“I think I need to distribute some points,” I said. “I’m nervous about losing them if I die.”

I think that’s wise.

I looked over my status for the first time in a while.

NAME: PAOL

LEVEL 10

ATTRIBUTES - 9 UNASSIGNED POINTS

STRENGTH 15

DEXTERITY 11 (+2)

AGILITY 18

INTELLIGENCE 12

WISDOM 14

CONSTITUTION 19

SPIRIT 99

HIT POINTS 190

STAMINA 170

MANA 120

SKILLS - 10 UNASSIGNED POINTS

ANALYZE - 5

DODGE - 5

HIDE - 1

HORSEBACK RIDING - 7

IDENTIFY - 10

SMALL BLADES- 1

SNEAK - 1

SWORDS - 21

Flashpoint - 5% increased swordplay per Swords level (currently 105%); Cost: 10 stamina/minute; no cooldown Mana’s Infusion - Magic is the bane of all melee fighters. Your deep understanding of the blade grants you power in the arcane realm. The effects of this ability will grow as you grow; Cost: 10 mana/minute; no cooldown Danger Sense - Ability to sense incipient attacks; no cost; no cooldown Iron Skin - Adds one point of armor per two levels of Swords. (currently 10.5)

Wearing:

Socks of Stability - Keep your feet when all others are losing theirs.

Helmet of Darksight

Ring of Lesser Invisibility - Once a day, enemies will be unable to see you for 5 minutes. As for the other senses? Hopefully you’re quiet and downwind. Taste? Feel? Physical contact will destroy the illusion.

Breastplate or Protection +10 - Increases armor by a factor of 10

Vambraces of Boldness. - You will control your fear. It will not control you.

Boots of Alacrity. - Speed boost of 5%.

Dagger of Bleeding - Wounds from this dagger will cause bleeding damage of 5 hp/minute until bandaged or healed.

Gloves of Dexterity +2

Ring of Eagle Sight - Far Becomes Near

Nine attribute points is a lot.

“Yes. I really don’t want to lose those. Though...I will lose something when I don’t, won’t I? Even if I’ve used all the points?”

Yes, but locking in the points will mean that you lose less. How much you lose? Only the Paraclete could say.

“Well, I want to put at least four into Constitution,” I said stolidly.

I sensed a sigh.

Paol, your constitution is already quite high. It might make more sense to put your points into other areas.

I shook my head stubbornly.

“No, at least four into Constitution,” I insisted.

Okay, that leaves you with five points to distribute. You’re much more of a fighter than a magic user, so I don’t think you should put too much into either Intelligence or Wisdom.

“Agreed.”

I liked the feel of the sword in my hands as I flowed through the swordplay forms.

Perhaps two each into Agility and Dexterity and the last wherever you’d like. That’s my suggestion.

After another few moments of thought, I acted. Four points into Constitution to bring it up to 23. Two each into Dexterity and Agility to bring them up to 20 and 13 (15 if I was wearing the Gloves of Dexterity). And I put the final point into Strength, raising it up to 16. I felt the changes in my body as I suddenly felt faster, stronger, and just simply more ready to face the world.

What about your skill points. Do you want to use them?

I hesitated. I had ten--a substantial amount. However, my Swords skill seemed to rise by itself practically every time I drew a blade and fought, and I wasn’t sure I cared enough about the other skills to raise them unless I really needed the skill right at the moment. After much thought, I decided to push Analyze by 1 point up to 5 so that I could get whatever bonuses that might give me. I felt something like a rush of wind over my head, but that was all. Disappointed, I mentally set the skill points aside for later.

“Veritas,” I began. “Would you--”

Knock knock!

I opened the door to find Rafe in the corridor.

“Have you made a decision? Michael would like to know.”

It occurred to me that, despite their altercation in the hallway the day before, Rafe unhesitatingly followed Michael’s wishes.

“I think so. Yes, I’ll ride with you to Creshey. I really don’t know what to do with myself, and Kyrie said you would help me.”

Rafe’s face darkened a little at that but didn't respond directly to that last bit.

“Thank you for your willingness to come with me,” Rafe said. “To be honest, I don’t know what to do with you either. I don’t know why Kyrie sent you to me, but I do know that we need to scout Creshey. If this is a serious invasion, we need more information if Paravel is to defend itself.”

“Who will be coming with us?” I asked.

“Your buddy Barney, for one.”

“You mean Barnabas?”

He nodded. “Yup, Barney. It was all we could do to keep him from jumping on a horse and leaving last night. I told him he would have help if he could wait a day or two, and it was enough to bring him to his senses. Not much that a single fighter could do for what appears to be happening over there.”

We began walking down the hallway.

Rafe continued, “The king has sent messengers to gather the armies of Paravel. As king, he already has his own standing army, but it’s not large. Paravel has been at peace for a couple centuries now, so the military has lost its edge. Michael is marshalling the troops that are already here, getting them ready to ride, but he wants us to go ahead and scout. He’ll be bringing the royal troops to Creshey while the other lords gather their own warriors and make their way to us.”

“How large is the king’s army?” I asked.

Rafe shrugged. “I’m not sure, but from what Michael said it sounds like it’s only several thousand.”

I blinked.

“He keeps an army of several thousand soldiers armored and fed and ready to fight...even in time of peace?”

Rafe crooked an eyebrow at me. “You saw how big the city is on our way in, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Several thousand soldiers is a drop in the bucket. Even now green troops are being levied from the city and the countryside. They’ll only be fodder in a true battle, but if this turns into war, we’ll need the soldiers. And troops don’t stay green for long in a war--not if they want to survive.”

I was quiet. The raid into Creshey...my news of Julius...the burning of Balinora...each new piece of information seemed to raise the stakes higher and higher. War?

Rafe said certainly, “If we’re lucky, it was just a raid and Cyril isn’t invading the eastern front. There’s no way to know until we’ve been there and seen things with our own eyes.”

“What about that wizard?” I asked. “The one who traveled to Balinora in a single night.”

Rafe shook his head. “He’s not a trained scout, so he won’t really know what he’s seeing if he tries to spy on the enemy troops. On top of that, teleporting around from place to place isn’t a safe way to scout. His teleport spell requires intense focus both before and after he casts it, and during those times he’s helpless to anyone who might come upon him.”

We exited the keep and crossed the outer courtyard. I don’t know how Rafe knew his way around the palace so well since we had only been there for a couple days, but he led us directly to the stables.

Barnabas was waiting there with Duke Benedict’s men who had escorted us from Creshey, and several others waited with them.

Three women stood at attention. One had a bow on her back and a slim blade at her side. Tall and slim and dressed in green riding leathers with bright red hair tied in a ponytail down her back, she looked us coolly up and down with an air of appraisal. I imagined that it wasn’t Appraisal, though, unless she was one of the Two Hundred.

The second woman also wore green riding leathers, but she was equipped with only a couple of slim daggers at her waist. She was extremely short with very dark hair, a round face, and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. A black hooded cape partially covered her leathers. She gave me a quick grin.

The last woman had bright yellow hair and a curious twist to her mouth. She was between the other two in height, and she wore darkened chain mail while sporting a bastard sword on her back with the handle above her left shoulder. She was probably left-handed, I mused. I looked her over and...yes. I saw heavy calluses on her left hand. Thick corded muscles graced her arms, and she looked warily at us as we came over.

Michael waited next to the three women. He barely overtopped the caped woman but gave off a heavy presence that made up for his lack of height. There was just something so real about him. He gave off the feeling of being immovable, like a heavy boulder...or maybe a mountain. As before, he was dressed plainly with a simple longsword belted on his left hip. He had fought me right-handed before, so I knew he would draw across his body when attacking, though when I examined his hands I saw calluses on both. Ambidextrous perhaps? I noted when we were roughly eight feet away and judged that I might still have a chance to parry a blow if he were to…

What was I thinking? Why was I calculating angles of attack and treating these people as if they were opponents? I shook myself and glanced over at the final person waiting quietly as we approached to realize in shock that it was the king.

King Ladislas waited patiently, dressed in simple clothing, as if in imitation of the legend who stood at his side. He wore no crown and had no weapon on his person. Several paces away and behind him waited two well-armored guards, clearly ready to leap forward and defend him if necessary.

The king opened his mouth to speak when the blonde asked sharply, “Why is this one coming?”

She pointed at me.

“He moves about as gracefully as a pig and looks too young to have the kind of experience we’ll need on this mission. At least this one--”

She indicated Barnabas.

“--knows the lay of the land. He’ll be useful.”

Barnabas leaped angrily to my defense, “Sir Paol fought and risked his life to defend my people. You should--”

The redhead drawled softly with a lilt to her voice, “Yes, but can he scout? Can he move quietly through the forest? Are his eyes keen and his hearing sharp?”

The dark-haired lass chirruped in a surprisingly deep voice, “Sisters, let’s give the young man the benefit of the doubt. If he’s been asked to come, there must be a good reason for it.”

She gave me a broad grin before raising one eyebrow and tilting her head questioningly at Michael.

With a slightly grunt, he began the introductions. “These three are some of the most capable among the king’s personal guards. The fact that he is sending them with you is evidence of his concern for your mission.”

Gesturing to the irritable blonde, Michael said, “This is Rose. I’ve taught her the art of the blade for over ten years, and she learns faster than any student that I’ve had in over a century. There are very few even in my long life who have been better suited for this weapon.”

He glanced at me and a small furrow marred his brow before he turned to the redhead.

“This is Amelia. She is one of the four best archers in Paravel--”

“Top three,” she muttered quietly.

“--and her skills as a ranger are excellent. Finally, this is--”

Rafe interrupted in a flat monotone, “Is her name Clara?”

Michael paused. “Yes, how did you know?”

Rafe looked at him hard for a minute, then looked at the three women, then back at his friend.

“Really? You don’t know? Didn’t you tell me once that Clara was your favorite?”

Michael looked confused and looked back and forth between the women with a puzzled look on his face when suddenly his eyes widened. He opened his mouth...and began to roar in laughter. He barked and coughed and chortled and cackled and howled, bent over and at times seeming unable to breathe. For five long minutes all we could do was stare incredulously as this grave, serious-faced seemingly immortal warrior convulsed in hilarity before finally regaining control of himself, taking in long slow breaths with the occasional small interrupting chuckle.

Icily, Rose demanded, “Your favorite? You have a favorite from among us?”

With a curious look on his face, Rafe responded, “It’s not actually you three that I mean. It’s...well...hard to describe. And frankly, it’s a damned peculiar coincidence.”

Michael was wiping tears from his cheeks.

“Oh God, I haven’t laughed like that in ages. You’re right, it’s very peculiar.”

King Ladislas put his hand on Michael.

“Lord Michael, perhaps you could explain your...reaction?”

Michael answered haltingly, “Rafe is right. it’s difficult to explain. There was a...story...that I knew long ago that had three women very like these three. It’s as if life is imitating art.”

He frowned abruptly. “Or is art imitating life?”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “Man, I can’t believe I’m trapped in this world for nerds.”

I was confused. Nerd? What was a nerd?

Amusement clearly evident on his countenance, Michael turned to the man next to him and motioned for him to speak. Clearing his throat, King Ladislas said firmly, “Thank you all for undertaking this mission. We need to learn as soon as possible what is happening in Creshey. Clearly, this is a serious attack. Lord Hellas noted orcs, wargs, and ogres in the forces that he saw before returning to us. Seeing orcs and ogres working together is of grave concern. Rarely do those races cooperate, and if Sir Paol is right, they are being led by Asmodai or perhaps by his brethren.”

His face was hard as he spoke that name, and the women looked grimly at their king.

“We need to know the composition of their forces, whether there are any other races amongst the invading force. We need to know how large the force is and from which directions it is coming. Any and all knowledge that you can gather will be of immense importance while we gather our forces.”

I asked, “How will we get the information to you?”

Clara quirked the side of her mouth at me and tossed her hand up sending bright sprinkles aloft that floated above her head and then gradually faded.

“I can cast Far-Speak. See?”

That last word seemed to come just inches from my right ear. I jumped in surprise, and the petite mage giggled.

The king sighed and then urged, “Please be careful. You won’t be informing us of anything if you’re dead.”

Rafe shrugged.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of them,” he said nonchalantly.

He seemed so confident, so different from the wine-soaked sot I had accosted just a few weeks earlier. How powerful were these Two Hundred?