last Solknight managed to break away from the king’s grasp, so he will try even harder this time to keep Leon under his control. The king thinks that he is punishing you by sending you out here, but he is doing you the greatest favour that he could.”
It didn’t really feel like much of a favour to Alix, but as the alcohol washed over him it was easier to not care. This was the path he had been given and he would have to deal with it. After hearing what Leon was going through, it was easier to enjoy the life he had here.
After that he told Tifayn of the progress he had made in the garden and all the materials he had acquired. He would try make a few new potions tomorrow. He wanted to try repair the greenhouse as well, but that was going to be a bit more complicated.
“What are you going to do next? I would like to begin your training soon,” Tifayn asked him.
“I think I will check out the forest next. I would like to explore the area a bit, fill in some more of the fog on this map. What sort of training do you have in mind?” Alix asked. He wasn’t the athletic type, and he didn’t have any muscle to boast of. It would be a bit much to go straight into sword fighting.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“The sooner I can get a sword in your hand the better,” she replied, confirming his fears. If he was going to be put through his paces, he was going to enjoy himself now while he still could. He refilled his mug and tried to forget his troubles.
Alix went to hunt down Mr Bones the next morning to ask after an axe. He found him working alongside the other skeletons finishing off the repairs to the doorway they had uncovered the day before. They had already made great progress, now that he stopped to take a look at their work. Half a dozen rooms had been cleared. Mr Bones had already prepared him a restored axe in anticipation of their need for lumber.
Alix was reminded of the poor state of the gates as he left the confines of the castle grounds. He had expected heavy oaken doors wrapped in iron standing strong behind a thick portcullis but there was just the pair of rusted gates, stiff on their hinges. If he was safe from being attacked by others then he guessed he didn’t really need anything else, but he would feel safer repairing them and knowing that they were locked at night. In every RPG he had played though, there had been the ability to repair equipment, whether through Repair Kits or Blacksmithing skills. His favourite mechanic had been repairing ruined buildings, or even whole towns, building them up again from the ground to be grander than they had been before.
“Hey ring, is there a skill here that will let me repair the gate? Or anything else for that matter,” Alix asked the ring. It was still awkward talking with it but he would have to get used to it sooner or later. There was no time to waste being shy.
“Of course,” the ring replied. “The skills you can acquire here are endless. That is what differentiates one Darknight from another. They all learn different skills, and specialise more in others than the rest, so no two Darknight’s are ever the same.”
“So how can I learn those skills? Can you not just tell me them?” Alix asked, although he knew it was never that easy, unless you used cheat codes, but there was no such thing here.
“That is all part of Infinite Growth. I can guide you in some regards, like with Necromancy, which is something you wouldn’t have been able to learn by yourself, but it is always better if you are able to unlock Skills yourself. If I told you everything I know all at once, you would be knocked out for the next five years. Once you unlock a Skill, you can improve and master it. To repair the gate you need a hammer, and the raw materials. You cannot restore what is already lost, and the gate will need new iron to replace what has rusted away, strengthen what has cracked.”
“That seems pretty easy, if I can find some iron somewhere. I don’t even know where to begin looking for that.”
The gate led out onto the path that cut through the woods. It looked like it had once been wider but the trees had grown over most of it until it was just wide enough for a wagon to pass through. A few more years though and it looked like the path would disappear completely. To the left the trees fell sharply down the mountainside, huddling along the cliff that held up the castle. To the right the trees grew thicker and blanketed the upper reaches of the mountain. It was his first time going beyond the wall since he arrived, and it was disappointingly normal, the view of the castle behind him the most fascinating thing. At least there’s plenty of lumber…
Alix took a right turn and headed along the outer wall. A lot of the trees were growing closer to the wall than he would have liked, and they would be some of the first that felt his axe. There was one in particular that he was looking for, one he had spotted from the other side of the wall once that section of the grounds had been cleared, where it had knocked down several of the stones already. Even if he repaired the gate, anyone that wanted to intrude could simply climb over the hole in the wall, or up the tree to the top of the wall itself. There were a few towers along its length he had yet to explore, which were currently unreachable with the damaged wall.
When he reached the river that ran underneath the wall and fed the water features beyond, he had to take a detour further into the forest to find somewhere to cross. It was a lot larger on the outside than he had expected, growing into a large pool when the streams beyond became clogged up. The murky depths weren’t anything he wanted to swim through. The ring wasn’t picking anything up, but he was wary of the skills that he didn’t know yet.
Alix scrambled through the trees for a while, hacking down small bushes as he went. They didn’t produce anything of any use other than Fibre. Before he found a suitable place to cross the river, he came across the outline of another wall in the forest. He soon realised it was the remains of a house, its thatched roof caved in, and there were others ahead of him, all around him. It was an entire village that had been overtaken by the trees. A new dot appeared on his map, followed by a new label. Valon.
“What is this place?” Alix asked. It looked like a sad place, the light shining through the empty windows. What was it doing so close to the castle? It looked like it had been abandoned just as long. Was this where the demons had once lived? Although it seemed quite small for what sounded like a large race.
“It was a Dark Elf village. They are the offspring of Elves and Demons. When the Demons abandoned this place, without their protection the Dark Elves were kicked out as well.”
“Where are they now?” Alix asked, thinking that he might have found a friendly race. If they were still close by maybe he could trade with them.
“They haven’t been seen for hundreds of years. If they still exist, they probably live in the north, far away from Galdea’s reach.”
It was a disappointment but there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing for him in the village, but there was an old rickety bridge that still held up across the river. He crossed over it quickly before it could collapse under his weight. He wasn’t a heavy man, but everything the Dark Elves had built looked frail. The spindly bridge looked almost like it had grown naturally out from the banks.
It took him a while to return to the castle wall. He had walked further into the woods than he had realised, but it wasn’t a hard thing to find. Alix made his way through the dense trees until he found the one he was looking for. The ring saved him the task of pretending like he knew how to identify a tree by its leaves. The name Elm appeared in the air as he focussed on the gargantuan tree. He had always been against deforestation before, but this tree had to come down. Parts of the wall were already falling against the force of its branches. The debris had fallen on either side.
Now that he was up close to the tree, he realised what a task he had given himself. It would take him ages to hack through the trunk with the axe. He had to try though. As it was, he could climb up the pile of fallen stones, and pull himself through the hole in the wall by hanging from a branch.
Alix took out the axe Mr Bones had given him. It was called Azurite Axe, and it looked like it was a fine piece of work. He circled the tree and picked a spot to take an experimental swing.
The axe sunk into the wood and chipped out a large chunk. Before it could hit the ground, it vanished in a burst of light, and some wood appeared in his inventory.
* Obtained x3 Lumber
It wasn’t much, but it filled him with motivation. It appeared that no matter what size of wood he cut, it reformed itself into a usable size within his inventory. Maybe the job wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Alix took another swing and the axe sunk deeper into the wood. He worked his way around the trunk, cutting the deepest groove so that it would fall away from the wall. It felt like it only took him an hour before the elm began to creak and bend. He took one last swing with the axe and it fell with a loud crash. Splinters of wood flew everywhere, and the elm took down a few other trees in its path.
The tree was down, but he still had to think of a way to turn it into useable planks. He thought about calling on some of the skeletons to help, they had unnatural strength, enough to carry the tree in manageable sections to work on later inside the walls, but it would be a hassle moving it all through the forest back to the gate. Maybe he could get them to build a ramp over the tumbled down section of the wall, but both those options would take a long time. He would have to walk back through the forest regardless.
If the ring can process plants, then maybe it would be able to help with the tree as well, he thought to himself, stepping up to the fallen elm and taking aim along its length with the axe. With a final swing, he slammed the axe into the wood. The elm split along the grain, before bursting into a shower of sparks, the whole thing disappearing. It took him a few shocked moments before he noticed the new entry in his log.
* Obtained 400 Lumber
“Now that is handy,” Alix said to the suddenly empty hollow, the butchered stump the only sign that the elm had once stood there. His EXP also received a hefty boost.
The notification bell went and he saw he had unlocked a new Title: Lumberjack. It seemed to be similar to Horticulturist, doubling the amount of Lumber he received from every felled tree.
The few other trees that the elm had knocked over soon joined the other timber in his inventory, bringing his total to over one thousand Lumber. Once he hit that total, the notification bell went again.
* Acquired Carpentry
* Acquired Woodworking
It took Alix a few moments of scrolling through his menus to find that the two new skills had unlocked as a new submenu under Crafting called Woodcrafting, and that it was currently empty.
“How am I supposed to use this?” Alix asked the ring, hoping he could craft a quick ladder to climb over the wall.
“Like with Crafting, you need to know the method first. Either read a book or practise woodworking yourself. Trial and error will soon turn to mastery.”
“But I already know what a ladder looks like. Why can’t I just manifest one now?”
“In time you might be able to do such a thing, if you can unlock the right Skill.”
“So I need to find Carpentry “Recipes” before I could use it for anything.” Alix debated for a moment about heading back and seeing what he could learn from the library, but he decided to stay and harvest some more lumber.
A few more trees that were encroaching upon the wall soon fell to his Azurite Axe, a wonderful tool he wished Mr Bones had given him sooner. Once a few thousand more lumber were deposited into his inventory though, he began to feel a weight dragging him down, despite his increased Strength after having reached Level 7 half way through the harvest. It felt like he had eaten too much, his movements becoming sluggish, as well as the feeling on an invisible weight around his shoulders.
So much for Infinite Storage…
Alix begrudgingly decided to call it a day before it got to the point that he couldn’t move anymore. He had made a good amount of progress, but ideally he would like to cut down enough trees so that no one could come up on them by surprise. It wouldn’t have taken longer than a few days, but it was apparent he was going to have to empty his Inventory every so often. He opened up his Inventory to see if there was anything to say what was happening, but there was no indication that his storage was anything less than infinite. There was no Encumbrance stat, or upgradable backpack.
Closing his Inventory, he switched to the Map to see how much of the fog had been cleared. Apart from Valon, it was still depressingly foggy. Before he closed it, he noticed a dot he hadn’t noticed before in a corner of the castle.
Evory.
A thought popped into his head. He tapped on the dot and then spoke as if he was communicating with Mr Bones.
Evory? Alix called into the void.
Took you long enough to try it on, the reply came almost instantly.
Try what on?
My father’s Crown.
I didn’t try it on, it’s still in my Inventory.
What’s you Inventory?
Never mind. I’m sorry I haven’t managed to speak to you sooner. I should have thought of this before but it’s been pretty busy.
Yes, I saw the Solknight’s arrival. That was very dangerous of you to let him in.
Not as dangerous as having Casimir Brant running around here. I need to deal with him soon.
I think you better listen to what Casimir has to say before you come to any decisions.
He’s woken up? The thought of the man roaming lose around the castle almost set him scrambling straight up the wall, but he had to remind himself that in her new form, Evory would be able to handle him easily. With the Soulbind spell on him, he wouldn’t be a threat anyway.
Yes, he woke up and I managed to convince him to tell me everything. You really should hear what he has to say. When will you have time?
Do you know the old Dark Elf village in the woods? Bring him here tomorrow and I will hear him out then.
Yes, I know it. I will see you there tomorrow. Oh, please bring some food for Casimir as well. I can survive up here fine without but unless you want me sneaking around downstairs, he will need something soon.
Alright, I’ll bring something.
Alix closed his menus, cutting off the line of communication, and began to make his way back to the castle with his precious cargo. He wished he had thought of a way to get over the wall instead, but he had seen no rope or ladders in the castle, and it was quicker to walk back than it would take to build one.
His steps were noticeably heavy as he trudged through the woods. Still, it was worth the extra weight to be able to carry so much. He would have had to carry the planks one at a time otherwise, or try throwing them over the wall, but he didn’t want to risk damaging them. They would need every single scrap of wood he could cut.
As he walked back through the abandoned village, he felt like there were eyes watching him from all the dark windows. The canopy was too thick for the sun to pierce through and the shadows were deep. He made his way past the buildings as fast as he could. They might come in handy one day, even if it was just to use their bricks, but for now he wanted to leave them far behind. He held the axe firmly in his hand until the village was far behind him.
Alix breathed a sigh of relief when the gates finally came into view. The sweat was dripping off of him by then, all of his muscles aching like he had just completed a strenuous workout. With the grounds freshly cleared, there was plenty of room to drop the load of lumber. Thousands upon thousands of planks erupted out of his inventory, filling a remarkably large portion of the grounds in neat rows and piles.
The weight that had been pushing him into the ground faded all at once, leaving him feeling as light as a feather, but the exhaustion from the exertion still remained. Before he braved the stairs to find a chair to collapse in to, he sent a message to Mr Bones.
Mr Bones, I managed to gather a bit of wood. I have left it in the grounds. Let me know when you need more.
With that Alix made his way inside without waiting for a reply. He would have been bouncing on his feet from the feeling of weightlessness if his muscles didn’t ache so fiercely, a deep pain that not even half a dozen tonics could touch. Still, the ache was worth it for the weight that had been lifted off his mind. The grounds were clear and they had the building materials they needed to make real progress on the castle.
Alix bypassed the chair and collapsed into bed instead, deciding he needed the rest before whatever Casimir Brant had to say became another weight on his mind.