[Eric, I would like to give you a more challenging quest regarding the soldiers under your leadership.] Eva said.
Really? What is it? I asked, curious. Eva then continued.
[DING!] I heard a ring. [You have received a quest from the system. Would like to accept? Y/N?] Huh. No reason to say no. Yes. I thought as the screen lit up in green and went away. Eva, would you kindly not show the screen right now? I need to dress up. I told Eva as I began to undress.
[Affirmative. I shall not show the quest screen until further notice.] Eva said emotionlessly.
I got out of my sleepwear, and wore my tunic and pants on. "Sofia! Prepare some food right now!" I exclaimed once I got of my bed room. I heard a distant "Yes!", from what I assumed was Sofia. I went to the dining hall, and got seated at the only chair on the far left end of the table, waiting for Sofia and the other servants to finish cooking.
Eva, please do bring up the quest screen, now. I instructed her, as I heard the clanking of pots and pans coming from the kitchen to the side.
[Affirmative. I shall be bringing up the quest screen now.] As soon as he finished speaking, a screen popped up before me.
[Training Session]
[Difficulty: D-]
[For your first serious quest, you shall train a set amount of soldiers given by the system to a certain Prowess level. Please complete the goals given below.]
[Train 20 Tier 0 Prowess to Tier 1 Prowess.]
[Time Limit: 7 Days]
[Penalties: 25%< Completion - Locking of system and its abilities for 5 days.
50%< Completion - Locking of system and its abilities for 3 days.
75%< Completion - Locking of system and its abilities for 1 day.]
[Rewards: 90%< Completion - N/A
90%> Completion - +2 Levels, {Common} Weapon of any kind.]
[Note: Once you reach 75%> Completion, you can submit the quest, though you will not get rewards for total completion.]
Train twenty soldiers to Tier 1? I frowned at seeing the objective. Well, it looks like I will have to work more. I do not feel like getting locked out of accessing Eva's aid. Seven days is definitely enough with work.
Though, I think could skimp out on training four soldiers and submit the quest. But, I would be losing out on the rewards... I began to weigh my options, until I heard a coughing noise on my side. I turned, and saw Sofia with a dish, with the other servants behind her.
"Eh-ehm... Lord Eric, here are the food you have requested for." Sofia said, as she placed down the dish on the table, and another servant put the cutlery down as well. "Thank you, Sofia. You all may go now. And please, drop the Lord, for I am not one. You may refer to me as Commander." I said as I eyed the dish, and dismissed them.
"I am happy to serve you truly, Lo... Commander Eric. We will go now." Sofia said as she and the other servants bowed, leaving the dining room and into the kitchen in a file. I will decide on how to do the quest later. I thought as began to eat.
Soon, I finished eating, and with a full belly, resumed my thinking. I think I will try and have total completion. I thought resolutely to myself I got up from my seat and edited the dining room, going to the citadel's armory. I wore my chainmail over my tunic, as I tightened a belt with my sword's sheath around my waist and got my greaves and gauntlets on. I wore my bascinet helm on top, finishing with putting on my armor. I collected my sword, and sheathed it, and exited the armory.
I went down the hall, and walked through the citadel's gate, and saw Henry with the others. "Good day, Lieutenants, and Captain Henry." I greeted the men, who saluted upon seeing me. "Commander!" All of them said, as I nodded. "Call the men., Lieutenants. I have something planned for them." I commanded to the lower officers, and Henry asked the obvious, "If I may, Commander, why do you need the men?" He asked with the curious expression. "For training, Captain. Though, it is gonna be different than our typical drills and such. Come with me, Captain. Lieutenants, you go rally the men." I ordered as they saluted, and set off for the camps outside the fort. I and Henry walked to the raised platform west of the gate, and went up. "Captain, I need you to procure some heavy weights later in the morrow. Stones, logs, anything you can get." I ordered the Captain, who had a raised eyebrow at my request. "What is your requested.. weights for, Commander?" He asked, as I smiled at his question. "It is simply for the training for the next days, Captain." I responded, as we both waited for the Lieutenants and the rest of the soldiers.
----------------------------------------
(Outside the Fort)
"Gather, gather! Rally to the center!" A loud voice permeated through the camps. Men walked to where the voice told them to, and it was one of the Lieutenants. Soon, the men gathered in front of the officers, and Henry spoke once more. "Now, form columns! We will go to the fort in front of us there!" The officer spoke loudly as he pointed to the fortress. "Lieutenants, keep the men in line!" He continued as he walked in front of the men as they formed columns. "On me!" He called out, as the men finished forming, and marched behind him as he went to the fort's gates. The marching soldiers were all mostly in order, as they entered the fort's courtyard, and near to the raised platform where Eric and Henry were waiting, where they gathered as the Lieutenants kept them in line.
----------------------------------------
I finally spoke as I stared down the men with a stern expression. "Good day, soldiers. I assume most of you have broken your fast, no?" I asked rhetorically, as I saw some of the men murmuring. "That matters not, as I have an issue of great import. Now, most of you are just farmers, trying to get by, and just raring to go back to your beloved families." I started, as I spoke loudly. "I know that feeling very well, as I have family of my own. But, you lot, and I, are here for a great and significant duty; and that is to defend our homes. You will not just do patrols and sit on your arses, though some of you may just be doing that as a new recruit. Nay, you will have to fight. Other than opportunistic bandit gangs and cutthroats, you face an enemy that is out of old wives' tales. Beasts that are great in size and power, hundreds of smaller, but equally dangerous monsters that can ravage lands in a matter of hours. That is the foe we might face." I said grimly, as I saw that some of the faces of some of the men turned pale, seeming to be churning at the thought of fighting against monsters out of fantasies.
"But, they are not inevitable. We have the power of the human mind, able to adapt to everything. And the beasts I speak of will not appear in here, as we are far from a high level monster den. Mostly, you will face basic beasts like goblins and direwolves, and with the most dangerous in this area being a Greatbear. They are dangerous, for sure; But, they are not insurmountable." I said, giving a small comfort to the men. I doubt any Flameborn or Froststork are operating in this area. Hopefully, at least. "I am Garrison-Commander Eric Harrickson, as you all may know from the day before, and you may know Captain Henry Melker," I introduced the captain as he saluted, "and the Lieutenants." I introduced myself and the other officers. "Now, I will discuss training. This program of mine shall last a week, and I hope most of accomplish and excel at this. The program will stretch from sparring, formations, mock battles, and athletic training. Endurance, skill and discipline are the main priority." I announced as I saw the surprised looks on the men.
I continued, ignoring their surprise. "For today, you lot will be practicing formations. Officers, get your men to form shield walls, posthaste!" I ordered loudly as the Lieutenants shouted out the orders. I saw them forming sluggishly, as the men did not form quickly from the mass that they had been in. But, they did form soon enough. "Not good enough! You think a direwolf will let you form up before mauling your face?! Think otherwise! Line formation! We shall do this until you get it within seconds!" I shouted loudly as the soldiers disengaged from the shield wall and stood in a line. "Captain, will you be so kind so as to order the men? I have some.. thoughts to think of right now." I instructed him, to which he saluted. As we finished speaking, the men finished their shield wall. "Not enough! Line formation! Do it again!" The captain shouted loudly at them, to which they disengaged and reformed into a line.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
As this happened, I honed in on a young man. Eva did say that {Inspect} worked on people too, not just objects.. I thought to myself. "{Inspect}...}" I murmured to myself as a screen popped up.
[NAME: Nelson Parkes]
[AGE: 23]
[LEVEL: 1]
[ASCENDANCE: 1]
[PROWESS TIER: 0 (10/200]
[COMMAND TIER: 0 (Private)]
[LEADERSHIP: 2]
[LOYALTY: 65/100]
[DISCIPLINE: 20]
[MORALE: 80% - EAGER]
[CONDITION: 89% - WARMED UP]
[REMARKS: Below average. Just slightly better than civilians, I would not trust this one in holding a position without breaking and routing.]
[-1 M.P.!]
I hummed in thought at the young man's stats. I sighed at the counter to getting to Tier 1. This is gonna be a long one. Fortunately there seems to already be progress, I smiled at the thought. I looked to Henry, I will assume that Henry is one of the level two Prowess soldiers. I thought to myself as the Captain continued shouting orders at the soldiers. "{Inspect}." I mumbled to myself as another screen popped up.
[NAME: Henry Melker]
[AGE: 29]
[LEVEL: 4]
[ASCENDANCE: 1]
[PROWESS TIER: 2 (70/500)]
[COMMAND TIER: 2]
[LEADERSHIP: 9]
[LOYALTY: 90/100]
[DISCIPLINE:70]
[MORALE: 100% - HEROIC]
[CONDITION: 90% - FRESH]
[REMARKS: Good. Reliable on the battlefield and with commanding, I would want him leading an army. Though, improvements can be made.]
[-1 M.P.!]
I saw the Leadership stat for the Army and Base and raised an eyebrow. Eva, why is Leadership not part of the Stats? I questioned her. Leadership is calculated based on the sum of Intelligence that is multiplied by itself, and is divided with Wisdom for the quotient, or answer, to put it simply: the formula used is INT² ÷ WIS.
Eve explained to me. I scarcely knew what she was talking I will pretend to know what she is talking about. I snorted to myself as I saw Henry looking strangely at me. "Uh, Commander? You fine there?" He asked awkwardly, with a confused tone. I widened my eyes and coughed into my palm, as I realized that I was staring blankly at him. "Ah, I apologize, Captain. It seems my thoughts have overwhelmed my senses. Please, continue with what you were doing." I said, as he shrugged and went back to commanding the soldiers. "Right, form shield wall!" He shouted loudly at the soldiers.
As I looked, I was surprised, as it seemed that the speed of the men in forming increased, along with their form and the look of their formation. Huh. Interesting. It seems that the passive skills are actually doing something. Let's see.. compared to the first time, their speed at forming has improved, their formation... At the first time, it was a tad loose, leaving noticeable gaps in the shield wall, but now it seems to have started closing slowly. I smiled proudly at their improvement. Very good. I thought to myself.
I looked at one random soldier that was in the formation, hoping for a little improvement and honed in on them. "{Inspect}." I muttered to myself as a screen popped up.
[NAME: Victor Miller]
[AGE: 24]
[LEVEL: 2]
[ASCENDANCE: 1]
[PROWESS TIER: 1 (20/300)]
[COMMAND TIER: 0]
[LEADERSHIP: 4]
[LOYALTY: 70/100]
[DISCIPLINE: 40]
[MORALE: 80% - EAGER]
[CONDITION: 70% - WARMED UP]
[REMARKS: Average. A decent rank and file type of soldier. Like always, improvements can be made.]
Tier 1, huh? I suppose that he must be one of the ten Tier 1s. I hummed in thought as I looked at the screen. I do wonder, however... Eva, is it possible to look at the progress of the current quest right now? I asked curiously to her.
[Yes. Let me show you only the quest progress for simplicity.] Her emotionless voice ringed in my head, as I nodded. Soon, a small screen popped up.
[Quest Progress for "Training Session".]
[1/20 - 5%]
I was a bit surprised to already see that one soldier has risen to Tier 1. Eva, is it possible to see who this man is? I am simply curious. I asked her, wondering who it was. Soon, I got my answer.
[Unfortunately, not. Though, you can use {Inspect} to look for specific subjects at the cost of Mana Points.] She answered. A shame. I thought, disappointed at the response. No matter, progress is progress. I shook my head as I focused on the men doing the formations. I smiled as the soldiers performed the shield wall with swiftness without being disorganized much. I patted Henry on the shoulder, "I shall take back command, Captain. At ease." I ordered him, to which he saluted and stepped a foot behind me. I cleared my throat, as the men formed a shield wall.
"Line formation!" I shouted loudly at the men, who broke off from the wall of wooden shields and stood in a line in a matter of a minute. I put my hands behind my back and started to speak once more. "I am proud that you all have followed orders to your utmost capabilities. You lot are a promising bunch, and I have high hopes that you are going to fight and survive against beast attacks." I said, as I saw some of the younger men puff up their chest and have slight smiles at my flatteries.
"But, shield walls are just the start. It shows how quick you all are to follow and execute orders, which you all have done. You have done these orders quickly, unlike other garrison soldiers could have done. Seconds can be the difference between living, and dying. As I have said, no beasts will allow you to form up sluggishly; they will take advantage of such to rip you lot up to pieces." I said frankly, seeing that some of the soldiers having frowns, imagining their demise at the hands of such terrifying beasts. I scarcely can blame them for thinking so.
"We will practice more sophisticated formations outside of the fortress, but for now, you lot may rest for a short while, as I am sure some of you are tired after doing such tasks. You all may go now." I finished my speech, as the men scattered and exited the courtyard of the fortress. As I saw Henry going down, I called out to him. "Captain, I have a mission that is of great import. Come." I said, as I saw that he had a confused expression, but followed me nonetheless.
We went to the citadel, and into my office where I looked out the window "At ease." I said, as I looking at the activity within the camps outside. "What is it that you ask, Commander?" Henry asked, as his hands were behind his back. "I've a correspondence from Erniston, Captain. Some cutthroats have been robbing folk in the road leading to the town, and direwolves killing as much of them." I said simply, as I looked back at Henry, seeing him with a deep frown. "I need you, and a couple men of your own choosing, to apprehend the cutthroats, kill them if necessary. Any direwolves you encounter, kill them. Lord Winston will be furious if he gets news of lawlessness in his lands." I said, as Henry saluted.
"I shall do what you ask for, Commander. If I may ask, how many men should I bring?" He asked, a serious expression covering his face. "As many as you see fit, Captain. The Gods know that real combat will do some of the greener recruits well. Though, I personally suggest bringing at the most fifteen men." I said as I walked to the windowed cupboard, and grabbed two shots, and picked through a collection of liquor I have displayed. I grabbed one, opened it and poured it into the shots. I gave one of the glasses to the Captain, who accepted it.
"To your good health and safety, Captain." I said simply with a smile as I raised the glass. Henry did the same too. "You as well, Commander. May you forever live in good health and safety." As he spoke, we both drank quickly, finishing off the shots. "You are dismissed, Captain." I said, as the liquor did not affect me one bit. Henry saluted, and exited the office. I looked back at the window, and sighed. This will be a long day...