Ser Robert did not go quietly.
He had it in his mind I think, that he would stand tall in the end. That he would hold his head high in defiance as the executioner read off his cris.
He had been flogged already and his back was a mass of scars and torn flesh. Every soldier in the Kadian Army, save for those on sentry duty was in attendance. I stood among my n, shield planted in the ground and hands resting on its top.
Draxus and Hade stood to either side, an honor guard of sorts.
The executioner paused after each listed cri, giving Ser Robert ti to process what it was he would be executed for. The Knight's face was stoic right up until the soldiers ca to get him.
n from Dacon's own regint gripped him under the arms and began to drag him forward. It was then that his mask of stoicism slipped.
There were stages of a man facing his doom. First ca the bluster, followed shortly by the anger. He cursed Lord Dacon as he passed him, he spat, he sneered and he swore. Then ca the excuses.
So many reasons and none of them mattered a shit.
Hundreds of faces looked on, and most were cold and indifferent. So were even openly hostile. Ser Robert's eyes searched them all, looking for soone, anyone who might be on his side.
That's when the tears ca.
The Knight blubbered like a baby as they dragged him unto the hastily made platform. Rough shorn boards tore at his pant legs as he tried to resist. He made appeals to the executioner who's face was a mask beneath his black hood.
He made appeals to Lord Blackthorne and when that didn't work he made appeals to Lord Dacon.
One of Dacon's Knights stepped forward and spat on him then. The glob of spit hit him in the face and trickled downwards towards his dishevled beard.
"You dare to speak to him?" She snarled "You traitor, you oath breaker. A clean death is too good for you."
Throughout it all Dacon showed little emotion. He sat in a chair beneath an awning, surrounded by his household guard. There was no trace of the gentle young man who had laughed and joked with just yesterday.
Dacon was every inch the Count's Son as he looked on.
Ser Robert's body was chained to the platform, his head laid across the block. He fought so hard that it took several n to restrain him. As the executioner lined up his axe Ser Robert pissed himself.
I forced myself to watch the axe as it arced downwards. Blood sprayed and the head rolled across the platform, coming to rest facing away from the crowd.
The executioner bowed to the Lord.
"Is justice done to your satisfaction my Lord?" he asked Dacon. The Count's Son inclined his head once and the executioner began issuing orders for the removal of the body.
Ser Robert would get an unmarked grave. Such was the treatnt for traitors. The crowd started to co alive but before the masses could move Lord Dacon stood from his chair.
"There is a matter which I wish to address," he said, striding forward.
His guards moved with him until he stood before the platform, hands clasped behind his back. He was wearing fine clothes in the colors of his household and new dark leather boots that reached his knees. His ornate sword was belted at his waist and he drew it in one fluid movent.
"Will of Blackbriar," he said, voice carrying. "step forward."
It was so unexpected that it took a mont to register the aning of the words.
"I- my Lord?" I said uncertainly. Lord Dacon's face was serious, his gaze intense.
"Step forward, soldier. That is an order."
I handed my shield to Hade and stepped forward, coming to stand before the Count's Son. Before him, I couldn't help but feel a little shabby, aware of the hundreds of eyes now on .
Lord Dacon glanced over my shoulder towards where Lord Blackthrone stood. The Spear of the King gave a small imperceptible nod.
"Kneel," said Lord Dacon.
I knelt, unsure of what to make of this.
"Will of Blackbriar I, Lord Dacon of the noble house of Basset, hereby na you Ser William Blackbriar, Knight of the realm. You will uphold the honor of my household, your na, and the throne. Do you swear this oath forthwith?"
My stomach fluttered with nerves and I liked my lips, suddenly aware of the eyes on .
"I do," I said.
Dacon inclined his head. Then he touched his sword to either of my shoulders.
"Arise, Knight of the realm. I welco you to the fold, Ser William."
I stood in the presence of Nobility in another world, having just been Knighted by a Lord and all I could feel was shock.
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Then movent caught my eye. The 3rd Auxiliary stood with their hands clasped behind their backs. Gills stepped forward from among them and to my shock he placed a hand across his heart and bowed at the waist.
It wasn't customary to bow to a Knight but Gills honored today. And he did it in plain view of the other companies. I saw n shift on their feet and heard the beginnings of muttered conversations.
The tides, it seed, were shifting. And sohow I had just beco a more powerful piece on the board. This would complicate things.
Lord Dacon sheathed his sword and held out a hand to . Hesitantly I took it and we clasped forearms. He pulled close, lowering his voice so that only I could hear.
"You have just shifted the balance of power Ser William," he said. "You are the first commoner in Kadian history to be Knighted by a Lord."
His eyes t mine.
"Welco to the table."
***
Status updated:
Class: Soldier
Rank: Knight
Level: 17
New Trait activated.
Trait: Heavy Armor
Level: Bronze
My system window updated as I pulled my chainmail over my padded gambeson. A heavy armor trait might be useful if I could get my hands on a full set of plate. No easy task, and an expensive one.
I had gotten new boots since the Shadow Kin had seen fit to bite through mine, and they were still stiff and in need of breaking in. Still, they were good quality leather and the steel plates woven into the top provided a boost in armor.
I buckled Iron Fang to my waist next to my sword and tucked my helt under my arm. Outside my tent, my n finished their als. Jorgen stood so swiftly that he knocked his bowl of herb pheasant flying.
"Ser William," he said. "We're at your command."
I arched a brow, fighting to keep the smile from my face.
"You don't have to call Ser, you know."
Jorgen frowned, his face serious.
"Of course I do. You are a sanctioned Knight, which makes you one of the highest ranking n in the company, right beside Lieutenant Gills."
I sighed.
"Can't anything be simple?"
"The simple answer is no," Gills stepped into the light of the cook fire, his hair slightly disheveled. Monts later I noticed Vera step out of the sa tent, a self-satisfied smile on her face.
"The burden of command weighs heavily on you I see," said Kato, slurping a spoon of pheasant.
"I'm glad you volunteered to lead latrine duty," said Gills. Scribbling a note on his parchnt.
Draxus snorted.
"He already slls bad enough, why make it worse?"
"Have jokes now, do you?" Asked a much more sober Kato.
I turned to Gills as the two of them bickered in the background.
"My n and I will take watch tonight," I said. "Which quadrant of the camp are we covering?"
Gills considered this, pulling at the hairs of his beard.
"We have enough n on for rear watch tonight, but I was asked by Lord Blackthorne to send a few more soldiers to patrol the South Eastern periter. Apparently, they could use the assistance."
I nodded and gathered my n. I had thirteen soldiers under my command, and all of them were now ard and equipped properly. I had already made a list of additional supplies, upgrades, and equipnt that could be used to better supply my n.
Additionally, I would make it a point to ask Bjorn about Trait specialties. If my soldiers were able to level up and gain trait mastery, it would change the course of how we fought on the battlefield.
I turned to see Astrid, her recurve bow in one hand and quiver in the other.
"I'm to patrol with you tonight, Ser William," she said. I rubbed the back of my neck and pulled my helt on.
"Can we please stop with all the Ser?"
"I'm afraid not. Knights are always referred to by their title. It is a rank, and that rank is often earned in the heart of battle and bestowed by one of Noble blood."
"At least call Will," I muttered as I walked past. My n rose from the fire, handing off their empty bowls and cutlery to Vera and thanking her for the al. It was a bit of a ritual in the 3rd, and so n were even superstitious about it.
"Eating Vera's food gives you a boost of stats," Insisted Kato one night.
"Or at the very least it provides a placebo, which is just as good."
We made our way through the encampnt to a place where the mobile defenses had been stood up. Crude wooden blockades had been erected near the gap in the palisade wall.
Four soldiers stood on guard and the one with the crossbow hailed us.
"Ser William," he said, and I sighed inwardly. "You're a welco sight. My boys and I were ant to stand watch tonight but between the recent bout of food poisoning, and the losses at the battle we've been stretched thin."
"Aye. There was a… running bet among so of the n to see if harvested Monster at was edible. A foolish endeavor I know, but what can you do?"
He sighed wearily.
"Needless to say they've learned a valuable lesson and will be shitting their brains out for the foreseeable future."
"Unfortunate, that."
Jorgen stayed close by while I sent Hade and four others to walk a parallel patrol pattern. The other n I set at intervals, with a lookout mounted on the raised platform behind the palisade.
The watch was largely uneventful. Several mounted ssengers checked in and out of the camp gate. At one point a drunk soldier had wandered over to one of the staked torches and pissed on it until it went out.
This earned him a cuffing from his sergeant and a forced apology. The sentry watched the man walk away, bemused.
"I swear the discipline is always the first to go in tis of war." He murmured.
"Have you seen many campaigns?" I asked.
"Oh aye. I served under Lord Blackthorne back before he inherited his fathers titles. A good man, a solid leader. I've followed him ever since."
Draxus approached from the inside of the camp, carrying with him a large water skin. He refilled our canteens and I thanked him.
"Have you seen Vera?" he asked. "Gills was asking for her earlier, but she wasn't in camp. I thought she might have gone to get the morning supplies early."
I glanced up at the stars.
"This early?"
Draxus shrugged.
"Was worth a guess. She could have gone to the stream to bathe before the n wake up. If you see her let her know Gills is looking for her."
I sipped from my canteen, watching as Draxus walked away. The night was long, and the sound of snoring n could be heard. A cooking fire crackled nearby.
I frowned, unable to shake the feeling that sothing was off.
"Jorgen," I want you to do sothing for . Jorgen, who had been trying not to nod off standing up, suddenly sprung to attention.
"Anything Ser William," he said, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes.
I gestured with my chin.
"I want you to survey Ser Connel's n and see if a man nad York is around. If the sentries question you just tell them that you have a ssage for him, and leave before they return."
Jorgen looked confused but to his credit, he didn't hesitate for long. The spearman jogged off into the night and I waited, leaning against a barricade. Several long minutes passed and I found myself shifting on my feet, nerves tingling.
Finally, Jorgen strode back into the light of the torches.
"Sorry Ser William, but I couldn't get ahold of him. Camp guards say he went out for a piss earlier and hasn't returned."
I swore.
"How much earlier?" I asked.
Jorgen looked confused.
"I don't know Ser, I didn't ask."
The Sentry glanced over at .
"Everything alright Ser William."
I forced myself to maintain my calm as I turned to him and nodded.
"My n will stay here," I said. "Hade and Jorgen will accompany while I attend to a.... private matter. Will eleven n be enough?"
The Sentry nodded.
"More than enough. But Ser William If you don't mind asking, what's…"
I turned and was already striding away.
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