The swordsman stepped in front of me and blocked my way. “Do you know how long I've been out here waiting?”

Quick as a flash I grabbed his shoulder, turned him around, and lightly popped him in the back of the head with my fist. His head did a comical shake and he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

“David!” The CO Sandra Rivers exclaimed and came out of her office.

“I'm under orders from Warrant Officer Gary to apply appropriate force to stop him from blocking my way like that again.” I said.

“You hit him too hard.” Sandra said as she rolled him over and put a hand over the swordsman's face. “Nothing's broken. He's just knocked out.” She looked at me. “You need to hold back more.”

“Okay.” I said.

“You knew he was going to do that?” Sandra asked.

“Yes.” I said. “He's blocked me twice before.”

Sandra sighed. “I'll get another guard to...”

“He's still my guard.” I said and grabbed the front of his uniform like it was a handle and picked him up. “It works better this way.”

Sandra and her secretary just stared at me as I carried him out of the building. Several soldiers on patrol glanced at me and didn't comment as I walked over to the PX and past it to the next building to see the purser.

“Hello.” A short woman with short dark hair said from behind a counter when I entered. “What can I do for you?”

I put down my guard and took out the requisition slip.

The woman sighed. “Another equipment allotment?” She shook her head and dug something out from under the counter. “I swear, the new CO thinks that money grows on trees.”

“Lumberjacks.” I said and she looked at my face, then she laughed.

“Okay, you got me. I guess money really does grow on trees.” She said and picked up a small sack and put it on the counter. “Here's ten gold coins.” She said and started to slide it across to me. “You'll get another ten next month if you... OUCH!”

She jerked her hand and there was a huge splinter stuck into her palm.

_______________

You have a minor choice to make. It will change your standing with the Purser.

A) Do nothing. B) Help her. C) Call for help. D) Apologize. E) Run. F) Rob her (she's distracted).

I guess my standing with the army is pretty low if robbing the garrison is an option. I thought. She hasn't done anything to me and she didn't mention my guard, so... I'll choose B.

_______________

“Let me get that.” I said and held a hand out to her.

She gave me a disbelieving look for a second and put her hand in mine.

I used the vigilance technique and could see there was more wood inside the skin than outside of it. “Do you have a knife or dagger? It's a big piece stuck in there.”

She pulled a small knife out of a small holder behind her back and handed it to me.

“Thank you.” I said and made a very small cut, which both hurt her and eased the hurt feeling, because she hissed and then sighed. I plucked the splinter out and she caught her breath at the jagged piece that had been under her skin. “Just a second. I'll apply...” I pat the spots where I would store my healing potions and sighed. “I'm sorry. Lieutenant Smith took my healing potions.”

“You'd use a healing potion on me for a small cut?” She asked with a smile. “Thank you, Private.” She said and pat my hand. “For now, I'll clean it up and get...”

“I can do that.” I said and bent over and licked her palm. I didn't get it all, so I did it again. I took out a canvas bag, used my own knife to cut a small piece out of it, then wrapped it around her hand. “The bleeding should stop if you hold it. I'll run down to Diane's store and get you a potion.”

The woman stared at me with her mouth slightly open.

“I'll be right back.” I said and pat her hand back, picked up my guard, and left the building at a run. I went to the gate and the guards there opened it to let me out. “I'll be right back.”

“We'll be here.” One of them said.

I took off down the road with the large and awkward pack on my back and the guard in my left hand. It really was a lot better having him unconscious, because I made it to Diane's store only a couple of minutes later and she didn't mention the swordsman, either.

“I need some healing and general health potions.” I said.

“Of course. For some wonderful reason, I have a very large overstock of them.” Diane said and handed me half a dozen of each. “If you're wondering, you are that wonderful reason.”

I dug into my pockets for money and she stopped me.

“You have lots of store credit for that first marsh panther pelt, remember?” Diane asked and gave me a kiss. “So, don't worry about it. I'll tell you when you reach the limit of what I'm willing to give you.”

I nodded and ran out of the store, back up the main road, and went back into the garrison. “I'm coming back out. I have to go buy things.”

“Not a problem.” The guard said and shut the gate.

I ran back to the Purser and she was still standing there with the canvas wrapped around her hand. I put the guard down and walked over to the counter. Her eyes followed me and she didn't speak, even when I removed the canvas from her hand and took out a healing potion. I dabbed some on my fingertip and slowly rubbed it on the cut and it healed over.

“Take a very small sip.” I said as I held the vial out to her.

She nodded and took a small sip, using about a quarter of it. She handed it back to me and I corked the vial and put it back into my bandoleer.

“There. All better.” I said and took the coin sack and put it into a pocket. “Let me fix the counter with some marsh magic, too. You don't want that to happen again.”

“But... you...”

“I'm assigned to the maintenance department.” I said and she nodded as she stepped back. After a quick application of some number ten potion and mumbling some fake magic words, the counter was completely smooth. She stared at the thing and then she gasped when I used some fortifying potion on it with the cloth rag I always used.

“Th-this... is... marsh magic.” She whispered and touched it tentatively, then she rubbed her hand over the now preserved and smooth as glass surface. “Oh, this... it's like heaven to my hands!” She exclaimed and then she saluted me. “What's your name, Private?”

“David Drake.” I said and saluted back with my normal hand.

“Thank you, Private Drake.” She smiled and ended the salute. “Carry on.”

I nodded and picked up the guard by the shirt.

“What's wrong with him?” The Purser asked.

“He's my guard and blocked me from moving freely.” I said. “He's doing a better guard job now.”

She laughed and I left the small building. I ran over to the maintenance building at the back of the garrison and asked Gary about building a spot next to the maintenance building.

“Sure, kid. There's a good twenty feet there of unused space. We're next to the back wall, so leave enough room for the patrols to get behind it like this building.”

“Thank you.” I said and saluted. “I'm off to buy proper supplies.”

He saluted back. “You can leave your pack in the office if you want. The door locks, too.”

I gave him a skeptical look.

“You can use your magic on it to seal the door.”

I nodded and dropped my pack off, since I wouldn't be needing anything that was inside it. I sealed the door in a couple of spots and not the whole thing.

“I'll see you when you return.” Gary said and I nodded.

I left there at a run and went to the gate. “I'll be a few hours.”

“We'll still be here.” The guards said and closed the gate behind me.

I ran down the road to Diane's new place and down that road, by her house, and to the dock. I put the guard down and cut the boat free from where I had used the number ten potion and lifted the end of the boat up onto the dock. I used the weight enchantment and made it light and dragged it onto the dock. It took me several minutes to find all of the holes that Mr. Phelps had drilled into it and I filled them with number ten potion to patch the holes. The dock was waterproof, so the potion only stuck to the freshly drilled holes and grew 'new' wood.

I had to cover it in the fortifying waterproof potion and let it set, then did the same with the bottom part. Once it was done, I slid it back into the water, put the guard inside, and untied the boat. I climbed on and pushed away from the dock, then I sat down and used the movement enchantment. I had to use the vigilance technique to help steer and took off at the fastest safe speed I could manage.

I was back at the distant town three hours later and docked at the small dock using the pole to pretend that I was using it and not magic, and I left my guard in the boat to guard it. I tied him up and gagged him, just in case he woke up. I didn't want him to call for help or get me in trouble. I could have carried him; but, I wanted my hands free. I walked quickly to the blacksmith I had bought the stew pots from the last time and he remembered me.

“They let you come here alone?” The blacksmith asked with a laugh. “You haven't even done basic training yet.”

“How do you know that?” I asked, surprised.

“You don't walk like them.” He said with a laugh. “Believe me, you'll notice the change. It's the marching in time that does it.”

“I'll be careful.” I said and he laughed again.

“What can I get for you?”

“Six more pots, the racks for them over a large fire, and if you have stone bases for the fire, I'll take those, too.”

“Going for a huge cookout, are you?” He asked and I nodded. “I hope you've got a big boat. The stone bases aren't light.”

“Can you deliver them with a cart to the dock? I can't carry them all in one trip.”

The blacksmith laughed again. “You army guys always think you're superhuman.” He said. “You'll need the tools and things for stirring and tending the fires and the pots, too.”

I nodded and he set everything up for me. It only cost a gold coin and a few silver coins for everything, and that was a surprise, so I asked for twice as much. He stared at me with a blank expression for about ten seconds, then he laughed and laughed.

“I never thought I'd like an army guy! Ha ha!” He said and clapped me on the shoulder. “Just another gold coin will do.”

I gave him another gold coin and he gave me twice as many things. He even gave me extra bracing stones for surrounding the pits, in case I needed them, and everything was loaded into the cart. I rode the cart to the dock with the workers and I pointed out the canvas covered boat on the lower dock.

“You have got to be kidding.” One of the workers said.

“No.” I said and picked up one of the three feet by three feet square stone bases that were three inches thick, by myself, and walked down the stairs. I loaded it into the center of the back of the boat and came back up. There were a dozen of them and the workers watched me carry by myself what it took two of them to lift. What they didn't know was that I could carry more, I just wanted to spread the weight out in the boat and only took one at a time.

“He's doing the heavy lifting, so let's move the rest.” One of the workers said and then there was a train of people and items being passed down the stairs and loaded onto the boat. It only took a few minutes and the cart was empty and the boat was loaded.

“Thank you.” I said and they waved as the cart left. I climbed onto the boat and untied it, then used the movement enchantment and the pole to cover up I was using magic. Once I was far enough away, I put the pole down and took off at the safest speed again.

I needed to get back and get to work. The army needed me.