Battle Maiden

Book 2: Two Path

Chapter 3 : Lessons and Enlistment

*****

“Come!”

“It’ll take those boys a while. In the meantime, I have some things in mind.”

Vanessa En Visna had been given the title of ‘knight’ for her contributions to the kingdom. Ranked as a captain in the Royal Army, she had a platoon of her own and commanded great respect from her peers. It was said that the only reason she was not ranked higher was due to her personality.

She walked with such poise, with her back straight and proud shoulders, that it made her dull armor seem to shine with brilliance. Even though she had aged, there were many who still admired her, men and women alike.

Low ranking soldiers ceased whatever they were doing as she passed, giving the most spirited salute they can muster. Even those of the same rank and even higher would spare some time to show respect. Only this time, the saluting soldiers’ eyes was not on her. They were leering at a girl following closely behind.

You couldn’t really blame them, a girl was a rare sight in that part of town. Some foreigner women did pass by, but none exuded the air she did. Their captain, Vanessa, had an aura that was gallant in nature. The girl however, was different. It’s like watching a single beautiful flower, or a painting on an empty wall. You couldn’t help but steal a glance.

“Beyond veiling..” Vanessa mumbled to herself, unconsciously smiling.

*****

Sera followed Vanessa as ordered. Along the way, she felt something familiar, pairs of eyes directed toward her. Instinctively, she put up her own barrier, as she did in real life. To show no emotion on her face, to step forward in an undisturbed face. Hiding herself from the judging eyes of the strangers.

‘Even NPCs do it.’

As they arrived to what looked like an outdoor training ground, Vanessa finally turned around and faced Sera. The place was almost empty, due to the fact that they were preparing for an expedition.

“I assume you use both sword and shield? Then, grab a training sword and shield from that rack,” Vanessa pointed towards a rack filled with a variety of weapons.

‘A fighting practice? She did say she’ll guide me.’

Unlike the training center, the weapons here were not wooden. The swords had steel blades, although blunt it was capable of inflicting serious injury. Sera quickly picked a sword and a shield, similar to the ones she was used to, before returning to face Vanessa.

‘Wait what?’

Sera was surprised, looking at what she returned to. What she saw was the greying knight woman carrying a log twice her height on her shoulder.

“Well, shall we begin then?” Vanessa raised the timber straight upwards.

“Wait!” Sera shouted. However, it was in vain, as the timber had already gained momentum. She jumped clumsily to the side,and barely managed to evade the attack.

“Now is not the time to worry about getting dirt on your dress. Come at me with all you’ve got!”

“You always do things your own way!” Sera exploded. It was the first time she had ever let her temper get the best of her. Having a log smashing towards her without warning might have contributed to that.

“And have you not? You too do things your own way,” Vanessa raised the log again, readying another attack. Sera used this time to step out of her reach. The log was not that big, just a bit bigger than her head. But the damage was devastating, evidenced by the hole in the ground where the log had landed earlier.

“You keep yourself out of reach. Afraid to get hurt?”

“Who in their right mind would keep themselves in the range of that big piece of wood?!”

“I’m not talking about this log.”

As if seeing the knight wield a piece of log was not surprising enough, Sera now witnessed another event that one could only see in a virtual reality game. The knight leapt through the air with the heavy log in her hands, instantly propelling her into striking distance.

Crash!

The log split into two as it slammed down. Dust filled the arena,as a result of the impact. On the ground, Sera lay among the debris. She had managed to avoid a direct blow, but not enough to come out unharmed.

Discarding whatever was left of her weapon, Vanessa stood over the defeated Sera. With one hand, she picked her up, forcing Sera to stand on her two feet.

“It didn’t even hit you. Don’t play dead with me,” Vanessa said as she patted away dust from Sera’s dress.

“That sort of strength is not human,” Sera complained. She had even lost some of her health points from Vanessa’s patting.

“You do get what I’m trying to tell you, don’t you? Running away or hiding will not solve anything.”

Sera understood perfectly, that all she had done was hide and run away. The more people alienated her, she alienated herself even further. It was true that people avoided her in real life, but it was not wrong to say that she avoided them first. ‘I can’t be hurt by strangers,’ she used to convinced herself.

‘So she did this on purpose just to make me realise it? The tough love type character. Maybe she’s not so bad after all.’

“I lost,” Sera gave a small bow, admitting her defeat. She did start this game hoping to change, and people often say that admitting your fault is the first step to overcome it. She raised her head from the bow, hoping to get some reaction from Vanessa.

‘Oh shhhi--’

“That last wood must be a driftwood or something. To break after only two strikes,” Vanessa stood there, now holding another piece of wood, larger than the last, “Well, now that we got that bit covered, I say we get serious for round two.”

Vanessa laughed as she charged at Sera. It was at this point that Sera started having nightmares of that loud laughter of her mentor’s.

*****

“Say, where do I find a class?”

Spoon was asking a random traveller. He was now level 32, clad in black-colored equipment. Half of it were quest rewards, the rest, he had bought from stores to match the others. He did not equip the hat he got however, as he thought that it would ruin his ‘all black coolness’.

“What class do you want? I’m sure all you need to do is go to their guild to get the class change quest.”

Everyone he questioned gave a similar reply. It’s not that he did not know, he was being picky. To him, most of the classes offered had limitations. He wanted something more flexible. He did try out for a knight and paladin class, but decided not to be either of them, since he didn’t feel like flattering some goddess or sugarcoating all his words at all times.

“One does not need to praise some goddess to be good. Faking chivalry to gain honor is ironic,”Spoon spoke out, saying what he thought should be obvious. Then he realised that he was speaking in front of a statue of Freya,“Um, no offense. I’m a firm believer of action speaks louder than words.”

+ 5 relationship point with Lugh

“Lugh? Not Freya?”

Spoon took a closer inspection of the statue. He realised that he had mistaken it for Freya. It was Lugh, another god worshipped in Versailles. He had made a mistake as both were portrayed with long hair. Holding a spear, the Statue of the god Lugh was very rare, as the Church of Lugh’s influence was low compared to Freya.

“Ahah! Sorry there, I mistook you for Freya since you look a bit feminine here.”

- 5 relationship point with Lugh

“I did not mean that as an insult. It’s mostly the sculptor fault here. Plus, who cares about looks when you have all that strength?”

+ 5 relationship point with Lugh

‘This is quite fun actually.’

‘Since there is no one around, might just as well play around a bit.’

Spoon began to back and forth flatter and piss off the god in front of him. Something he wouldn’t even consider with Freya, who had many supporters and high influence. Little did he know, he was being watched.

*****

*CracK!!*

The wooden shield shattered, together with the timber that crashed down onto Sera. It was the second shield rendered useless by the might of Vanessa that day.

‘She’s seriously trying to kill me!’

‘My left arm hurts so much, but I need to strike now while she’s unarmed!’

Sera dashed forward, taking advantage of the flying dust from the impact, hoping it would be enough to hamper Vanessa’s visibility. With every step, she could feel throbbing pain coming from her left arm; she did her best to ignore it. She know that this chance wouldn’t come often.

“Charging at an enemy who lost her weapon, not bad.” Vanessa knew Sera was coming for her, “I’ll give you praise for quick thinking.”

‘Three steps.’

Sera calculated the distance till Vanessa was in range.

‘Two.’

Her left foot planted on the ground, her grip on the sword tightened. The sword laid low on on her left side, waiting to burst.

‘Now!’

Immediately after her right foot kicked the ground, a slash from the sword followed. The rotation from her hip amplified the speed of the strike, so fast was the strike that she literally heard the air itself being torn asunder.

By literally, it meant she had missed the attack.

*WHAcK!*

Sera was sent flying from a solid kick on her stomach. The steel toed boot hurt so badly that she regurgitated her lunch out before she could even land. The landing wasn’t so smooth either, as she rolled for a good three meters before stopping. At least she rolled instead of skidding.

Things went dark for a while. As she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar figure of a halfling. It was Reghas, the priest.

“Good afternoon. How are you feeling?” Reghas asked.

“How many fingers do you see?” He held up a few fingers uncomfortably, close to Sera’s face.

“What happened?” Sera was in a muddled state.

“You passed out. I applied some healing magic. Did you know that you had a chunk of wood embedded in your left arm?”

Sera looked at her left arm, bandaged clumsily. It was dyed red with blood, the source of the throbbing pain she felt earlier. Luckily this was a virtual reality game, where a some healing magic and a bit of bandaging could fix a wound which would disable a person for life.

“Thank you,” Sera said, “For taking care of my injury.”

“All I did is sprinkle some healing magic on you. Kind of my job description you see,” Reghas waved his hands around, wiggling his stubby little fingers, imitating a magician casting a spell.

“Uhh, where is Vanessa?” Sera looked around, she was in a room which looked like a crude hospital room, filled with the smell of herbs. The one who put her in her current state was nowhere in sight.

“After bandaging you up, she went outside to send off the scouting group. She’ll be back soon.”

“Scouting group? For the expedition?” Sera looked towards Reghas with a curious look, she was certain that Vanessa said that she was suppose to be in that expedition.

“Yes. A small group of mobile scouts, to survey the path ahead. Since the south is not really mapped properly, having scouts ahead will warn us the dangers and terrain conditions ahead. Makes it easier for the main group which consists of a lot of supply caravans.”

Reghas paused, rubbing his chin; fully expecting questions from Sera, who looked curious. His expectations were betrayed, as it resulted into an awkward silence.

He then decided to continue with his explanation,“You’ll be in the main group, as the vanguard alongside Van and me. The main aim of this expedition will be exploration, specifically a ruin which was discovered by foreigners.”

By foreigners, he meant players. Many players set out by themselves trying to earn fame, and some did found a dungeon or ruin and ended up getting killed by mobs too powerful for them to handle. In such cases, most would try to cut their losses by selling information to other parties. Offering this information to a kingdom or church was a good way to improve your relationship quickly with them.

“This case is a bit unique, as the informant told us that statues of Freya are spread around the ruin’s compound,” Reghas continued, briefing Sera of what was to come, “Usually monster do not stray close to Freya’s statue, but the foreigners reported sightings of high-leveled monsters roaming the area. As such, the church decided to cooperate with the royal army to search the area.”

“You mentioned monsters, I don’t think this will be just an exploration mission,” Sera finally spoke after listening attentively to Reghas.

“More so with Vanessa in charge. I think she’ll charge through the monsters by herself,”she added.

“That’s why I’m here. As soon as I heard that she will lead the royal army side, I had to volunteer. She can be a bit of a handful.”

“I think she wanted to kill me,” Sera shuddered as she remembered her fight.

“Not really. If she wanted to, you’d be dead right now. Plus, I heard you managed three rounds. That shows she took a liking to you.”

“She kicked the light out of me. It still hurt!” Sera rubbed her stomach, where the kick had landed. The damage was healed, but the pain still lingered.

“She is a bit.. unique in her ways,” Reghas’ expression changed, as he tried to find the right words, “If she’s uninterested in you, she wouldn’t even bother fighting.Even if she did, it wouldn’t last long.”

“Torturing people slowly is not much better,” Sera complained.

“She can get carried away, yes. But you need to understand, the only reason she knocked you out is because you’re bleeding profusely and needed medical attention.”

“She could have told me to stop.”

“If it will make you feel better, she did bandage you,” Reghas shrugged, in which Sera responded with a pout.

Since Sera was no longer in the mood to talk about her new master’s tough love lesson, Reghas switched the topic back to the expedition. She was informed that the main group would depart in two days’ time, after the scouting group had established a safe route for them. Usually by means of messenger pigeons, since private messaging was not available among NPCs.

The main group would be divided into several divisions, such as vanguard and rearguard, which would protect the supply caravans in the center. Since Sera was now officially Vanessa’s aide, she would be in the same group as her, the vanguard. Reghas would be in the center, overseeing the whole operation. Reghas mentioned that Vanessa had suggested so, since she said she couldn’t be bothered with such a thing as management.

The sound of metal boots interrupted them, as a soldier arrived and requested ‘Miss Sera’ to follow him.

“Captain Vanessa wishes for your presence. I’m here to escort you,” The soldier was uptight and a bit stiff,“Right this way.”

Since Reghas had other matters to attend to, he bid Sera farewell and they parted ways. Sera followed the soldier quietly down the halls.

“Hey, you’re a player right?” The soldier asked in a low voice, almost whispering.

“Yes..” Sera answered, realising that this soldier was also a player like her.

“Really? That’s a relief. You don’t mind me being informal do you? All this soldier talk is tiring me out,” The soldier sighed, all the tension from before left his body as he began to relax.

“I’m Biggs by the way. The lackey Captain Vanessa called in front of you this morning.”

“I’m Sera, but I guess that you know me already,” Sera gave a small bow, as she always did when introducing herself.

“I did call you by name before, did I not? My friend and I were not sure if you’re human, that’s all. The AI in this game are just a bit too realistic,” He chuckled, before continuing, “I just won a bet with him, he said that you’re NPC too.”

Biggs was being very friendly, as there were not many players in the royal army. Most just stayed a while for a mission or two. Being tied to an organisation was not very attractive to most players. He informed Sera that in Captain Vanessa’s platoon there were only two human players, him and his friend Wedge.

“We’re here,” Biggs tensioned up again. Vanessa was a scary person indeed.

He knocked on the door three times, before introducing himself. After a reply from beyond the door, giving him permission, he opened the door and held it for Sera. It was Vanessa’s office. A messy room with stacks of paper strewn all over it.

“Biggs,” Vanessa said from her seat. A rocking chair, to be more precise,“The shield, give it to her. Also bring out the stuff I told you to prepare before.”

Biggs complied and took out a shield from a chest which he and Wedge had brought in before. A lion decorated the shield’s face, it was Sera’s shield. He then took out few more items, a pair of gauntlets, metal greaves, a pair of battle boots and a chestplate.

“Since I just appointed you my aide, you’re automatically part of the army. All recruits are entitled to basic gear,” Vanessa explained the reason for the equipment, “Aren’t you glad I’m such a nice person?”

Sera could only sigh.

Soldier’s GauntletsStatsClass: Medium Armor, Gloves (Common)

Durability: 45/45

Armor rating: 10DescriptionBasic steel gauntlets given to recruits. While dull-looking, it is highly practical and easy to move in. Sturdy yet flexible leather lined with protective plates, with extended cuffs made from steel. It is a must for any aspiring warrior.BonusOn Equip:

+5 Str

Special:

Reduce chance of disarmamentRequirementsMinimum Stats:

Level 15

STR 25

Soldier’s GreavesStatsClass: Medium Armor, Leg Armor (Common)

Durability: 45/45

Armor rating: 12DescriptionBasic steel greaves given to recruits. A soldier’s mobility is of high priority, as such, the greaves are made from light steel, without compromising much of its defensive capabilities.BonusOn Equip:

+10 VitRequirementsMinimum Stats:

Level 15

STR 25

Soldier’s BootsStatsClass: Medium Armor, Shoes (Common)

Durability: 45/45

Armor rating: 5DescriptionSteel-toed marching boots designed for long distance marches. Improves mobility on most terrain.BonusOn Equip:

+5 Agi

Special:

Walking and running speed increased by 5%

Reduce stamina consumption from walking and running by 7.5%RequirementsMinimum Stats:

Level 15

STR 25

Soldier’s ChestplateStatsClass: Medium Armor, Torso (Common)

Durability: 55/55

Armor rating: 15DescriptionSteel chestplate given to recruits. Worn by the proud soldiers of the empire, provides great protection in battle.BonusOn Equip:

+15 Vit

+150 HPRequirementsMinimum Stats:

Level 15

STR 25

VIT 25

The items received were nothing spectacular, a bit better compared to stock ready armor in the stores, but not as good as armor gained from quests and loots from strong monsters. The best thing about it, was that it was free.

Sera did think twice, before equipping them. She was not very fond of attaching/equipping might be better? metal armour on her body. Not the most comfortable thing. The fresh memory of being kicked square in the stomach changed her mind, as she equipped all of the equipment given. She did not, however, equip her shield. Instead, she fastened it to her backpack for convenience.

One of the best things Sera loved about the game was, the gears automatically changed sizes to fit the wearer nicely. Although she couldn’t say the same about the female armor designs; some were clearly very impractical.

“How do you find your new equipment? Fits you nicely, other that that skirt dress of yours..” Vanessa asked after Sera finished equipping them.

“If you want, we do have something more practical,” she was pointing at the dress Sera wore under all the armor. A skirt is not something you see in the army.

“I’m fine with this, thanks for the offer,” Sera declined the offer, she had grown fond of the dresses she wore in-game.

“Right,” Vanessa stood up and stretched her limbs.

“Since we still have time till our group departs, you should get used to moving in your new gear,” she smiled as she said that.

‘Wait..’

“To the training ground! Wedge, do my paperwork for me. Biggs, you’ll be the judge.”

‘Damn!’

*****

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Wrote: EDIT: Spacing problem was fixed, thanks to caffeine powered thinking. Alien guy is fired gais

Credits: Same old PR, who lay lurking in the darkness not wishing its name to be revealed.

Thanks for reading, feedbacks and suggestions is highly appreciated.