Well, good news everyone! I finally found my muse, as I was at work the other day. I know where I'm going to take the story now, so it shouldn't be months before another update. I really like the idea I'm going to go with, but it couldn't be made obvious here. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, give me some criticism, and of course, I don't own any of the characters, original story, or original dialogue.
Jack felt as if his eyes had only been closed for a few minutes before he was shaken awake by the Captain.
"It seems that the goods are ready," Ganz stated, making sure the young man was awake. "Let's head to the top of the cliff. Lady Ridley is already prepared and has gone ahead. Come now, Jack; a knight mustn't be slothful," he added, cheery as ever as he left the young man to prepare himself. Jack lay still for a few more seconds before pushing himself, his limbs stiff from the previous day's training.
I don't think you'd call it sloth if you knew what I got myself into yesterday, captain, he thought groggily to himself, looking down at his right hand, noting the series of light blue triangles flashing on the back of it. He still didn't know what the hell it was…but he knew it was only going to get more powerful. Groaning, he pushed himself off the bed and switched into his trainee armor, lucky that it was still in one piece. I can't push myself that hard daily…I'm getting stronger, but at what cost? I need to regulate myself. Maybe having a training partner will help.
Shouldering his bag, he made his way out of the inn, nodding to the Dwarven innkeeper as he left. Turning towards the gate, Jack nearly ran into his female comrade, who had been waiting for him.
"Come on, farm boy. By now the client may be waiting, all because you had to sleep in," Ridley stated, her eyes betraying the same exhaustion as Jack's. It wasn't so much physical as mental; the thought of the scenario Jack described the previous day had kept her awake most of the night, which was the cause of her weariness.
Nodding to her statement, Jack tried to ignore that tired look, as much as he was trying to ignore the strain of his muscles from the day before, walking towards the gate. The girl followed in suit, saying nothing, debating her own thoughts as the advanced concept left both of them in a daze. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the designated spot, where the captain and Clive were standing. Donovitch hadn't arrived yet. Jack looked back momentarily to Ridley, giving a smile.
"Try not to look too tired, my lady," he said with a touch of his playful manner, causing her to huff before she could realize what he was doing. Stretching upward, Jack gave a yawn and rubbed his eyes. "So, where's the client, captain? Isn't he supposed to be here too?"
"But of course, master Jack. We're merely a little early…best to be prepared, you know," Ganz stated, the most peppy of the group this morning. This statement, however, caused Jack to groan.
"I could've slept in…" he muttered, trying to play his part, but also trying to relax. Jack wasn't used to being this serious; he wanted to enjoy these days with his friends while he could, while everything was still naturally playing its part in time.
"If you weren't such a slacker, you might be used to it…"Ridley chided, to which Jack turned backwards and frowned.
"Hey, I've been getting up early for years…I live on a farm, as you so kindly point out every chance you get. We work hard, you know, and I don't like it that you take every chance you can to criticize my lifestyle. I try, and that's what should count, right?" he asked, catching the girl by surprised. Ridley had just hoped to continue the jabbering until their client arrived, and Jack had taken it to a whole new level. He may have even been offended. Unwilling to admit her rudeness, Ridley turned to look over the edge of the cliff, noticing that the gate was rising to allow someone passage.
"Looks like our client is on his way," she said, picking up her things and getting ready to go. Jack, rather than continuing to argue, did the same. The captain, who thought he might have to step in, decided against it; he would talk to the both of them later, perhaps individually. After a few moments, a dwarf made his way up the hill, riding in a cart led by a large goat. The captain stepped forward and bowed his head.
"We are the Rose Cochon brigade. We are here to escort the trade goods in place of the Violet Chevre," he stated for the man, who looked around at the other knights. The captain seemed to be a good soldier, but each of the others seemed to have a few flaws. One looked as if he might be an idiot, the girl looked to be stubborn and prideful, and the boy...his eyes looked far too tired for a child his age. He had more trouble on his plate than someone twice his age, and he didn't even have a beard yet!
"Are the Knights running out of Recruits? Looks like their standards are slipping…" he said, shaking his head. Jack laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, while Ridley winced at the insult.
"Now, now, you two. Don't give our client any trouble. Trust is something that must be earned, a little bit at a time. The violet Chevre completed many escort missions and earned the trust they enjoy. We have no such record. We must work hard, with diligence and sincerity, and win the same respect for ourselves," the captain stated, his eyes shimmering as his pride as a knight of Radiata came into his heart. Donovitch looked at the captain and nodded firmly.
"The troops are flawed, to be sure, but the leader is wise enough. You do your jobs now, do you hear? If we lose this cargo, there will be hell to pay," he said, nudging the goat into movement along the path.
"Worry not, sir. We shan't relax our guard for a second!" the captain stated, following the cart. "Master Jack, you take the front end. Lady Ridley, Master Clive, please help me in guarding the rear and the sides." All three of the addressees nodded and went to their posts, all making sure their weapons were ready in case of bandits.
The first few hours passed without much incident. A few bandits had heard of the cargo being delivered, and of course, had tried to attack. But these common thieves were unskilled and weak; even Clive could almost hold his own against them. Initially, Jack's tense state had prevented him from being able to fight at his fullest, but after the sun had moved across the sky, he found himself in a perfectly capable state, feeling the fruits of his labor setting in already. As the party moved down the path, and a small shack became visible, Jack swore mentally as he remembered the scene about to unfold. Turning backwards, he stepped past the quizzical Donovitch in front of the captain.
"Captain…I need to…uh…take a leak," he said, speaking quietly as so no one could hear him. Unfortunately, he could tell that wasn't the case, as he heard a small snicker from his female comrade.
"Very well, Master Jack. I trust you can catch up to us when you're done. Lady Ridley, please move to the front to take his place." As Jack went towards the woods, he looked back on the group as they moved forward, looking around the area for the three troublemakers who would soon make their appearance. Instead of finding them, however, he spotted two other figures watching from the trees, both of whom he recognized.
"Natalie…and Leonard? What are they doing here?" he spoke quietly to himself, his eyes narrowing. Was he being watched? Did someone in the castle know what was going to happen as well? He couldn't think about it now, there wasn't time. As the cart approached the house, he heard the first of the goblins make their appearance.
"Yoohoo! Doodly-doodoo!" the first said, making a face at the group, while the second stated the revealing "Us Goblin Trio!"
Time to move, Jack thought, proceeding from the trees at a sprint, kept low with his sword held ready. As the party started to panic, Clive turned to look at the approaching goblin. Some help you are, man, Jack thought, giving a mental sigh as he came up on the goblin from behind, bringing his sword back like a baseball bat before slamming it into the sneaking goblin's back, sending it flying past the anxious groups and into some nearby trees.
"Sorry, guys. Not gonna happen today," he said to the already startled party, Donovitch most of all. "Looks like I finished up in time though, at least," he added with a cocky grin.
"Indeed Master Jack, your timing was impeccable!" the captain stated, drawing his large sword and pointing it at the remaining goblins. "Will you still fight us? You cowards ran last night, but you shan't escape today if you choose to continue this debacle."
"You've seen these three before, captain?" Ridley asked, bringing her ax up as well, prepared for battle.
"These were the three who were stealing liquor from the bar in Earth Valley. I went to route them…but the out maneuvered me," the captain said, a little bit of hurt in his voice. I get it captain, don't worry, Jack thought to himself, returning to the main group. The goblins, who had been watching, shook their heads.
"We be good! We go away now! No hurt us like you hurt Gob!" they stated, looking more to Jack than anyone else before turning tail and running. As soon as they were far enough away, their leader came out of the trees, rubbing his head. "Ugh…you fight good," he said, looking for his comrades. Jack put down his sword and pointed into the distance, where some dust was still left from their trail. The goblin, nodding his thanks, took off after his comrades, all of the gone as fast as they'd come. Everyone put at ease; they lowered their weapons and gave a light laugh.
"That sure was a close one, Captain," Jack said, giving a grin and scratching his head, his normal characteristics.
"Indeed, Master Jack, the timing was amazing. And you hit that goblin so hard, he won't walk straight for weeks," the captain said, causing both captain and recruit to laugh heartily, though the remaining three didn't find much humor in this statement. After Ganz and Jack had their laugh, the party reorganized and started their way back to the castle, in the same formation as before. It was a relatively light hearted manner, only coming across small threats which were easily dispatched. The general good mood of those there wasn't ruined at all, given how smoothly that last event had gone.
As they entered the city, and the cart approached the gate, the knights gave a sigh of relief; their job had been done, and everyone was alright. Donovitch stepped down from his cart and looked at all of the knights, before giving a weak smile.
"You said earlier that trust had to be earned...and you all have certainly earned it. While I admit, I was curious to see how the son of Gawain could fight…I am happy to see that you have grown into such a good man, son of Gawain," the dwarf said to the captain, whose eyes widened.
"Mr. Donovitch…are you saying that you knew my father?" The captain asked, generally surprised.
"Of course. I know all about Gawain, and all about you, too."
"About…me?"
"I suppose you don't remember. Well, you were only about yay high at the time," the old dwarf said, gesturing with his hands. "Anyway, it's good to see that little Ganz has grown up into such a fine young man. You've still got things to learn, but it seems that you have the heart of your father in you. You will always be welcome in Earth Valley. Come and visit any time. You can bring your friends, too. Till next time," the man, starting to walk away. Setting down his bag, Jack walked after the man, given no objection by the stunned captain.
"Excuse me, Donovitch," Jack stated, looking at the old dwarf with a weak smile. "When things get really bad…find me. I'll be there to help, I promise." Having said this, he nodded his head and headed back to the main group. Watching with sad eyes, Donovitch shook his eyes.
"That boy will bring the world down on his shoulders…he has enough to bear, yet he continues to offer himself. I hope that I never have to call to you for help," he stated, watching the group a little longer before continuing towards his destination.
As Jack returned to the group, he shouldered his bag again and grinned. "So, what now, captain?" Snapping the man out of his trance, the Captain looked around before clearing his throat.
"Well, the mission is not yet done until we go and give our report to Lord Larks. I'll lead the way to his office," Ganz stated, walking up to the guards and stating that they had returned from their mission.
As the party walked up the flights of stairs, finally reaching the fourth floor, Jack felt…tense. Anyone could imagine why; not only was he walking within speaking distance of the silver dragon, he was also close to other major players in this game; Cross, the General, and the king himself! But before he knew it, they had passed all other offices and come to Lord Larks office.
"Come in, please," a voice answered as the captain knocked, and all of the party stepped inside. Stepping before the leader of the knights, he greeted them as if they were equals.
"I'm glad you've returned safely," the man stated, smiling weakly. Nervously, the captain responded with a
"Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, sir," obviously very nervous. When Lord Larks asked about the mission, the captain gave a quick run through.
"We had some excitement on the way back. We were ambushed by a gang of goblins. However, everyone performed their duty and we escaped without incident."
"Very good, Ganz. I imagine you are all very tired from your journey. You can tell me the rest in your written report," the man responded, only for the captain to step forward.
"Sir, there was also this…Mr. Gonovitch, the elder of the dwarf village, asked that this letter be delivered to his majesty. It details some of the dwarves new prices for their works…a rather difficult situation," he said nervously. Looking down at the letter in Ganz's hand calmly, he accepted it with a nod.
"Very well. You may leave it with me. Thank you. That will be all for today. You are dismissed. Sleep well. Getting sufficient rest between assignments is one of your most important duties," he said, giving a light smile before all stood at attention, walking out with this kind dismissal.
As soon as the door was closed, Ganz gave a sigh of relief. "Well done everyone. As lord Larks said, it is very important that knights rest in preparation for their next mission. Jack, be sure to get a good night's sleep. Don't go wandering around the castle all night," the captain said, nodding as he headed to his own quarters for some rest, ushering Clive along and discussing his payment. Jack sighed as well, looking to Ridley with a calm expression.
"Well then…tomorrow, we train. Meet me in the training center at 8 a.m., and don't be too late," he said, walking towards the stairs, his own sleepiness finally catching up with him. Today had been fun, even jovial, but he knew these days wouldn't last long. Things didn't work this way when there was a war coming.