Chapter 8: Ch. 8 – Tacet

Normally in MMORPGs you’d have a panel on the side of your monitor with the names and status of your groupmates. Health, mana, career resource like rage that built up in combat to fuel abilities or special combo stances and such. More important, constant communication with text chat or voice rooms to keep in contact. Apprise each other with situations as they arose. See if someone was getting walloped or had a debuff that needed cured.

All I had was a barebones mini-MAP panel of the surrounding area that occupied the field of vision of two Arachne eyes while the other four tried focusing on looking for my errant Troll friend.

Yellow was close behind. Huffing and puffing, it helped I was gravely wounded and not able to dash through the lightly wooded area around the hamlet to the hill. Also, the fact that I wasn’t clearcutting with my Bladeweaver forelimbs meant nothing else to dodge. Any ambient critters went quiet or darted out of my way as soon as they got a whiff of my blood or sensed me.

I smelled the burnt flesh and ozone first.

“Hagash!” I called out, looking back and forth. He was close. Yellow jumped, startled once more. Maybe I had said it in Troll. There wasn’t some slider for me to tab through and choose how I spoke. “Hagash, where are you?!”

Signs of life, noise. A grunt, struggle to get up. The bastard was going to try and save face by getting up by himself. Typical alpha male putting up a front of strength, but one of the few traits I respected in a man.

Directing Yellow to the left, I turned and began ambling toward him. Up the hill’s incline. She was having a better time than me. Legs weak, passive healing doing jack squat in this short time. Clambering up, the race was no contest as she reached the top of the small mound of earth.

“Don’t hurt the woman! She wants to help us,” I quickly added, breathing heavily while sinking all eight legs into the task.

My third acquaintance gasped, a sharp inhale. When I finally reached the top, her hands covered her mouth and nose. There was no wonder why.

Hagash was hurt. Bad.

Pinned to a tree with a spike made out of a single lathed bone through the shoulder, thick as my wrist. Straight through the hoodie I made for him, which was also in tatters. Markings on the stake. Twisting characters every so often. Like sheet music, meter and rhyme, but with hateful intent. Stab wounds, electrical burns across his body and a broken tusk. They weren’t healing.

“Don’t. Move.”

Looking between us, Hagash weakly nodded as Yellow kept staring.

“Project.”

+Target is Hagash, warband member, level twenty elite Troll. Status: abilities blocked, traits blocked, restrained by elite quality disrupting weapon. Notes: subdued by Kajabash, level sixteen elite aspirant Troll Shaman.+

“Project,” I whispered, focusing on the spike.

+Target is journeyman quality magic tool, Giant Eagle bone. Notes: made by Journeyman Enchanter Kajabash, enchanted by Journeyman Enchanter Kajabash, disrupting weapon, immune to nonmagical damage.+

I chewed on my lip. He couldn’t regenerate. He already looked worse for wear, in body and spirit. Forced to watch as we fought in the Human small camp, forced to pay for his mistake. Something probably would have come by to eat him afterwards in this state. Kajabash didn’t care about anyone surviving except for himself, not even if he had the power to maybe face me down personally. The only hope was that he was self-assured in victory that coming back to double-check was out of his mind. Thunderstrike seemed very much in the fire-and-forget category of area-of-effect damaging spells.

And Hagash tried-!

Tongue-lashing later, saving first.

“Are you familiar with treating wounds like this?” I asked, looking over to Yellow. Second nature began feeding me information. I had no idea how to do first aid aside from clean wound, put on antibiotic, stick on a bandage. Now, second nature murmuring potential steps, I had a good idea of how not to kill my friend.

She nodded hesitantly, appraising him with her own expert eye. Looking up at me, back at Hagash to meet his wary stare with one eye swollen shut, her choice to kneel beside the wounded shoulder was made.

“My measure of your character hinges on this task,” I warned. Gulping, Yellow prepped a spell of some sort.

Glyphs arrayed themselves in front of her, she adjusted them like dials, looking at Hagash, making measurements. An ice prism formed, suspended in a small glob of water. Its magic carried the color of restorative green and something golden I wasn’t yet familiar with.

“Ari sound pretty like wind chime. Who pretty girl?” Hagash tried cocking his head.

“Stay still you fool,” I commanded, half expecting his warband badge to flash. No such luck. Well, at least I wasn’t mind-controlling him against his will.

My Bladeweaver forelimbs sharpened themselves against each other. Chitin flaked off, revealing the orange sheen, clearing my crimson gold blood mixed with Troll ash. It was going to be interesting to use them as surgical tools considering the size difference. Comedic. They hovered over the spike, ready to clamp down like vise grips. I could feel the evil enchantment’s hold recoil away from my equally malevolent intent.

With the crick noise a combo lock opening made, Yellow’s glyph handiwork coalesced into a powerful little icicle. A much smaller spike with better intentions. For her sake, at least.

“Three, two, one, and-“

Careful to not slice through the stake entirely, I pinched my blades like comically oversized tweezers and drew it out in one fell swoop. Yellow shoved her prism into the wound, shattering it. A wash of ice and water expanded inside the empty wound, covering over his entire shoulder. I could see tendrils of rejuvenation and the strange golden light with my Arachne eyes start weaving into his being. Spreading to his heart, it almost seemed to jumpstart his natural healing. Slowly but surely.

Panting heavily, little puffs of frosted breath in front of her, Yellow fell backwards in a heap. Unsure of what to do with the scene in front of her, she relaxed as much as possible. Almost like accepting fate should things turn for the worst.

“Hagash?” I asked, leaning downwards with my human half. Fingers extended to hold his cheek, turning his bad eye left and right, other hand braced against the joint of my sword-limb.

“Nhnn…”

I slapped him.

“What did I ask you to do?!”

I wanted so badly to throttle him some more. If not for his flesh starting to close around, consume Yellow’s healing art to fuel his own recovery, I would have! Many of my limbs counted in place like an angry equine, leaving deep gouges with loud thuds that made both of them try to shrink away from me.

“Only with the help of this stranger was I able to make sure all of us survived,” I spat through gritted teeth, straightening my back. Folding my blades in front of me, my other hand reached down to him.

As much as a superior should chastise their underling, the verbal lecture bordering on mental abuse was a management tactic I wanted to employ sparingly. He already knew he fucked up. He didn’t need to be dragged through the coals, least of which in front of a potential new hire if she made the cut. Besides, he was an equal in this venture of ours. For the time being, I was merely another member of this warband, the largest star badge thing around my neck notwithstanding.

Hagash took my hand, surprising both of us when I hoisted him up with much less effort than expected. I was the better actor and hid it easier. Marginally. Muscle bard, go?

Anyways, I had no force of personality. No leadership potential. Haha. I was a follower in all my MMORPG guilds, able to do what others told me and rely on their knowledge. At best I led other tanks or healers in their roles but not the entire damn group!

Even if Leadership was a Power stat, it was just an unknown number affecting background mechanics. Just like how I was doing my best not to die by running my mouth, talking a bigger game than I could literally muster.

Level one Bard, having to resort to her OP Raid Boss adjustments to fudge rolls with basic skills. I had to nearly kill myself to save everyone with that massive offering of health to do something beyond my means. Even then, I got shown how weak I really was on my own. Only through subterfuge and doing it from behind like a sneaky-beeky Rogue, taking out enemies one-by-one and burning cooldowns only at the end, did I barely come out on top.

And then that fucking Thunderstrike! A Shaman who had Enchanter behind his arsenal, making anything from these magic sealing spikes to maybe even weapons!

How could I even stand against this Kajabash asshole by myself if it came to it? This system was broken, shouldn’t I have had a level up or something by now?!

[M-m-my la-laa-lady?]

“What?!”

Yellow shrank back as she became the sole object of my rage against the universe. She crawled backwards, kowtowing toward me.

[Pl-please, accept my fe-feal-t-ty,] she continued, not to be easily deterred. [My on-only wish is to s-ser-serve at yo-your side.]

“Why this burning desire to join me, bearer of winter’s deadly kiss?” I replied. Little more coldly than I intended. The injured look she gave me before we left the hamlet came to mind. Probably the same one she currently hid facedown in the grass. “You appear to me the sort that could easily carry herself from place to place without a care. Tethering yourself-”

[Y-you spoke to m-me-me. A-a-rr-are speaking.] She rose her head, more tears of barely frozen water. Chimes and tiny bells as her voice. [I c-c-can hear y-you. Nnn-n-no one has ever t-t-talked with me. Ju-ju-just at me! I’ve n-nnn-never even heard my name. B-but-but I hear you. I d-don’t know w-wh-wh-why!]

Huh? A deaf-mute maybe? Something else?

“Hagash, do you speak like the Humans do?”

“Little,” he replied haltingly. Searching around for something, I figured it was the maul. Also, gathering the fact that Yellow jumped away from him, he did speak the language. “Hagash not know big words.”

“May I ask you to speak Common then?” Looking at him pause, he raised an eyebrow. The swollen one had gone down though still an angry red bruise across his blue skin. “It will help us against Kajabash.”

“Hrmhph. For pretty ice girl?”

She blushed, porcelain turning a gentle rose.

“For now.” Sighing, I looked down the hill. This was going to be fun, like going down a staircase with eight limbs afflicted with multiple sets of charley horses.

Passive regeneration had gotten me back up to a tenth, but I needed a proper rest.

“What is your name?” I pointed at Yellow, not deigning to look at her to maintain some air of aristocratic aloofness.

[I d-don’t-do-don’t know. I’ve nev-errr… nev-… never… heard it.]

Shit. Well now I feel horrible for calling her a basic color offhand.

“Lovely. Well,” I clapped, blue eyes wincing closed to bear the pain as my Arachne ones guided me down the hill. “How about we check in with the commoners, shall we?”

No room for discussion, they followed.

///

“Spoider laydee, spoider laydee!”

At least someone was happy to see us as my posse approached the center of the teeny hamlet.

“If it isn’t the caretaker of my friend,” I called out to a certain shaky pair of legs that were doing their best to lead and not be led by a certain giant rodent. “Is everyone alright, Alex? Rachel?”

I must have been an even greater horror to these poor people. Covered in my own blood, flanked by a Troll scoured with electrical burns, iced over with Yellow’s healing artifice. Even her teal eyes peeking from behind like a shadow in the eaves of my Arachne legs added to the intrigue.

“First freeholder Tamlin wished to renege on the agreement milady graciously offered us,” one of the adults offered to me. He and another man escorted the duplicitous coward in front of me, forcing him to his knees. “We did as milady requested and pulled him from a donkey he tried to mount and escape on.”

Keeping his head down, the brown-haired speaker lacked fear before me. I couldn’t discern his other features. Decisive. Interesting.

The other Humans didn’t have a majority of heads or murmurs that shared his sentiment regarding the snake currently in front of me.

Well, time to channel my inner Shakespeare and years of binging fantasy and sci fi nobility drama. Again. The thrones must be spiced and games must flow, for I shall control the World-verse!

“Tamlin, Tamlin, what did you hope to accomplish?” I tutted, Bladeweaver spears whooshing past either side of the trio to embed within the ground behind, shadows of my arms crossed over him. He flinched along with the other man helping to restrain him. Unknown speaker guy didn’t budge for his credit. “You would spurn kindness from a stranger who risked her life to save you.”

Maybe it was my heightened Arachne senses, but I heard a lot of rustling and bustling about from the survivors that had milled about or still hid in the alleyway.

+Territory size small, outpost, in dispute. Territory claimed by Tamlin Milgrant, level seven Human. Do you wish to usurp control of this territory, one of six in this domain? Y/N+

Squinting at the info panel that just popped up like a sexy-singles-near-you ad, Tamlin happened to be on the other side of the transparent window. Looked up at the wrong moment and immediately shat himself.

Good grief. I had better get some of this out of the way.

Focusing on the strands of life that bound us all together, I wrapped the kaleidoscope strings nearby the hamlet all around my finger. Pulled gently.

“Mass Project,” I uttered. Whatever words I used made some people react visibly.

+Targets are Human, ?Human?, ambient animals. Challenge rating of Human group is inferior to current warband power. Ambient animal resources quality is fair. Would you like to know more?+

My rightmost Arachne eye put Yellow into view.

+Target is Marina Avastasia, level twelve ?Human?. Status: Adventurer stance, silenced, ability blocked.+

A pretty name for a pretty girl. Second target of six eyes looked at the buffoon being offered as tribute.

+Target is Tamlin Milgrant, level seven Human. Status: restrained, Land Claim disputed. Notes: owner of Land Claim territory size small, outpost; vassal of ???, owner of Land Claim territory size medium, settlement.+

Vassal of whoever owned the town? Okay. Well, that was interesting. Third eye, lucky number three on the bold speaker.

+Target is Canderous, level six elite aspirant Human. Status: leader of vassal revolt, aura of devotion, Martyr skill active.+

Goddammit. Well, World, by unique collection completionist standards I just had to recruit this aspirant guy labeled like the Monstrous beings I’ve come across. Besides, those status features were curious.

No one else looked interesting. Welp, onto passing judgment.

“You. Why deliver him to me personally and so close to what could be your own fate?”

“Milady, I bear the burdens I wish none else need to,” mysterious Canderous responded without missing a beat. “Likewise I suspect the same of the strange woman who tries to hide her frozen breath in the late summer warmth.”

My head turned slightly to see Yellow – no, Marina – wring her hands at her waist. Tilting to the side, letting my chin rest in my hand, Hagash shifted his weight with an almost approving grin hidden under the pretense of picking at his broken tusk. Wait, broken? Was that what he was looking for in the grass earlier? In any case, even if he couldn’t understand all the speech, he could definitely read the confidence in the man’s meek words.

Meek. Funny word. Quiet steps and big stick. This man seemed like he needed a sword, wasted on a plowshare.

+Do you wish to usurp control of this territory, one of six in this domain? Y/N+

I flicked the MAP panel to the side of my Arachne eyes

“I have made a decision. Your slight will be overlooked.” Immediately the other man crawled back from the presence of my chitinous spears. Canderous stayed put, keeping Tamlin in place. “Search the wreckage for your belongings, your fallen. My associate, Hagash, can offer some assistance if you ask politely. He is an enemy of the ones you were attacked by.”

You are reading story Arienna’s Cadence at novel35.com

I got a sidelong glare from the Troll, countered by my own that turned to the hilltop and then back at him. He owed me for the blunder, this was his penance and he knew it, turning from my cold blue eyes.

“Both of you,” I sighed and indicated the two men, lifting my bladed pair to cross in the air in front of me. “Follow.”

///

Thunderstrike was a powerful spell or weapon skill. Almost like on a tactical level when used in the same sentence as ‘cruise missile.’ I wondered if I could use it myself if the Shaman was a more traditional spellcaster, following gaming conventions of shared skill and spell lists. Then again, if they had their own specific abilities, I was fine with having my own special ones.

Regardless, the damage and area was stupid large.

The lance of thunder made a giant crater. This was after it had torn through a house and the wall behind it to land in the middle of the farm plot away from the hamlet.

I stood over the large wound in the earth, marveling at what would have consumed us. It wasn’t deep, but the land was scorched earth. Perfect circle, area of effect charred. Lost whatever crops had been planted. I wonder if any animals had hid here. What sort of effect the skill had on them. How Forester would react.

What was I becoming?

Lately I’ve been noticing I could detach myself from situations a lot easier. Disassociate and engage in the so-called ruthless calculus needed to remove enemies from the field. The smell and sight and feel of death didn’t affect me. Glomping the Giant Dire Rat when I first spawned in only affected me because it literally tasted horrible, not the fact I killed it with my own bite through its neck. Same with when Hagash first swatted me around, pain that should have made me a blubbering catatonic wreck was cast aside.

Even now, the blood sacrifice to save us from the fate in front of me had only given me pause because of how it felt like the deck of cards. Cards of Creation. Used in a Litany devoted to Creation. Getting things done with the words of power that could sway Creation.

Ugh, what was I saying.

Passive healing was only back to fifteen percent, mana barely up to five. I needed a proper rest.

A short rest, one could say. Sadly no dice to raise hitpoints by degrees.

Stifling a small chuckle, I resumed my imperious ice bitch façade.

Tamlin and Canderous walked to the edge of the ravaged land, turning both to face me. Back once more on their knees, having a manlet and a potential manservant before me made the butterflies pop up for a moment before the inner spider tied them up in a web for later.

Eyes closed, I could almost feel my lilac Arachnes burn brighter. Didn’t even bother looking at the worm properly.

“I have no tolerance for oathbreakers. Considering your actions would ultimately have led to a hunt for myself and my associates, I see it as an attempt on my life.” Watching Tamlin’s lack of reaction, that was exactly the plan. “And here I thought you could have been a reasonable man that I could have reached a mutually beneficial arrangement of anonymity. I hope your successor recognizes these merits.”

Pointedly opening only one sapphire eye, I noted Canderous harden his jaw. Head gradually tipped upward to meet me with those handsome steel gray eyes.

“My lady, please, mercy!” Tamlin pleaded, finally giving an outburst.

Annoyed, I looked at both men. Canderous was wise enough to take a slow step to the side as I properly turned my entire body to face the traitor. The slight incline into the blasted crater crackled as his heel nearly slipped backwards down it.

“You have my assurances, all promises, that Lord Balthazar will hear nothing of you, your presence, our plight,” he stammered in futility. Crashing down to his knees, he thought it might help at this point. “Not evening the Governor!”

What exactly was I becoming?

Was I ready to do this?

Cast aside twenty-seven years of Earthling Human in order to irrevocably start day one as an Arachne? As whatever Mister Dwarf said I’d be when or if we saw each other again?

“Clans of the Earth, I call upon your Baroness.”

I wanted this. More than anything, given this new chance, more than anything I wanted this reset. Make this game my life. Throw myself into this new universe where beings of magic hopped worlds like shopping mall stores. And I happened to have been one lucky Earthling to be invited to the arcade with a lifetime membership.

The marigold bitch fluttered into existence. She hovered over my palm, almost but not quite stepping into the pool of violet representing my mana. Like she was too good for it.

“Will you accept this offering to soothe the scar upon your ground?” I asked. Playing with her foxtail scarf, she took her jeweler’s glass to look in Tamlin’s direction. Her grin stretched to an uncomfortable degree, literally ear to ear, smile splitting to show hungry teeth. So much for being Humanish.

And yet, being a game, didn’t that imply there would be breaks from it? Knowing full well that Newbie the game master was no doubt flipping an abacus and magic devices, this wasn’t going to be my whole life. Unless I was also going to be rewritten, I’d always know this was artificial at the end of the day.

Huh. Fuck.

Better not risk my life by dying then if they siphon a little more than memories.

The ground rumbled a small distance away from us. Canderous took another cautious step, now facing Tamlin alongside me. Well behind the arc of my blades, uncrossing from in front of me to loom over the about-to-be-former vassal in charge of the hamlet.

“My only request is a pittance to restore my own vitality,” I continued, hand over my bloodied hoodie. “Backed with a promise.”

She sighed, silently clicking her glass on her little box produced from within her coat. Almost to say, not this again.

“The fields will be watered with blood and ash in the coming days. As the only I can call on who could use such materials,” my businesslike tone postured, raising my palm to make sure Baroness stood within the constant scrawl of musical notes flittering around weakly, “I would very much like to cultivate a fruitful relationship. There will no doubt be other elements I can call on later but…”

Gears turned. I might be forsaking other relationships in the future, but this prick only respected a slanted deal in her favor. The affront of my touch was overlooked as she regarded the confused Tamlin and wary Canderous. The latter had a nose for danger, taking one more step well behind the arc of my blades.

+Do you wish to usurp control of this territory, one of six in this domain? Y/N+

“Do we have an understanding?”

Did I even understand myself? My life devoted to a life-like game and drowning myself in it was definitely better than being old nine-to-five Ari. I believed that. I did. I do.

Specks of brown dust and stray bits of rock wove around me in a flotsam-jetsam gyre for a few moments. My health and mana jumped up to half full, wounds speeding recovery and my purple notes flowing with more volume along my arms, the orange staffs and clefs returning across my carapace. Wonderful.

I have to table the introspection for later. What’s at hand was there were people to protect and a promise to uphold. A little boy and his older sister needed a hero, game or not, Human or not, in this World I could make a difference in. I couldn’t help them or my ally take revenge if I was dead. If they were dead. I couldn’t risk any of the alternatives.

This was a living, breathing World. With pain. With costs.

With consequences.

Tamlin was surprised as I gripped him by the collar.

Surprised as he sailed through the air.

Surprised as the earth opened to swallow him up.

Surprised as his last words were a squeak.

Baroness snapped her fingers with the scrape of flint on steel. Canderous averted his eyes as the blackened earth turned into cruel spikes, reaching up like hungry jaws snapping shut around Tamlin, the late first freeholder. A font of blood splashed across the charred crater before what used to be Tamlin sank underground.

Green grass began to sprout.

And thus I embrace my new reality.

+Territory status: Land Claim usurped by Arienna Kestalennetti. Notes: vassal appointment available, one of six domain territories possessed, resource production activated. Addendum, shelter available. Addendum, warband recovery available.+

It wasn’t even noon yet. Not sure how I knew that, maybe some background data on the tree shadows or something. I felt reenergized, closing my eyes and smelling a sweet coppery tang on the air bringing forth fresh cut grass.

“What is your name, Human?”

Canderous shook himself from his reverie. The only concern he had shown thus far was the fact that I had basically talked to a spirit being and then chucked his coworker into a hungry-hungry-hippo of rock and stone.

“Canderous, milady.” He stood and gave me a salute over his heart. “A farmer of no repute.”

“No, I don’t think so. You possess the bearing of someone of the court,” I countered. Both eyes open, feeling my Arachne ones relax, I want to say I gave him the cut-the-bullshit glare. “A knight or squire perhaps.”

“Milady is of noble bearing?” he said, shock registering as a brief blink in his rocksteady countenance.

“Yes.” Turning now towards him with my full body, he stood his ground. “Then you understand the gravity behind my requesting your fealty?”

“Milady… desires my service?” the male, perhaps a little dense in the skull, gathered. “But I am only a mere Human. What sort of value might I provide milady beyond a fighting slave or mere serf?”

I growled. One Arachne leg after another slammed the ground. He winced.

“I own no slaves. My House never has and never will,” were my mildly angered words.

No more chains.

“I presumed too much. Please, whatever discipline you levy, do so,” Canderous quickly apologized.

“Disciplining assumes that the one requiring it is under my influence. Seeing as you are a freedman, along with the rest in the hamlet, I haven’t the authority,” was my reply, sighing. God, was this what hiring managers went through? I hate interviews. “However, seeing your drive to protect the others to the point of offering your own life to the point of abandon, I shall extend you an offer.”

I needed a vassal if I was to be a Wanderer, taking care of the busywork while I run around conquering things. Better make sure they were powerful, or could grow into a potential only I saw.

“Swear loyalty to my House. Swear to give refuge to the wanderers of the world. Swear to honor my ideals.”

Raising one of my Bladeweaver limbs like a lord would their sword, I moved it over him. He knelt without a word, cold sweat beading.

“Swear to remind me if I stray from them.”

While surprised at the last request, he remained still.

Bringing the silent magical edge down close to his shoulder, I accidentally passed through some of his hair. Thank god for the second nature adjusting my aim or else I would be out of an interesting Human.

And then he rose his shoulder ever so slightly, causing me to freeze. There was resistance as he did so, a barrier I had never felt before, but ultimately the edge passed through the barrier and drew little ruby jewels from skin.

“And so rise Canderous of House…”

Well, shit, what name?

I couldn’t come up with anything cool on the fly. But wait, maybe it shouldn’t be my actual last name?

I also couldn’t very well run around with the same family name as my full Arachne splendor when I was trying to be a sneaky Wanderer. Walking around giving my name when trying to gather intelligence. Maybe I could eventually disguise myself somehow, make eight legs become two again, as loathe as the idea was.

If only I could maybe pretend to be an adventurer. On a whim.

Wait.

Like a stance?

“Kestalen.”

Crap. With all those derivatives of my name back on Earth, I really sucked at making nicknames off the cuff. Well, then again, maybe Newbie could edit the world so I truly could keep being a unique little snowflake. Take my names out of the random name generator or something, however it worked.

+Do you wish to appoint Canderous, level six elite aspirant Human, as vassal for territory size small, outpost? Y/N+

Boop.

+Canderous Kestalen appointed as vassal to territory size small, outpost.+

My Arachne eyes went blind with a flash of perfect white, magic coursing over the area around us. Nothing changed to my human ones as I retreated from him slightly, spear-like Arachne legs safely resting on the ground. Once the flashbang afterimage faded, there was a new infinitesimally faint sheen of blue over everything. Blinking it away, then there was just the hamlet. Broken, battered, but the air was different. Refreshing.

A weak four-pointed purple star rimmed with amber now floated over Canderous’ shoulder. Not as brilliant as mine or Hagash’s, but definitely my mark.

If green was typically friendly on the friend-or-foe scale, blue usually meant allied.

“Canderous,” I began, stuffing my hands into my sweater and grimacing at the blood that had soaked in the tough silk. “Are you aware that you possess a spark of talent?”

“Milady?” he questioned, rising to escort me back within the walls. This was cool. I had a knight. My own knight, first of many I hope. Needed to equip him with a small dragon and magic lightning spears so he could kinda outshine me though.

“An uncanny amount of bravery as well as an aura of devotion that settles around you like armor,” I explained, trying to work in the roleplay terms. “Ready to martyr yourself for the sake of others. Uncommon cloth. I would know.”

Hehe, double entendres.

“Now, hopefully the rest of your accomplices are amicable to a change in leadership,” was my change of subject. “I do not wish bloodshed needlessly, believe it or not.”

Perhaps in the near future my posse might be a little bigger. Yellow dot Marina trailing behind. Knight Canderous to my left, Troll Hagash beside me, and Mister Rat as my evil villain cat stand-in to give head pats.

Good start for growing my little warband!

And, well, maybe something more.

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