After having my Professional Level increase to 8 I had a quick look at my Status Screen and decided to invest my free stat point into Intelligence. Once I had done so it and the earlier increase in Strength and Dexterity came into effect and while my increase in intelligence wasn’t all that readily apparent I could feel myself getting stronger as my muscular system underwent some minor improvements and I had a brief spasm as my nervous system was for all purposes reset.
After this occurred I rested for a few hours and then headed off to train so I could see for myself how much I had improved and I wasn’t disappointed.
As for my extra Professional Skill slot I hadn’t any banked or ready access to information on how to gain others or was currently able to straight up buy any, well none that I could currently afford or wanted for that matter.
That week of training made the five weeks of training we had done previously seem like a walk in the park and not just for the men. They were run ragged as were us lieutenants but once darkness fell they were finished for the day.
We on the other hand had an extra two hours or more of work ahead before we were finished. He would start by walking us through a number of scenarios and ask us how we would deal with them. This would be followed by an in-depth critique of our responses and his informing us of what he would have done. Then the captain would go over some old mission that had been undertaken by either our company or another and ask us how we would have done things differently.
Finally, he would take the part of one side in a theoretical battle and have the three of us work together to play the other side and see which one of us would come out ahead. We never managed to beat him at this but we did at least manage to survive longer at the end of the week than the start and his post-battle analysis was always informative, to say the least.
By the time the week of training was over we were all thoroughly exhausted, glad that it was over but fully aware of how beneficial the train had been. We all felt that we were better prepared for what this campaign season might throw at us. The Captain had already arranged our next Contract before our training had finished and the following morning we headed off to fulfil it.
It like the contract that followed wasn’t all that eventful, we had been hired by the Lord of Alsop Manor, one Thomas Alsop to provide extra protection to his manor a week before, during and a week after the marriage of his only daughter. There had been a previous betrothal to the now dead son of a neighbouring lord who had hoped to rearrange it with a younger son but to no. Also, not every member of the groom's family was happy with the marriage and there was bad blood with another neighbour for unrelated reasons.
In the end, nothing had gone wrong with the wedding, well nothing that had required our intervention anyway. Just the usual things, drunken fights, wedding rituals taken too far and a lot of minor disagreements over petty things.
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Contract: Alsop Manor (Wedding), Completed
Objective: Protect the Manor during the marriage ceremonies and a week either side of it
SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Make sure nothing happens to the bride and Groom or their families. SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Kill or capture anyone that dares to disrupt the Wedding. VOID
Objective: Kill or Capture 75% of those daring to disrupt the wedding. VOID
Objective: Return to base. SUCCESSFUL
Enemy Killed: 0
Enemy Captured: 0
Casualties: 0
1750 EXP Gained
Our next contract involved providing protection as a neutral party to a week-long meeting between several lords from different Manors set up to try and resolve some disagreement between them. They had split payment of our fee equally between all the parties involved and we were hired to make sure none of the parties involved or outside actors disrupted the proceedings. In the end, we basically spent the whole affair patrolling the area around the meeting without having to do much else besides. The only real excitement of the whole contract came when a thief stole the purse of one of the participants and we had to track him down.
Contract: Various Manors (Meeting Protection), Completed
Objective: Protect the site of the Meeting and the participants. SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Make sure nothing happens during the meeting. UNSUCCESSFUL
Objective: Deal with anything that happens during the meeting. SUCCESSFUL
Kill or capture anyone involved with disrupting the meeting. SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Kill or Capture 75% of those involved with disrupting the meeting. VOID
Objective: Return to base. SUCCESSFUL
Enemy Killed: 0
Enemy Captured: 1
Casualties: 0
2500 EXP Gained
You have Slain (Level 11 Wild Boar)
I had a meeting with Captain Walker at our camp at the end of the Wedding contract where he informed me about his search for a permanent Lieutenant for second Platoon.
“Nothing has been finalised yet, he has also received an offer from the Paramount Sellsword Company, as you know they lost one of theirs during their first contract of the season. At the same time, I am hopeful he will choose us, if that’s the case then I need to know how you wish to proceed.
I am not aware of any current openings within the local companies but as you know there are others based elsewhere. If you want I can write a recommendation for you but theirs no guarantee anyone would hire you and those that would mightn’t be a good fit for you.
What I think you should do is get some real experience as a sergeant first and then look for a lieutenant position in a season or two. One of those I recently promoted to sergeant in third platoon isn’t really working out. I’m giving him another chance till the end of our next contract but things aren’t looking good on that front.
As I said earlier it’s not a given but I am hopeful so think things over during the upcoming contract and decide how you wish to proceed.”