It was the Aspirant Knight who broke the silence.
"Well then, what else do you want?"
"Huh?"
"Is that the only thing you want in life? To return ho?" The Knight had a serious expression on his face. "Setting aside the matter of the Elixir, none of us know where your ho is. So what do you desire in the anti?"
Jas pressed his lips together. What he wanted in life… After the discussion of marriage, a wife and family was certainly sothing he wanted, eventually. But the biggest thing that ca to mind…
"I want to create. I want to use my Classes to produce the best products I can." The Smith recalled that night so long ago, at dinner with his parents and his little sister, pushing food around his plate and thinking about what the Enchanter ridox had told him. That most enchantnts were only about ten percent of the theoretical maximum, that crafted goods were held back because different Classes were needed to create them. How the sword Jared had forged and ridox had enchanted was only a tenth of what it could have been, if it had been perfectly created.
He wanted to do better than that. He wanted to see how far he could push it.
The Knight leaned forward, grinning. "That, that I can help you with. Let tell you what I want, now."
Jas was puzzled. "But, m'lord, didn't you say you wanted to beco a Count?"
The Knight nodded. "That's correct, but I will explain how I intend to do that."
And so the Knight, with interjections from the Steward, explained how the Knight's Tournant of Iberteria worked.
Every year, the Knights of the Capital gathered in the Arena, the largest in any known Kingdom, to put on shows of skill and might. The main event was the Tournant of Duels. One on one, Knights would do battle, the winners continuing on until it was determined who the strongest Knight was. And that Knight would win a boon from the Crown.
"And you would ask to be promoted?"
"No, that's not how it works."
The Aspirant Knight continued. By winning the Tournant, he would seek to enter the Royal Guard, an organization that was superior to the Knight's Order itself. The Royal Guard served the Crown directly, while the Knight's Order served the Kingdom.
"Does everyone who wins the Tournant join the Royal Guard?"
"No," the Steward said, "only the best of the best are accepted, those who demonstrate skill, might, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and a keen mind. Those who win the Tournant are often simply the strongest."
"I have fought in the Tournant eight tis, and eight tis I was defeated in the first round," the Knight admitted, frowning. "Those Knights with a second combat Class have an overwhelming advantage in the duels; one I have never been able to overco, despite my training."
Jas wanted to ask what his second Class was, but held his tongue. After the drama during his trial last week, it would have been in poor taste for him to ask another about the details of their Classes.
"That said, the answer is obvious."
Jas furrowed his brow. Was it?
The Knight looked at him aningfully.
"Uh, is it?" he asked.
He could feel the Steward rolling his eyes behind him.
But the Knight simply nodded. "Yes. Even you, wielding a war hamr of 'Very Low' quality, were a significant threat when we found you in the mountains. If you hadn't already been nearly dead, and your armor broken, I imagine it would have been difficult to subdue you."
"Uh huh…" Jas wasn't so sure about that.
"Didn't you say you slayed a dragon in that Dungeon?" the Steward said.
Jas winced at the reminder, and his right hand clenched tightly.
"Yes, but…" The Knight cut him off, waving a hand.
"My plan is to have you craft for enchanted weapons and armor, stronger than any other in the land, and win the Tournant, displaying appropriate might and resourcefulness to rit inclusion in the Royal Guard. Such an appointnt would co with automatic, imdiate promotion to Viscount, and from that position it wouldn't be too hard to acquire lands. My marriage prospects would also improve significantly, and promotion to Count is reasonable to expect within my lifeti."
"My Lord…" the Steward trailed off.
"That reminds , what did the Corto Order's Smith think of Jas' skills?"
Jas sat tensely as the Steward detailed how unskilled Jas was, and the amount of training he would need to produce crafts of 'High' quality.
The Knight sat with a neutral expression as he listened, giving no sign of his thoughts.
There was several minutes of tense silence after the Steward finished his report, and the Knight thought.
Silence that was broken with a sigh.
"Well, it is what it is." He looked Jas in the eye. "You will simply have to be trained as expeditiously as possible. Tell , what boosts do your Classes give you?" He held up a hand, stopping Jas from speaking. "I know about your oath. Neither I nor Sebastian will speak of this with anyone else. I don't want anyone else knowing your Classes, either, so worry not."
Jas swallowed, then spoke, carefully not ntioning the na of his second Class. "From Smith: boosts to Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance. From my… other Class: boosts to Dexterity, Willpower, and Intelligence."
The Knight's eyes widened. "Six boosts? Impressive." Then he took a deep breath, let it out in a massive sigh, and relaxed slightly. "A boost to Intelligence is most fortunate, especially at your level. Your training should go quickly. We will manage to miss this year's tournant, but by next year, you will produce for armor and arms to seize victory in the Duels."
The smiling Knight pulled a small, portable desk, a sheet of paper, and writing utensils.
"Sebastian, I won't have you distract yourself writing while driving the carriage."
"My Lord…" the older man protested.
"I won't have it. Now, Smith Jas, tell your Skills and their levels."
"Er, my Lord…" the younger man protested.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Worry not, the notes will be burned before we reach our lodgings for the night."
Jas gulped. "Yes, m'lord. Well then…"
Class 1: Smith Level 16 Strength Dexterity Endurance
[Forging] — level 5.
[Slting] — level 5.
[Product Testing] — level 6.
[Ambidextrous] — level 3.
[Filigree] — level 6.
[Heat Resistance] — level 8.
[Nerves of Steel] — level 7.
[Sharpening] — level 2.
[Ore Identification] — level 4.
[Water Identification] — level 2.
[Sound Resistance] — level 5.
[Joinery] — level 1.
[Template morization] — level 2.
[Appraisal] — level 1.
[Mining] — level 1.
[Fuel Identification] — level 1.
[Quenching] — level 1.
[Centation] — level 1.
[Stubbornness] — level 9.
[Tough] — level 3.
Class 2: Enchanter Level 16 Dexterity Willpower Intelligence
[Enchantnt Testing] — level 6.
[Persistence] — level 9.
[Channeling] — level 2.
[Mana Recovery] — level 1.
[Basic Elental Enchanting] — level 7.
[Aqua Magia] — level 3.
[Essence Manipulation] — level 5.
[Enchantnt Repair] — level 2.
[Water Identification] — level 2.
[Substrate Analysis] — level 3.
[Mana Manipulation] — level 9.
[Enchantnt Activation] — level 9.
[Interdiate Elental Enchanting] — level 1.
[Enchantnt Design] — level 2.
[Enchantnt Analysis] — level 2.
[Appraisal] — level 1.
[Template morization] — level 2.
Synergy Skills:
[Product Testing] — level 6.
[Water Identification] — level 2.
[Efficient Crafting (Smithing and Enchanting)] — level 6.
[Appraisal] — level 1.
[Design] — level 3.
[Design morization] — level 1.
[Design Copying] — level 1.
[Material Identification] — level 1.
[Technique: Hamr Strike] — level 6.
The Knight bit his lip, looking down at the paper detailing the Smith and Enchanter's Skills.
"[Stubbornness], [Persistence], and [Tough]. Unbelievable…"
"Er, my Lord, do you know what the Skills do?" Jas asked.
The Knight jerked his head up, as though he had forgotten that the Smith was there. He cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Yes, those skills function similarly to Class boosts. Each level in [Stubbornness] is roughly the sa as a Class level boost to Willpower, [Persistence] to Endurance, and [Tough] to Vitality." He lapsed into silence again, and his gaze fell down to the paper. "I spent a long ti trying to acquire [Persistence], [Tough], and [Strong]…"
He took a deep breath and blew it out between his lips, frustrated. Looking back at Jas, he continued.
"Skills like that are good. Really good. But they can only be acquired in near-death experiences. They beco sowhat easier to acquire the more of them you have, but, again, they can only be acquired in near-death experiences."
He tapped the paper with his finger.
"To have [Tough] at all, you must have been beaten nearly to death."
The Smith reflected on his misadventures in the Dungeon. Here, on the surface, with other people, his mories of the Dungeon felt unreal. Almost like a dream.
Or a nightmare.
He nodded, feeling awkward that he felt so composed about it.
"I guess I was lucky."
"More like incredibly unfortunate," the Steward corrected sternly. "Nine levels in [Persistence] is absurd."
The Aspirant Knight shook his head, refocusing. "Indeed. Your Skills are generally incomnsurate with your Class levels. But that's easy enough to correct: so basic instruction and a fair bit of training and practice will bring you along, and with such high Intelligence and Endurance, well, long hours shouldn't be a problem."
He looked over Jas' shoulder at the Steward. "Sebastian, once we're settled in, see that Jas begins receiving instruction in Smithing as soon as possible. Soti before the winter solstice we'll sit down and plan out the armor and weapons best suited for the Tournant, and then Smith Jas will spend the following three months creating them."
The Knight looked back at the Smith, and his face grew serious. "After that… you would be more than welco to remain my retainer, of course."
Jas felt his face harden. "I am thankful, m'lord, but I still want to go ho."
The Knight nodded and rubbed his hand along his chin. "I see. Well, feel free to look into things and figure out where you ca from, and if you figure it out, and still feel that way… You can simply repay the debt according to the contract. I will honor it, of course."
The Aspirant Knight, of course, was well aware that a debt of one hundred thousand gold dollars was simply impossible to repay for any Smith or Enchanter.
He froze. For a Smith who was also an Enchanter, however…
He was doing this because he couldn't afford custom enchanted gear suitable for winning the Tournant of Duels.
He thought another mont, as the other two n in the carriage with him sat silently, and then let the concern go.
It was a win-win situation for himself, after all.
If the boy never managed to repay the debt, he would simply remain a retainer, and the 'repaynts' would simply be coin in his own pocket, to be used to rise through the ranks of the nobility.
If, sohow, the boy started producing goods valuable enough to get close to repaying the debt, Suero had first right of refusal. Sure, he would have to take the goods to the rchant's Guild for a fair valuation, but he could buy them for only twenty percent of the fair-value. He could at least prevent anyone else from benefiting from the boy's synergistic Classes. And if indeed the boy repaid his debt and left his service… That was also fine, so long as it was after the Tournant of Duels. Once this last hurdle was overco, he could rely on his own talents to continue rising.
He felt bad about coercing the boy, of course. He was awfully naïve. But that was the way of the world: there are users, and the used.
As promised, the notes were indeed burned to ashes before they reached the lodging village that evening.
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