《Web of Worlds: Empire. GUARD. Book 1. litRPG series》 Note from the author The book is on pre-order on Amazon and goes live on the 29th of January GUARD [Web of Worlds: Empire] A LitRPG Series Pre-order is available: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B083DZZGM2 My first glimpse of D&D started from Baldur¡¯s Gate more than 20 years ago. Very rare people knew about these games in Russia in 1990s. The first official D&D publication appeared only in 2006, 30 years after it came out in America. By the way, now I look forward to the new Forgotten Realms. Honestly, the first game I played was a poorly translated pirated copy. It was constantly keeping crashing on my outdated computer, but I was too fascinated to stop playing it. After Baldur¡¯s Gate 2 released, I¡¯d managed to meet several like-minded people on the Internet. We made cards on the black-and-white printer and spent many exciting evenings playing the game. There were no more than 30 people in our entire city who were fond of D&D, but all my teenage memories of that period were good memories. In August 2006, D&D 3.5 rules were first officially published in Russian. We got a chance to play Neverwinters Night, Baal and received official collectibles. The fan community became huge. I played on the forums, in the icq and irc chats (does anyone still remember about them?). Around the same time, I was drafted into the army and was forced to abandon my passion for games. Having returned home and written a small series of books in the post-apocalypse genre, I resumed to my teenage hobby for board games. I devoted them all my time. Together with a 30,000 group of followers on a literary site, I decided to create a game book that would combine all my past knowledge with my current experience. According to the simplified free-to-use d20 rules, I asked a question at the end of each chapter and wrote the next chapter based on the voting results. For example, once my readers chose a completely unexpected hero class for me. As a result of the unexpected plot twist, I even had to change the book name. While facing an important event in the text, I threw a d4 dice for luck, and described the result, taking into account all the characteristics. Later I found out that this approach wasn¡¯t very popular with those readers who weren¡¯t very much interested in D&D games. However, if you are as big fan of the board role-playing games as me, then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like the book. You will success in revealing all the secrets of this seemingly simple but multi-layered world.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Chapter 49 So, we hit the road. The grinning Enmyra White rode a strange beast: it was an incredible two-legged creature with horns, a beak on its muzzle and a lizard¡¯s tail. The animal had huge claws that could easily tear the flesh of any living being. We left behind the village of half-bloods and the ruins of my parents¡¯ house. Tren¡¯ya Polozoob promised to protect Oulsast Dark¡¯s estate. Following Lysandra¡¯s advice, I made a contract, certified by the magic, with Tren¡¯ya. The Black Guard had to defend the estate, I let him hunt and fish on Oulsast¡¯s lands. We locked the basement, the lab, and a lot of chests. I hoped that would be enough to keep our new home safe. Apart from being escorted by the unpleasant Enmyra White and the expectation of an imminent painful death, I didn¡¯t feel any inconvenience. My assistant was Sergeant Spine, a green-skinned half-orc. He was a sober and reasonable fellow. He got his nickname from a scar that ran from his nape down across his back. I tried to find out where he had got it, but he didn¡¯t want to tell me. Sergeant Spine kept looking down on Triya. He acted like an overseer, rather than my assistant. I kept thinking about the Gladiator Academy. Lysandra took about ten different books to the road, there were textbooks on military tactics and strategy, martial arts techniques and tips for shooters. While Vasilisa was deftly riding the hog, Lysandra read aloud expressively. We were escorted by the soldiers, who loved her reading so much that they took turns walking by our cart. Among other things, Lysandra read about the Gladiator Academy, ¡°Before the age of the HAND, let its reign be eternal, most people were slaves. The slave owners were not just humans, but also elves, dwarves and nagas¡ªall but freedom-loving orcs. The orcs didn¡¯t want to be enslaved, therefore they died in battle but didn¡¯t give up. So, the arenas have been built throughout the continent for the entertainment of rich slavers. More than a thousand years have passed since then. The old regime fell. The Demon Lord became the head of the Empire. But the arenas still existed. The new ruler didn¡¯t ruin the useful buildings, turning the largest of them in the Academy, where soldiers, magicians, rangers and all the others were training.¡± I also learned that there were different types of mages. For example, the Black Guards had the ability of magic Regeneration. There were also swordsmen-mages and duelists-mages. The latter had to be experienced in swordsmanship and handling of crossbow. Warlocks were soul mages; I had already met the blood mage and knew that they drank other people¡¯s blood. Life mages impressed me best of all. They could change themselves. The older and more experienced they were¡ªthe more powerful their abilities became. They could treat any injuries and even reattach severed limbs. I couldn¡¯t even imagine how much this operation could cost. It¡¯s likely to be more expensive than Oulsast¡¯s mansion. Well, why do I keep calling it ¡®Oulsast¡¯s mansion¡¯? It¡¯s mine. It was strange, but the warlock¡¯s estate was worth less than Lysandra. Lysandra was dressed in her disciple¡¯s costume, made of fine and durable leather and steel plates. The plates were likely to be manufactured by my father from his steel on Oulsast¡¯s order. The cut of the suit was very functional, the clothes were made for combat rather than for style: the belt was wide enough carrying bandages, the loops for potion flasks.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I sighed over the leather armor that my mother had given me. It turned into rags after the battle with the Black Jaw. Today I was wearing Oulsast Dark¡¯s clothes, they were comfortable and high-quality, but not intended for roads and long journeys. There weren¡¯t even leather patches. The warlock¡¯s mantle and staff now belonged to the new chief of the village. I urgently needed to buy new armor. ¡°Hey, lady Slave,¡± Spine respectfully addressed Lysandra, ¡°is there any information in your clever books about killing a mage?¡¯ ¡°There is, of course,¡± Lysandra replied, ¡°this is called ¡®the tactic¡¯. Each enemy has his weaknesses, it must be taken into account. By the way, your and my master killed a blood mage, having revealed his vulnerability.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But they say the mage was killed by a fire sword, and the master was badly injured during the battle. How could ordinary people fight the mages, if they are armed with spears and swords? Can we defeat these monsters?¡± ¡°You may throw corpses at the mages,¡± Enmyra White burst out of laughing, following us, ¡°you are the corpses. After the first battle in the arena one out of five will survive at best. None of you is able to fight mages. Your hero will also die in the third or fourth battle¡­¡± Enmyra White wanted to continue, as no one dared to interrupt her, but suddenly a long stream of smelly liquid hit the woman in her face. ¡°You¡¯re a bitch! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Enmyra White roared furiously. I saw the mermaid hiding under the water. Triya! I stood next to the barrel with the water maiden while Enmyra White was driving her beast to the cart. ¡°I apologize for my slave¡¯s behavior, she¡¯s a little wild, but she hasn¡¯t harmed you,¡± I said sternly, looking into the woman¡¯s eyes, ¡°nothing threatens your life. Are you going to damage my property?¡±
Report of Michael Greystle is filed
Analysis
No damage to property
Threat isn¡¯t confirmed
Cancellation of report
Entering a formal reprimand in a personal file (a false report)
First warning
¡°Okay, bitch, live,¡± Enmyra White hissed and turned in the direction of a forest river, flowing along the road. The beast under her feet snorted and shook its head, it also didn¡¯t like the smell. ¡°Triya,¡± I said sternly; the mermaid made a move, her guilty eyes appeared over the water, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t have done that. It ended well this time, but what if I was far from here?¡± ¡°Sh-sh¡­¡± The girl said quietly, covering her mouth with both hands and carefully looking around.
Intelligence Check
Base 2
Bonus 0
Dice Roll 3
Requirement 4
Success
I couldn¡¯t help screaming with joy. She speaks! It¡¯s a miracle! Yes! I must calm down! With great difficulty, I pulled myself together and stroked the mermaid¡¯s head. Lysandra was right. She was able to talk and breathe air. Maybe she would help us after a while. I had no doubt that the agile and strong mermaid would be useful in the team. Chapter 50 During the trip, Enmyra White kept away from our cart, and I finally managed to find time to examine the characteristics of my slaves. It was strange to treat the girls like my property. But since I owned them, it was time to change my mind. Not so much for myself, but for their sake. No matter how Lysandra tried to show her independence and complete indifference to me, she gave me a scroll ¡°Slave Description.¡± It was a funny treatise about slaves and taking care of them. It was like reading a manual on cattle rather than people. Though I¡¯d never owned a pet, not even a chicken. In our family, we were engaged only in crafts. I was surprised to find out that there were two groups of slaves: ordinary ones and those who had sold their soul. Slaves also differed according to their usefulness. Ordinary slaves were only allowed to do manual labor. They had no right to education, not even to literacy. There were other categories of slaves, such as overseers, bodyguards, cooks, artists, magicians, geishas. The description of the geisha slaves was accompanied by pictures, and I examined them carefully. In any case, a slave could learn only if they were given a specialization that they had to pass on to their children. I owned a warlock¡¯s disciple, who was an uninitialized mage of the first level. According to the law, she couldn¡¯t become a real warlock, because she didn¡¯t own her soul. But she could be a mage¡¯s companion and apply a limited number of spells. Now I understood why Lyska had given me this document and even marked the list of necessary requirements. I should be at least a mage¡¯s apprentice and pay two gold coins to the Guild of Mages. It was rather expensive. I decided to get acquainted with her other characteristics.
Defector Lysandra; 18 years old; half-elf; slave of the soul
Owner¡ªMichael Greystle
Do you want to change her nickname? Yes/No
Characteristics
Strength weak (-1)
Perception half-blind (-1)
Dexterity clumsy (-1)
Stamina normal
Intelligence genius (+3)
Skills
Manipulating¡ª she can make summoned creatures escape or freeze in place Skill is blocked, the host isn¡¯t a mage.
Weaver ¨C she can summon demonic creatures and subdue their will
Skill is blocked, the weaver isn¡¯t found, the host isn¡¯t a mage
Tactics¡ªthanks to her outstanding intelligence she can easily assess the strengths and weaknesses of an enemy
Novice scribe¡ªhas advanced training in many fields. She knows the basic secrets of alchemy, herbology, geography, veterinary medicine, anatomy, botany, cooking, style, astronomy and much more. For further promotion, choose a specialization and complete the full course
She¡¯s not just smart, she¡¯s genius! How I managed to get in touch with her! I left school after only three years. I need to get at least primary education. Hoping that my characteristics would be better than Vasilisa¡¯s, I read the MESSAGE about our driver.
Vasilisa, Forest maiden, 16 years old, human, slaveIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Owner¡ªMichael Greystle
Do you want to change her nickname? Yes/No
Characteristics
Strength normal
Perception normal
Dexterity good (+1)
Stamina good (+1)
Intelligence stupid (-1)
Skills:
Thriftiness. There are no secrets for her in the household or in the field. All labor checks +1
Skills and abilities are hidden, soul-attachment or frankness are needed
There wasn¡¯t anything special about her and I was happy with that. She was an ordinary village girl with no fighting skills or secret magic. Although she had some hidden abilities that could be known only if I had the contract for her soul. It¡¯s probably nothing serious. But who knows? I¡¯d better learn more about her. I then went to the barrel with water and looked inside. Immediately, two curious eyes covered with a translucent film stared at me. Well, I got Triya together with the magic weaver ... Or did it happen later¡­ when the Baron recognized my rights to Oulsast Dark¡¯s mansion. The most important was that she was included in the list of my property and her price was rather high...
Triya Sawtooth, 7 years
Mermaid
Owner¡ªMichael Greystle
Do you want to change her name?Yes/No
I was dumbfounded. Is this mermaid seven years old? Triya was a mature woman with a beautiful body. I read the MESSAGE again and sat down, forgetting to look at her characteristics and skills. I was at a loss. Triya turned out to be just a little girl, but she looked like an adult female! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lysandra asked with interest, moving closer to me. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± I was perplexed. ¡°You¡¯re looking very confused. You don¡¯t like to ponder, it¡¯s unusual to see how you try to think. Thinking is not one of your strengths.¡± She said sarcastically. ¡°Leave me alone, or I¡¯ll send you to carry water for the mermaid.¡± ¡°Are you gonna take advantage of me like that?¡± Lyska was surprised, ¡°no requests and no vulgar hints?¡± ¡°I like one girl and she¡¯s only seven years old.¡± ¡°Pedophile!¡± Lysandra moved away from me but then she guessed, ¡°Do you mean the mermaid?¡± ¡°She looks older than you. She¡¯s got the body of a mature woman. I couldn¡¯t have known her age!¡± ¡°Ha-ha,¡± the girl burst out of laughing loudly, ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t get angry. I was wrong. You¡¯re not a pedophile. You don¡¯t know the racial characteristics of the Empire, do you?¡± ¡°We learned it at school; my parents told me something.¡± I muttered. ¡°Then you should have known about it. The orcs and the humans live for about a hundred years. The dwarves live for about two centuries. The elves live for thousands of years. The demons are immortal. The mermaid¡¯s life is very short, no more than forty years. That¡¯s why they age three times as fast as us. Now she¡¯s about twenty years old, if you compare her age with a human¡¯s; so, she¡¯s able to bear children. But keep in mind, if a mermaid gets pregnant by a human, she¡¯ll spawn, they aren¡¯t viviparous. Do you know that?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°She¡¯s half a human and half a fish.¡± Lyska was silent for a moment, then looked at me again. ¡°So, you like me less than that girl in scales¡­¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± I shuddered at her gaze. She looked at me like a predator that had just lost its prey. ¡°I just studied my slaves¡¯ characteristics and saw her age; I wouldn¡¯t want my slave to be a little girl. It would be unpleasant.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± The girl calmed down a bit but continued to stare at me intensely. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to read about the mermaid¡¯s abilities,¡± I said to the warlock¡¯s disciple. I didn¡¯t want her to be jealous of me, like I was her property and not the other way around. What am I to do? I can¡¯t free them. Shall I sell these girls? I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll be worse off with someone else... What about Triya¡¯s skills?
Strength impressive (+2)
Perception excellent (+2)
Dexterity flexible (+2)
Stamina strong (+2)
Intelligence good (+1)
Wow! All her characteristics are higher than mine. Fortunately, I¡¯m not completely blind. But it hurts. I¡¯m not a weakling. I used to work in a forge with a hammer since I was five years old. I used to carry stones, wood, and water every day as well as to hunt in the woods and collect herbs. Despite this, all my characteristics were ordinary until I drank the magic elixir. The seven-year-old mermaid is better than me in everything, even in the Intelligence without any elixirs. How is that possible?
Skills:
Water maiden¡ªwhile being in the water her Perception, Strength, and Dexterity increased (+3) Unlimited water breathing.
Talker¡ªeasy language learning, communication with marine and amphibian animals. Understanding new information +1. Domestication of animals +1
Poor fine motor skills¡ªthrowing and handling of small objects -1. Writing and reading -2
Snake¡¯s grip¡ªcongenital predisposition to fighting. Attack check +1
Scale¡ªprotection from crushing blows +1
Does it mean that she is so strong and agile only in the water? I felt better. I¡¯m not completely incompetent. Although the rest of the list was also impressive. She can be useful in battle and in a military campaign. I wonder when she breathes the air like a normal human. I hope her scales won¡¯t dry. How is she going to move? On her hands? It¡¯s awkward. Having satisfied my curiosity, I returned to the cart and took out one of the books about the history of the Academy, I need to prepare and decide what we¡¯ll do. Chapter 51 I had to deal with the Baron¡¯s orders first. The wording of the order was simple and uninformative,
To arrive at the Gladiator Academy to participate in the battles for the honor of Baron Riny Hickent Strong Fist
You have 4 days to complete the task
I didn¡¯t know what I had to learn; whom I was going to fight or the rules of these fights. I didn¡¯t know how to treat the lack of information either: if it was frightening uncertainty or complete freedom of action. I wasn¡¯t going to send myself and the boys to slaughter. After reading the list of occupations and classes again, I sighed. Enmyra White claimed that we would die by the fourth round. It would be possible if we competed in squads. But there surely would be breaks between battles. I will do everything I can to prove Enmyra Write was wrong. The Baron would bet money on us and try to win. The longer we survive in the arena, the more money this bastard would get. But there was nothing to be done. On the other hand, I could deceive Enmyra White. The vile woman was sure that we would fail, so she would surely put all her money against us. If we survived, she¡¯d go bankrupt. But I doubted I could persuade the warriors to pretend to be sick and wounded and then to win. It would be better to operate openly. How can I improve our chances of success? According to the map, Lysandra had shown me, our journey would take at least two days. We were travelling from a remote province. However, the road was far from the border and therefore safe. My fighters needed time to sleep, eat and rest. I couldn¡¯t offer the soldiers to get into cart with us, there wasn¡¯t enough room. ¡°Spine, come to me,¡± I called my assistant. ¡°I¡¯m here, Your Honor.¡± The half-orc reluctantly distracted from Lysandra¡¯s tale about the mountain people and forest creatures. ¡°Show me your weapon, please.¡± I asked him. ¡°Why? It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I want to see how good it is.¡± I held out my hand, and the soldier unwillingly gave me the narrow-bladed axe. This was a simple ax deprived of magic and bonuses. Its handle was rather worn out. I could see the almost worn pattern on it. Spine cared for his weapon well. The ax was perfectly sharpened. But it was made of second-rate steel. I wish there was a forge nearby in this thick forest¡­
Intelligence Check
Base 2Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Bonus 0
Dice Roll 1
Requirement 3
Success
¡°Why is the ax handle worn in the middle?¡± ¡°It¡¯s wide,¡± the half-orc didn¡¯t understand my question, ¡°My palm is slipping when I take the axe.¡± ¡°Do you realize that if you hold the ax properly, the blow will be stronger?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Well,¡± I interrupted him, ¡°hold on.¡± I thought I would be able to improve the soldier¡¯s weapons even without forging. I wouldn¡¯t change the cutting edge, but I could make the ax more comfortable. Fortunately, I¡¯d brought all the tools I used when we opened the chests. At first, I worked with a file, improving the pommel of the ax and making the handle a bit thinner. Then I drilled a hole in the ax handle and threaded a rope through it. Fifteen minutes later, the weapon was more beautiful and functional.
Good convenient ax + 1
¡°Well, try it again.¡± I gave Spine his ax back. He took it in disbelief and struck the tree with force. Obviously, the half-orc was very strong. He cut down the tree as if it was a thin reed. Spine went to the next trunk and repeated the same. ¡°Sir!¡± The assistant ran to me in a few minutes. He was so excited while checking his weapon, that he fell behind the cart and had to catch up. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle Thank you, Your Honor! My axis so much better!¡± I expected such a result and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Bring me your weapons, guys! One at a time!¡± The soldiers brought me their things and even lined up. Their weapons were old and terrible. I was sorry they had been given such stuff. These items were so bad that they could hurt themselves while handling their axes and spears. Some weapons had to be thrown away. I couldn¡¯t fix or improve these things. There was much work to do; fortunately, it wasn¡¯t very complicated. I kept replacing handles of the axes and manufacturing new spears. Luckily, our road passed through the thick forest. My soldiers collected firewood, searched for thin branches for arrows and cut down young trees to make spears during the halts. Some warriors replaced their broken swords with strong clubs and inserted the blades inside. My squad had no armor. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have stocks of leather and iron, the rope was gone too. However, we found a way out. Vasilisa showed the soldiers how to weave rope from young tree bark. The soldiers made new armor from wooden tree branches and makeshift ropes. The wooden armor was rather fragile, but it was better than nothing. It defended from clubs and light sword blows. Three days later, my men were equipped. During the day, my soldiers explored the forest and brought much useful stuff: mushrooms, berries, herbs. My mother was an elf, so she had taught me how to brew potions. I made a simple Health elixir during one of the halts. Lysandra helped me. At first, we didn¡¯t know what to put it in, because there weren¡¯t suitable utensils. Vasilisa helped us. She ordered to cut down a tree, hollowed out vessels from it and treated them with tree resin. ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re a good soldier, but you are a magnificent supplier,¡± Spine confessed. ¡°Thanks for the praise, but unfortunately we don¡¯t know what is in store for us. We may have to fight well-armed knights. Have a rest while you have time.¡± I was lying on the soft branches, looking at the magnificent starry sky. After several days of hard work, I didn¡¯t feel exhausted and was almost completely satisfied with the work. I hoped that my warriors were rather experienced fighters. Their skill would compensate for the lack of weapons and wooden armor. After all, they were the representatives of the Baron¡¯s guard and not some bums. I hoped we wouldn¡¯t fight immediately with a well-armed and disciplined army. I was afraid even to think about it. In the evening Lysandra said grimly, ¡°I like that your squad has weapons and armor, but more than half of the soldiers are criminals. Fortunately, our cart is guarded by Triya, otherwise, we would have been robbed long ago.¡± ¡°I know. Have you forgotten that I am the Black Guard? Each soldier has a charge and unpaid fines of half a gold coin. I hope they won¡¯t let me down in the arena.¡± ¡°I hope we¡¯ll get to the Academy alive.¡± Lysandra muttered thoughtfully, ¡°they keep looking at your chests. They must think they¡¯re filled with gold.¡± The mermaid¡¯s furious hissing confirmed Lysandra¡¯s words. Chapter 52 "What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked, trying to sound sternly and confidently. The other soldiers rose to their feet. ¡°Guys! Let¡¯s kill the commander,¡± one of the strongest soldiers yelled as he jumped onto the cart. Fortunately, the war-hog wasn¡¯t harnessed to a cart and was grazing nearby. Otherwise the warriors would have gone away with it. ¡°We are led to the slaughter, and here are chests full of coins!¡± He proclaimed loudly. ¡°Shut up, you bastard!¡± Spine shouted, approaching closer with a couple of young fighters. ¡°Have you forgotten who you¡¯re talking to? Or do you want to hide in the woods all your life from now on?¡±
Intelligence Check
Base 2
Bonus 0
Dice Roll 3
Requiment 4
Success
¡°Is it revolt against the HAND?¡± I asked menacingly. Why haven¡¯t I remembered about the HAND before? An attempt on the life of a Black Guard was punishable only by death rather than penalties. ¡°Greg,¡± (I read his name in the MESSAGE) are you sure you want this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± The warrior spoke confidently, but his eyes kept wandering. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the free lands, dudes! There are no masters or slaves! All are equal¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve probably forgotten,¡± Spine interrupted him impatiently, ¡°that only my relatives¡ªorcs live there at ease, they constantly forced to defend themselves from the raids of the nagas and the nomads!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe these stories!¡± Greg kept yelling. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m going to gut this mermaid, before your eyes. You¡¯ll see that the nagas aren¡¯t dangerous at all! Help me, guys!¡± ¡°Are you so cowardly that you¡¯re afraid to fight a girl alone, being armed and clad in armor?¡± Lysandra asked sarcastically, hiding behind my back (What a smart girl!). I was wondering what to do. My weapon was still in the cart. ¡°You¡¯re a real bitch, not a girl.¡± The soldier frowned. ¡°Are you chicken?¡± Lysandra asked and burst out of laughing. About ten men joined her laughter, to the displeasure of the failed conspirator. ¡°You¡¯d better get a broom or a garbage bin instead of a gun. That¡¯s would suit you better!¡± ¡°Oh, you, scum,¡± the soldier growled furiously, but instead of attacking us, he got deeper into the cart, ¡°I¡¯m going to gut your fish right now!¡±
Perception Check
Base -2(one-eyed)
Bonus 0A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Dice Roll 3
Requirement 2
Failure
My Sacrificial sword might be at the edge of the cart, but in the dim light of the torches and the glow of the campfire, I couldn¡¯t see it. I had to get ahead of the conspirators, crowding the cart, and kill them. How many soldiers are there? Five? Ten? I was so stupid that I¡¯d manufactured armor and weapons for them. Damned fool. I tried to move forward, but Lyska, who had foreseen this situation, held me back. Vasilisa had disappeared somewhere. Most of the soldiers stood at a distance. I didn¡¯t know what they would do next. I was their commander, but we hadn¡¯t participated in any battle yet. What if I order on behalf of the HAND? I¡¯m a Sergeant! Those who disobey will be considered criminals. I didn¡¯t want to fight the rebels, because some people could die in the fight. If I lose ten or twenty soldiers out of fifty, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight in the arena and defend the Baron¡¯s honor. So, I needed all the fighters. ¡°Listen to me! I¡¯m Michael Greystle, a Black Guard, a Sergeant of his Excellency the Baron, demand that you lay down your arms! You don¡¯t have to die killing your companions.¡± ¡°Fuck you, asshole!¡± one of the soldiers shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll take your property and move on. If you keep quiet, we¡¯ll let you live. ¡° ¡°Do you want to be charged with robbing an official?¡± I made it clear just in case. ¡°I don¡¯t care. If we rob you, we¡¯ll just pay a fine or a bribe,¡± another soldier grinned; there was one robbery on his list of charges. ¡°You¡¯d better stay quiet.¡± ¡°But first we¡¯ll gut the mermaid,¡± Greg added, plunging his sharpened sword into the water. His movement was smooth and confident. He obviously knew how to use the weapon. But what happened next ruined his plans. Water splashed out of the barrel, Triya jumped out and landed on the confused enemy. ¡°Assault on property! Attempted murder!¡± I shouted. The MESSAGE with the charges emerged before my eyes immediately and I confirmed these accusations without reading. The number of Greg¡¯s charges increased; his penalty exceeded one gold coin. Magic! ¡°Soldiers, capture the dangerous criminal, accused by the magic!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move! Otherwise there will be slaughter! Do you want to die for this bastard in the arena?!¡± the new leader yelled. ¡°Let us go, and everything will be fine!¡± Meanwhile, a real battle flared up in the cart. The mermaid, who had got out of the water, was weak, but she was still able to defend herself. Triya tore off the foe¡¯s twig armor, scratching him with her sharp claws, and hissed with the pain. Greg kept beating the water maiden with his fists and elbows. There were quite a lot of weapons and heavy objects in the cart. The battle might be over in in a few seconds. What shall I do? Shall I use the Light? Enmyra White is looking forward to it and waiting somewhere nearby. Why doesn¡¯t she intervene? Maybe she wants to kill me and the soldiers at the same time... The Sacrificial sword is in the cart; I have no other weapons or armor. Shall I call a spider? I¡¯m afraid it will take too long.
Luck Check
Base 1
Bonus 0
Dice Roll 2
Requirement 3
Success
Fortunately, Lysandra sent a burning arrow from a bow. The arrow fell into the center of the cart just a few inches from Greg¡¯s head. The rebel was distracted and turned his head. At that moment, Triya cut his throat with her claws. ¡°Run! Get out of here! The potions will light up right now!¡± Lysandra screamed. She¡¯s smart. The soldiers scattered from the cart. I ran up, grabbed my blade and plunged it into the enemy¡¯s body. The Sacrificial sword immediately began to suck blood from Greg¡¯s corpse. Meanwhile, the warlock¡¯s disciple threw the burning arrow into the barrel. It was extinguished there in a few seconds without causing damage. ¡°Let us go, or you¡¯ll regret it!¡± one of the rebels shouted with fear in his voice. ¡°Kill this jerk,¡± I pointed to the rebel with my flaming sword, ¡°then all the others will be able to sleep peacefully today and tomorrow. I promise that if you lay down your weapons, you¡¯ll fight in the arena. Otherwise I will execute you personally. Right now.¡± ¡°Oh, HAND, what nonsense!¡± Enmyra White emerged out of the darkness, riding her monster. ¡°Just kill each other! What a bore! Everyone¡¯s talking. Don¡¯t you have anything better to do? Watch how it should be done!¡± She snapped her fingers, and a small flame ignited in her palm. I only saw two flashes¡ªone in her hand and the other in the bandit¡¯s chest. Neither wooden armor, nor distance helped him. The flames just flashed in his chest, burning him from inside. After another snap of the fingers the leader¡¯s head exploded, fertilizing the ground with his brains. I wanted to learn Enmyra¡¯s mastership and effectively kill the enemies with fiery spheres. What if I have to fight the same experienced mages as Enmyra White in the arena? When will this happen? In the fourth round? ¡°We¡¯re giving up! Don¡¯t kill us!¡± several soldiers shouted at once. My threats, the Sacrificial sword sucking blood, and the mermaid didn¡¯t seem so terrible as the mage killing one of them with one motion. The rebels immediately knelt down, dropping their weapons. I¡¯m not sure I could fight Enmyra White. ¡°Tie them up, take their armor. They¡¯ll lead the charge in the arena.¡± Chapter 53 In the morning we approached the Northern capital. We passed several villages along the way; the dwellings were surrounded by thick forest. At last, we came to a big hill and stood still in admiration. We saw a huge castle before us. It was so big that I could hardly catch my breath. Its huge grey walls stretched for miles. It was surrounded by small wooden houses. Although the buildings were actually quite large, they seemed tiny compared to the castle. The castle was protected by several rows of walls. The outer wall was made of thick logs, it stood about ten feet high. Large red buildings stood at the foot of the hill; thick black smoke was coming out from their windows. A thick white mist hung above the castle, covering its roof. The marvelous sight of the castle distracted me from my thoughts. I realized that I wouldn¡¯t be able to form a squad of loyal soldiers. They would have refused to carry out my commands. Triya kept attempting to live without water. She got out of the barrel and tried to walk in the cart, or rather crawl. I dressed the mermaid in one of Oulsast¡¯s longest jackets in order not to confuse the soldiers. She looked like she was wearing a gown. ¡°Freeze!¡± ordered the guard by the first gate. ¡°Where are you going? Are you a gang?¡± He was very well dressed and looked like a knight. Other guards stood beside him, armed with halberds and dressed in simple and shabby clothes. ¡°Sergeant Michael Greystle, Black Guard. We are going to the Gladiator Academy on the order of his Excellency Baron Riny Hickent Strong Fist.¡± ¡°Well,¡± the man frowned reading the MESSAGE about me, and sighed. ¡°Sorry, mate. No offence. You are strangers here. There are a lot of wandering guards now... If you are with the Baron¡¯s guards, you don¡¯t need to pay the toll.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I nodded. ¡°How do we get to the Academy?" ¡°You go through the second gate,¡± the guard pointed behind his back, ¡°you¡¯d better settle in the barracks near the castle. The tournament starts in a month. All the ins are overcrowded. The rents are very high.¡± ¡°Thanks, when we settle here, I¡¯ll try to find you and buy you a drink.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, buddy.¡± The Guard smiled for the first time, and revealed a mouth full of half-rotten teeth. He was clearly a drunk. I didn¡¯t need to read the MESSAGE about him to understand that. When we passed the first gate, we came upon crowds of people milling through the streets. Vasilisa had to constantly stop the war-hog, because it kept trying to eat someone¡¯s hat or grab an apple from a cart. We met people dressed in outlandish clothes, other races and weird animals that looked like riding birds. We were surrounded by thousands of screaming merchants praising their goods. There were so many people that we could barely move. Vasilisa was astonished, and so was I. Triya cautiously looked out, hiding her face under the hood. Only Lysandra acted like she was used to going to the capital every weekend, as if she had seen all these weird things many times and wasn¡¯t interested at all. Finally, we saw something that struck even Lyska. Stone houses! They were taller than two-story buildings! One, two, three... I counted on my fingers, FIVE floors! The strangest thing was the fact that the castle was even taller! The inner walls seemed to scratch the sky.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hey, buddy, watch out, something might fly into that mouth of yours,¡± one of the guards shouted mockingly. He was wearing a black uniform and an expensive looking armor, which was gleaming in the sun. He was carrying a sword, a light club and a gun. Other guards we met were dressed the same. Apparently, they were well heeled. I shut up. The guards laughed, but I didn¡¯t care. For the first time in my life I saw such majestic beauty. The smell of sewage spoiled the impression. It flowed right through the ditches along the buildings. But not even this smell could overshadow the splendor of the Northern capital. ¡°Your honor,¡± the approaching guard greeted me. He was quite tall with a short black mustache. His gallant gait, perfect posture, well-fitting form, sword and gun confused me. The guard had a satchel on his back, white smoke was coming out of it. ¡°I¡¯m glad to welcome the soldiers from the Barony of the border lands. What can I do for you?¡± He was perfectly polite. I decided to learn more about him.
Bengun Grod
Captain of the city guards; half-dwarf, 105 years old
Charges are hidden
¡°Your honor,¡± I nodded back. I hope this form of address is appropriate. ¡°My name is Michael Greystle. I¡¯ve arrived at the direct order of his Excellency Baron Riny Hickent Strong Fist to participate in arena battles,¡± I repeated the same phrase that I¡¯d uttered at the first gates. ¡°Why did you decide to come here?¡± Bengun Grod asked mockingly. ¡°Well,¡± I stammered, ¡°the guards at the lower gate recommended us to move into the barracks at the Palace and then go to the arena.¡± ¡°Damned jokers!¡± Bengun Grod sighed wearily, he obviously didn¡¯t like this prank. ¡°There are some barracks within the fortress. They are intended for officers and nobles only. You¡¯d better find an inn. But I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible, since there are fifty of you. You¡¯d better go back beyond the walls and set up camp there. You look like barbarians from the elven suburbs. You are strangers in the capital.¡± The captain spoke quietly, without smirks and rudeness, but with clear scorn. An unknown guard wants to go inside. What nonsense!
Intelligence Check
Base 2
Bonus -2(provocation)
Dice Roll 2
Requirement 3
Failure
I was so angry. I didn¡¯t like this attitude, although I knew that we were simple provincial residents. There are so many people in this city. Can¡¯t we stay here? ¡°Excuse me, Your Honor. I¡¯d like to buy a house big enough for my entire squad.¡± ¡°There are such houses,¡± the Guard grinned, ¡°but they cost as much as a whole village. I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t afford them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s any of your business. But thank you for your concern. Could you tell me where I can find a salesman?¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Bengun Grod frowned. ¡°Byorn! Come here!¡± A young grey-skinned guard ran up to him immediately. He seemed to be a half-dwarf. ¡°How can I help you, Your Honor?¡± he asked. ¡°Take this guy to¡­¡± Bengun Grod hesitated for a moment, ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll show Mr. Sergeant how decent people live in the fortress.¡± Chapter Hello, my friends! My book GUARD [Web of Worlds: Empire] has been released on Amazon. Hurrah! It was a difficult experience, but I did it! ************* The God of Light fell. The Demon Lord rules the world.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Sentient beings were forbidden to develop technology, and people were never able to shift from the steam era to the age of electricity and the internal combustion engine. But as long as you are the Light host, you can hope for the best. Even if your house is burned to the ground, even if you lose your family, even if your overlord sends you to your death, the Black Guard never gives up and continues on his way. *************** It will be nice if you leave feedback on the book! I wait and appreciate your opinion. Read for free at Kindle Unlimited: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B083DZZGM2 The second book of the series MAGE [Web of Worlds: Empire] will be released on the 12th of February Pre-order is available: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0849X19GM Authors note Hello, everyone! Now you can buy my books at a great discount! This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The God of Light fell. The Demon Lord rules the world. Sentient beings were forbidden to develop technology, and people were never able to shift from the steam era to the age of electricity and the internal combustion engine. But as long as you are the Light host, you can hope for the best. Even if your house is burned to the ground, even if you lose your family, even if your overlord sends you to your death, the Black Guard never gives up and continues on his way. MAGE [Web of Worlds: Empire] Book II Hello, my friends! The second book of the series was released! MAGE [Web of Worlds: Empire] https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0849X19GM The God of Light fell. The Demon Lord rules the world.Stolen novel; please report. Sentient beings were forbidden to develop technology, and people were never able to shift from the steam era to the age of electricity and the internal combustion engine. But as long as you are the Light host, you can hope for the best. Even if your house is burned to the ground, even if you lose your family, even if your overlord sends you to your death, the Black Guard never gives up and continues on his way. You can buy both books at a great discount! The first: GUARD [Web of Worlds: Empire] https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B083DZZGM2