Battle Maiden

Book 2: Two Path

Chapter 4 : A Band of Fools

*****

*Yawn*

Sarah cupped her hand and covered her mouth, she barely had any rest last night. The fighting was getting much more intense.She was so fixated on getting revenge against Vanessa, that she forget to keep track of time.

‘I finally managed to get away.. and now I still need to deal with classes.’

She sat at the back today, unlike the usual front seat. This raised a lot of questions, no doubt about that. It was plain as day on the other students’ face. Even the lecturers were surprised, but none even dared or bothered to ask.

“She yawned,” a voice whispered.

‘I can’t even yawn? What sort of image of me do you have in your mind?’

“Are you alright Sarah?” The lecturer took notice of her yawning. From fifteen meters away, even when Sarah tried to hide it. She must be some sort of endangered species.

“I’m alright sir, just a bit tired,” Sarah politely answered.

“The lecture must be boring to the genius,” another voice whispered. In the quiet hall, it’s not that hard to overhear all the gossips. Most was about her after all.

‘Maybe I should just skip the class.’

Which she did, and that day another rumor spread, that the genius girl had turned rebellious.

*****

Sarah walked out of the campus, hoping to catch the 10 AM bus home. Though the infrastructure of public transportation had improved significantly, Sarah still avoided using them during peak hours. Since it’s way past morning rush hours, she decide to take the bus.

There was still 5 minutes till 10, Sarah arrived at the bus stop with time to spare. She was not alone, another person was there sitting lazily.

‘He looks familiar.. Could it be?’

‘He definitely looks like him. It must be him.’

The boy caught her attention, he looked uncannily similar to a boy she met in Royal Road. The only difference was his hair colour. The boy sitting on the same bench as her had brown hair, while the one she met in RR had blue.

‘Well, it’s normal for people to change their hair colour in game. Even I did.’

The boy, oblivious to the fact he was being studied by a girl, casually turned his head towards Sarah. For a moment, their eyes met, but only for a moment, as Sarah quickly averted her gaze. If only she stayed her eyes a moment longer, she would see that he, too, was quite surprised at his company.

*cue awkward silence.*

‘Running away or hiding will not solve anything,’ Vanessa’s voice resounded in Sarah’s head.

‘You haunt me even in my thoughts..’

‘She is right though.’ Sarah nodded to herself. ‘I always said I need to change, if it’s him then it won’t be that awkward. We already talked in-game before.’

Fists clenched, she reassured herself,‘NPCs, humans, what’s the difference.’

“The bus is here,” the boy said.

All the courage she built up was shattered that very moment. ‘How do you start a conversation from that?’ She resigned any thought of conversing and gathered her stuff.

‘Maybe it’s better this way. Who knows if he even remembers me,’ she stood up from the bench.

‘You keep yourself out of reach. Afraid to get hurt?’ Vanessa’s voice rang again. Perhaps fear therapy was effective after all.

Sarah took a deep breath slowly, before exhaling it as fast as she could. ‘I keep on making excuses.’ She turned around just before she boarded the bus, with a shaky voice, she called out to the boy.

“My name is Sarah. What’s yours?”

*****

Her vision filled with white, a space of emptiness. A voice confirmed her ID through her Iris and Vein pattern, logging her into a virtual reality space. The emptiness was replaced, her surroundings rapidly turned into a room, the room where she had logged off. Sera was once again in Royal Road.

“I did get his name, that is a progress right?”

Since she skipped class today, she was able to log in before the expedition group departed, with time to spare. She sneaked out to find a store to stock up on supplies. She knew the trip would be a long one, judging by the size of the supply caravans.

She did have some supplies from the quest rewards given by Mrs. Graham, but having a few extra bandages wouldn’t hurt. She procured some spices and herbs; she knew food would be supplied by the expedition, but army food had a reputation for being tasteless.

“You’re late!” Vanessa shouted, she seemed restless, watching her aide walking idly. “We are supposed to be the vanguard, we take the point forward. What sort of vanguards lag behind the main group?”

“Coming,” Sera quickened her steps, knowing that arguing with Vanessa was futile. There was also the possibility that Vanessa was pissed that she ran off from the “duel” last time.

“Can you ride a horse?” Vanessa asked, holding a horse by its reins.

“No. But I’m a quick learner,” Sera was beaming. Having a horse meant that she didn’t need to walk all the way.

“Quick learner, that is good,” Vanessa nodded. She climbed onto the horse and signaled the vanguard group to march. “I’ll personally teach you once the expedition is over. For now, you’ll march together with the rest of my men.”

‘Then what’s the point of you even asking me that?’

*****

The vanguard group, led by the Royal Knight Vanessa, embarked from the southern gate of the great fort city. A hundred men strong, consisting of veterans and seasoned fighters, they would lead the way of the expedition.

The main group, almost twice the size, followed after. The group led by Reghas would be the center of command for the expedition. The supply caravans, pulled by mules and horses, were at the center of the formation, kept safe on all sides. The church’s group made up the majority of the main group, from the battle-hardened paladins, to the faithful clerics.

The rear guards, a bit smaller in size compared to the vanguard guards,protect the rear of the group from any dangers. Even if they were barely above 50 men strong, they were highly trained and proud soldiers of the kingdom.

The combined group of the Kingdom of Haven’s Royal Army and the Order of Freya marched in formation. From an onlooker standpoint, it would seem as if they were going to war. Perhaps that was the case. They were venturing into the unknown territory, vigilance was of utmost importance.

*****

The scouting group consisted of a few brave men, the best in horsemanship the Kingdom could offer. Agile, and able to spot dangers from a great distance, it’s no wonder that the group consisted of rangers and rogues.

Among their ranks, a man stood out like a sore thumb. Most of the scouts preferred to travel light, but this guy carried a huge amount of scrolls with him, weighing down his horse. He was the cartographer, the person responsible for drawing maps, and marking hazards along the way. The map would be sent to the main group, approximately 2-3 days behind them.

“I’m sorry for slowing the group down,” said the man. His horse moved half the speed of the others at best, “Riding on a horse is not my thing.”

“Don’t worry about it. None of us have the skill to draw a map, a legible map, that is,” said a rogue. The others nodded in agreement. The drawing skill required for drawing an accurate map was not something one could achieve in a short amount of time. This made maps an expensive object of value for adventurers.

“All these supplies, I needed them to work, but it ended up slowing the group down. My skill with horses is nowhere near you guys.”

“Well, there’s an easy fix for that Johann,” the rogue was the only player character in the group. A handful of players were hired for the expedition, but only one was qualified to join the scouting group.

“We just do this, and problem solved,” he took the heavy scrolls from the cartographer’s horse and distributed it evenly with all other members of the group.

“But those supplies, the scrolls, they are my job,” Johann, the cartographer, cried out. Now he felt like a deadweight for the group.

“No it’s not. It’s our job, as a group,” the rogue gestured to the whole group of men on horseback. “Your load is our load, we watch for each other’s back. We are a team.”

The whole squad agreed with the rogue, some with admiration. At that moment, a system notification indicating his relationship points with the squad had increased, popped up. Only he could see it, being the only player character in the group.

“I guess I should trust in you guys more. I’m the weakest here after all,” Johann let out a small laugh as the scouting group, 15 men strong, proceed on their way.

‘Day 3,

It has been three days since we left Greyhold, we have now reached the limit of where the conventional map can guide us. Now, we’re on our own. The main group however, will proceed with the help of our intel, the scouting group. And that, will be my main job as the cartographer.

Traveling in a small group in uncharted lands built strong bonds between the men. I, myself, had particularly been in good terms with a rogue, a foreigner. Being the weakest in the group will make you feel that you’re dragging the group down, it’s an unavoidable feeling. But he always reassured me and supported me.

As a mapmaker, I feel both thrilled and nervous of the road ahead. It is the unknown, a place where I can make my mark, together with my comrades, my new family.

Scouting Group Members;

Ser Johann Borsworth, Cartographer

Walaver Arroway, ranger

Ricros Silverkin, swordsman

Fhalyassa Silverkin, swordswoman

Mita Dryadson, messenger

Arastine, paladin

Wolfswift, rogue

Gavin Milner, rogue

Searos Hawklight, rogue

Larryl the Overlander, assassin

Elebrian Farjourney, ranger

Eterian Overhill, cleric

Durewn Ravenwood, ranger

Eldor Brookford, paladin

Lightning, rogue

Freya guide us.’

*****

*grumble*

Sera grumbled as she marched with the rest of the troops. She never had walked for a long period of time before, in VR or real life. To make matters worse, she was the only woman in the whole vanguard! She was the center of attention at all times, and past experience made her loath the feeling.

The only reason she was not swarmed by men was because their captain, Vanessa was there. But it did not stop their eyes from stealing a look anyway, which was an understatement. Sera generated the beauty stat just by being catching all the men’s attention.

‘So, tired..’ Sera thought, not saying it, fearing Vanessa’s wrath.

Sera agreed on joining the expedition, an opportunity most players would be willing to die for. Free food, a good source of experience, great rewards, but most of all, gaining fame, and reputation with the church and the kingdom. Traveling in huge groups meant safety. All they had to do was survive until the expedition ended. Sera was hoping for a nice outdoor trip.

Vanessa, at the forefront of the group, glanced upwards at the sky, judging time from the sun’s position. As the sun was almost at its peak, she gave a signal to halt the marching troops. She delegated a few men on horseback to scout the perimeter, before approaching Sera, who was now laying on the ground inelegantly.

“Tired already? It’s only noon.”

“I’m just catching a breather, I’ll be fine,” Sera responded.

Stats wise, the long march shouldn’t pose much trouble to Sera. It was more of a mental fatigue, suddenly doing something you have never done before in an uncomfortable situation. In this case, its a long and boring walk, plus being the center of attention.

“You better be, lunch is not going to make itself you know.”

“Lunch? Did you mean me...”

“All members with cooking skills are automatically the cooks of the group,” Vanessa explained.

“In the vanguard’s case, it seems like you’re the only one here with the cooking skill. I’ll send some men to help you, of course.”

“But.. I.. “ Sera couldn’t even form a proper retort to that. It was logical to think that the one with the cooking skill would cook. But she only had cooking beginner 1, and as a trainee, she only made rice in the restaurant she worked in.

Now she had to cook a full meal for a hundred people, within a limited amount of time.

Sera know that there was nothing she could do to change Vanessa’s mind. Instead, she relied on her memory, of books she had read about field cooking, nutrition, and its effect in Royal Road. In the game, the effect of food was almost immediate. She had studied it before, and through that, she learned the cooking skill much faster than the other workers in Salty Rose.

Checking the supplies of the available food, Sera was a bit disappointed, but at the same time, relieved. There was only rice and the meat of an unknown animal, not much choice, but at least she could blame the people in charge of getting the supplies.

To be clear, the vanguard groups only carried enough food for lunch, and resupplied when they made camp at night, from the main group’s caravans. Carrying too much was not efficient for a group in charge of protection.

‘I can make porridge, with meat and herbs in it. That should be easy, and be cooked much faster, as compared to making rice.’

Sera was deep in thought, thinking of the best herbs and spices to use for the situation. While not short of meat or rice, there was basically no herbs and spices. Luckily, she had bought some earlier that day. While struggling with the sack of meat, which she hoped to be beef, a soldier called out to her.

“Miss, I was sent here to help you out on Captain Vanessa’s order.”

“Perfect, start the fire and prepare the utensils.” It was too much work for a single person, any assistance would be very helpful.

“Just asking, what’s for lunch?” The footman needed to know, if he was to prepare the utensils.

“Porridge,” Sera said, and quickly after, she went off on her own. The soldier was left alone to set things up, clearly disappointed with the menu.

Sera had other things in mind, and wandered off away from the group. She was looking for herbs. Or, in her context, anything that was not poisonous and could alter the taste of the food. Plain porridge was terribly tasteless, and after a long walk, it’s not something you look forward to.

With herbology skills, she could easily identify common herbs. She knew what they looked like and their effects, since she had spent many hours in the library before. Quickly gathering a bunch of them, she ran back to start cooking.

First, the meat was roasted, since simply putting them in the porridge would not cook them that well. At the same time, she started cooking the porridge in two huge pots. She instructed her assistant to watch over the meat.

“Just make sure it isn’t burnt.” She had no expectations, since food made by people with no cooking skills always ended up bad.

In the meantime, she tended to the porridge. She added the herbs she collected into the pots and stirred it well. She added some salt, to replenish electrolytes after the long walk under the sun. Though she was not sure if the concept applied in the game, but some salt wouldn’t hurt.

Since her herbology skill was still level one, a few blades of grass did made its way into the porridge. She had noticed it too late, but resigned any thought of taking it out.

‘These people are supposed to be the kingdom’s finest. Some grass won’t hurt them.’

As the porridge were almost cooked, she turned to the meat that was roasted by her incompetent assistant. Thankfully, just less than a third was burnt. She chopped the meat into small bite-sized pieces and put it into the porridge.

“There. Should be done soon,” Sera clapped her hands once, satisfied that she had made it in time. Turning to her assistant next to her, she smiled and said, “Thanks for your hard work.”

The man’s face turned red instantaneously, getting caught off guard by Sera. Sure, he might be an NPC, but 99% realism was not an exaggeration.

Stiffening up, he stood straight, saluted, and said at the top of his voice, “It’s my pleasure to serve with you, Miss Sera!”

‘I know I’m practicing my smiles, but his reaction is a bit over the top. Did my smile come out wrongly?’

Sera, thinking that she messed up the smile somewhere, tried to fix things up. Name, she thought, would be a good place to start.

“Please, be at ease. I’m not in the military, I’m just here as Captain’s Vanessa’s temporary aide,” She hoped that was the case, “Now that you mention it, I didn’t quite get your name.”

“It’s Derek. It’s an honor to be of help, especially the one the Captain’s acknowledged.”

*****

*Ttring!*

-Cooking Skill has increased-

-Cooking Skill is now at Beginner 2 (78%)-

Completing the meal, she was greeted with the notice. She had increased her cooking skills to beginner 2 from beginner 1. A bit more, and it would reach beginner 3.

The moment of truth came soon after, as Derek served the porridge to the rest of the men. Each soldiers carried their own utensils, and was responsible for them; this made cleaning up much easier.

Sera brought her’s and Vanessa’s portion personally, carefully picking the most appetizing-looking pieces of meat for the both of them.

‘If I get authority as the Captain’s aide, might as well use it.’

Sera brought two servings of her porridge, and handed one to Vanessa. Vanessa looked at the bowl suspiciously, smelling it,and inspecting it like a proper food connoisseur.

“What is this?” Vanessa asked. She was not irritated, she knew about their food supplies, “I don’t remember having grass in our food supplies.”

“It’s a herb. It looks like grass, but it is not,” Sera explained, “I’ve read in books about its effect, supposedly, it’s good for stamina.”

“I see. Lets have a taste then,” Vanessa nodded. She’d been in the army for a long time; to her, food was just food.

Vanessa and Sera both ate their meals in silence. For Sera, it’s table manners. For Vanessa, she just liked her meal uninterrupted. For the rest of the men however, 98 of them, they were making noise non-stop.

“Woah!” A man’s shout could be clearly heard from a distance.

“This is the most delicious porridge I have ever eaten!” More followed.

“This is like heaven in my mouth!”

“This, how could grass and porridge taste this good?!” Such compliments flooded, replacing the emptiness that once filled the area.

People were asking for seconds, their bowls emptied almost as fast as it was filled. There were no leftovers in the pots.

*Ttring*

Amidst the shouting and compliments, a familiar ringing was heard. But the ringing sound was heard only by Sera and Vanessa, the chef’s group leader.

The group is inspired by their meal.

Their morale is boosted and they will perform better in combats.

+5% to all stats in combats.

-5% in stamina consumption.

Effect lasts 5 hours, or until famished.

Vanessa looked at the notification and nodded satisfactorily. Sera was bemused, she did not know that the effect from meals would be this strong. And this was the group effects, it was added on top of the individual effects from eating the meal itself.

*Ttring*

Sera, now finished eating, saw another notification. This time, it showed only the effects from the meals.

You have eaten a healthy balanced meal.

The porridge, despite the taste, is packed with carbohydrates and protein from the meat, has restored your stamina. The herbs added also provide good health benefits.

+ 100 Max HP

+ 100 Max Stamina

+ 5 str and vit

Effect lasts 5 hours, or until famished.

Sera looked at the window and found herself amazed at the effect of cooking. She wondered, with all these benefits, why very few had taken up the skill.

“So, now you know why I asked you to be the chef?” Vanessa said, as she slammed the empty bowl down.

“I think I know,” Sera gave her answer as she looked at infantrymen gulping down the porridge and complimenting her on the taste, “It’s not the food.”

“Indeed,” Vanessa smiled at Sera’s answer. Anyone who tasted the porridge could work out why.

The porridge tasted awfully bad.

The herbs might be healthy, but it gave off a bitter mint flavour. Imagine a bitter, minty, salty porridge, with unevenly cooked meat and grass.

“My men are idiots, that’s why,” Vanessa laughed out loud, “Well, good kind of idiots.”

What could be more motivating than a beauty cooking food for you? Vanessa gave the command to quickly pack up and be on the move again.

*****

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Wrote: I have been procrastinating. I was unsure whether to post or not to post the chapters I had. After my PR ordered me to post the chapter last night, I have no choice but to post it. All credits go to this mysterious PR, all HAIL PR!!

UPDATE: It is done!

I'll try to increase update rate in the coming week. As always, thanks for reading. Suggestions, questions, feed backs, comments, critique, money, and other worldly possession is highly appreciated.