Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 89
🕑 Added 2021-03-16 07:30:55 +0000 UTCI never considered it before, but when someone calls you childish, you feel the overwhelming desire to prove them right.
Pouting the whole way, I walk over and take a seat across from the stony-faced knight. I fold my arms and cross my legs with a look of defiance on my face, which doesn't make much sense when I think about it because I'm the one who gave in and followed her directions.
“There, happy?” I sulk.
“Ecstatic,” she dryly remarks, proceeding to set down her teacup.
Now that I'm directly in front of her, I get a better view of the blue-haired knight. I didn't notice it earlier, but she's shorter than I initially realized. It was hard to tell with her sitting in her armor, but based on the length of her legs; she can only be maybe five foot four, max. And though she's keeping up her rigid military persona, she has contradicting delicate facial features, especially around her eyes.
If she weren't wearing armor and slouched her posture a bit, I'd say she'd look like the average mom next door.
But I don't let her appearance fool me; she's strong. Really strong.
And like Pacore, she has quite a few magic items hidden around her body. Her mana obscuring ring is better than mine, and I have to focus to push past it and scan her other gear’s enchantments, especially the beautiful set of armor she’s wearing. Tabitha's armor isn't as unique as Pacore's, but his was enchanted to remain invisible all while deflecting magic, making it a mana obscuring tool as well. Still, the runes in Tabitha's armor and other gear are incredibly complex. I've only seen around a dozen basic runes so far, and none of them allow me to guess what her armor can do.
Using Sense Mana, I can see the runes' general shapes, and I'm sure they're at least tier 4. I still have no idea how people can make such beautiful three-dimensional runes inside the metal like that.
Maybe she’ll let me take a closer look at her armor sometime?
No, Alayah, stop that! I berate myself. You're angry at her for calling you childish, not impressed with her gear! I shift in my seat, still staring at Tabitha with a frown on my face.
Tabitha just watches me with cold eyes, not perturbed by my open hostility in the slightest. We watch each other like that for a few minutes before Tabitha moves to break the ice. “My name is Tabitha Leres, student under Master Pacore the Deathless. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Tabitha introduces herself like we haven’t been in the same room with each other for the last half hour.
Tabitha proceeds to offer me a polite salute while I look over my shoulder to make sure someone isn’t standing behind me. I point a finger at my chest and give Tabitha a ‘are you talking to me’ look.
“If I’m going to be overseeing you, it is only right I formally introduce myself. It would be polite for you to do the same,” she tells me.
A wicked smirk crosses my face. "Greetings, Tabitha Leres, student of Pacore," I say in a grandiose manner. I even wave my hand out in front of me like I’m addressing a crowd; a bit of showmanship never hurts. “My name is Aaliyah, protector of Spotted Creek Village. Slayer of goblins. Forger of epic swords…” I have to pause to make up more ridiculous titles. “Youngest sage in existence. Hunter of magic beasts!”
"Are you finished?" Tabitha, matter-of-factly, asks me.
“Give me a second to come up with one more,” I tell her.
Tabitha patiently waits for me to finish, but I can’t think of anything else. “Alright, I’m done," I reluctantly tell her.
“You have the same title as I do,” she reminds me.
I refold my arms. "So far, I've only had one teacher, and it isn't Pacore. I'll call you master long before I address that old man as such."
Tabitha angrily narrows her eyes at me again, but she quickly relaxes herself this time and returns to giving me a blank look. "I'm aware of the circumstances behind your joining master as an apprentice. I won't ask you to change your mind about master, but I will ask you to respect his name in my presence. Master Pacore might not be the strongest warrior in Scholl or the best mage, and he might not be able to single handily kill beasts higher leveled than himself. Still, Master Pacore has participated in countless battles and is one of the oldest humans in the known world. As someone who’s fought him, I’m sure you can at least acknowledge that much.”
Tabitha starts to show more emotion the longer she talks about Pacore, and the worshiping look in her eyes tells me a lot about how she views her master. It’s hard to argue with someone like that. But I’ll admit, even though I hate Pacore for coming to our village and forcing me to join him, I fully recognize his strength. Pacore’s level alone show’s how much he’s been through.
The average villager is lucky to hit level 50 by the time they die; Pacore's level is three times that.
Tabitha takes my silence as agreement. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here,” she flatly tells me.
“Really?” I sarcastically say and roll my eyes.
“My master is fighting for our country. My friends are holding the line at Teeburn. When I received a letter from master, I assumed he wanted me to join him, not ask me to go guard a small village out in the middle of nowhere. I had to forgo the honor of battle to watch over you.”
I cringe under her powerful gaze. Her eyes had a crazy look to them when she talked about missing the chance to fight with her fellow soldiers. Is this chick a battle maniac or something? Where did the expressionless woman go? “I didn’t ask for Pacore to send anyone,” I grumble.
"That is true," Tabitha gives me a slight nod. "But the fact that master saw fit to send me here shows how much he values you."
“Or your precious master sent you here on a whim,” I point out to her.
"My master wouldn't do that," Tabitha tells me without a hint of doubt in her voice. "Master takes his role as a pillar of Scholl very seriously." Tabitha notices my look of doubt and explains herself. "Master only reveals his playful side to those he finds interesting or those he respects. I wonder which were you?” Tabitha gives me a kind look that catches me off guard. “Because I respect my master’s decisions, I agreed to come out here.”
“And you coming out here means what, exactly?” I ask. “To make sure I don’t run away?”
Tabitha shakes her head. "If that were the case, master would've instructed me to rush here. No, master sent me here to protect you and to offer you training should you ask for it."
"What!?" I ask in astonishment. "Forget about the training; why would I need your protection?" It isn't like I have enemies or anything. People fight over me, not attack me.
"Master's letter explained your situation with Silver Herd. They have people in their employ that could be quite dangerous." She must be talking about Two and Reel. I admit they're pretty strong, but it's hard for anyone to sneak up on me.
“Why would Silver Herd attack me?” I ask, dismissing her concerns. I've already agreed to work with Giovanni for as long as possible, and Grey thinks I'm ignorant of his contract's purpose. Why would either of them want me dead?
“What will happen when the two factions in Silver Herd finally clash?” Tabitha asks me like she’s trying to lead me to an answer I can’t see.
I assume Giovanni would win, but I doubt that's what she's looking for. "Then they fight, and one of them wins," I take a shot in the dark.
Tabitha nods. “That’s right, one of them will win. What do you think the loser will do once the other wins?”
I shrug. Does she want me to predict the future or something?
"When someone losses, they rarely take the loss well. Both groups know about you, yes? Once it becomes apparent which side will lose, what do you think will stop them from making more drastic decisions?" Tabitha asks me with a small grin.
I feel the blood drain from my face when I finally see what she’s getting at.
"That's right; my master is not the only one who knows about your value. When things get heated inside Silver Herd, you can't be sure which side might try to abduct you or your family, maybe even try something worse. I'm here to make sure nothing like that happens until master can come to pick you up and take you back to Scholl with him." Tabitha reaches over and sips her tea, happy to let me ponder over everything she said.
I wouldn’t put it past Grey to try something shady but would Giovanni do the same thing? I can’t predict how either of them would react if they were about to lose everything. “And the training?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
Tabitha doesn't press me on the Silver Herd issue and thankfully doesn't gloat as Pacore would. "I was told you were talented for your age but that you don't have any fighting experience. You won't be forced to train with me, but the offer is open should you chose to."
“That old-!” I start to complain but stop myself when Tabitha’s brow creases. “Pacore, said I didn’t have any experience fighting?” I ask in a more measured tone.
Tabitha doesn’t look mad at me for addressing Pacore without any titles. “He wrote that you didn’t have experience fighting other people, though you didn’t seem hesitant to kill him, which was a start.” The hair on the back of my neck stands up when she casually compliments me for trying to kill her master. “Have you had to kill people before?”
“Once,” I tell her. “Some bandits ambushed me while I was on a run.”
“Did you find it easy?” She asks a little too enthusiastically.
"The fighting or killing them?” I ask for clarification.
“Both!” I once again feel Tabitha’s eyes light up with passion, just like when she talked about Pacore. So, she is a battle maniac.
What kind of people did I get mixed up with? She was so quiet a minute ago. "I was tired after a long run, but I got lucky with a large-scale fire spell and managed to kill all of them. I did what I had to do," I tell her the short version of my run-in with the bandits.
"You won through your own strength; that's all that matters," Tabitha gives me another half-smile.
"I don't like fighting," I try telling her before she gets the wrong idea about me.
Tabitha just lightly shakes her head. “Don’t worry, that will change. Everyone has a tough time killing for the first time.”
She definitely misunderstood me. I don’t have a problem killing to save myself or other people, but I don’t take pleasure in battle to the point I want to go searching for a fight. Something tells me Tabitha won’t understand me even if I try spelling it out for her. That said, I’m curious about her offering to train me.
Master is like me and only fights when he has to, Camden has defended his village for years, but that's mostly against monsters; if I'm going to leave the village soon, I need to know how to defend myself properly, and Tabitha is the best person to teach me those skills.
“You’ll teach me to fight people like you and Pacore?” I question Tabitha.
Tabitha gives me a real smile, not one of her small half-smiles, but a genuine smile, and honestly, it freaks me out. "If you want?" She grins at me.
I’m confident I’m talking to a demon disguised as a woman. I don't know if this is a bad idea or not, but here goes nothing. "I would appreciate it if senior sister Tabitha would instruct me."
"I would be happy to!" Tabitha's smile widens, and I don't think it's because I called her senior sister. “First, we should spar to see where you’re at,” Tabitha eagerly stands up, reaching for her gauntlets. How can a person change their personality so quick? She was calm and collected when I walked into the room, and now she’s acting like a child that was just given a present.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I quickly stop her.
“What’s wrong?” Tabitha gives me a questioning look.
“I can’t fight you right now.”
"Need some time to prepare? Alright then, I can wait an hour," The previous stony-faced knight is gone, and her place is an unreasonable battle junkie.
"I mean, I can't fight you today," I clarify.
“Why not?” Tabita frowns at me.
"I have other stuff I need to do," I tell her. My parents are probably waiting for me back at home to hear about Tabitha, and I'm sure Master Del is waiting for my return as well. Just because I agreed to let her teach me doesn't mean I want to fight Tabitha at this exact moment.
"What could be more important than working on your fighting skills?"
“For one thing, I was preparing to do some forging with my master today,” I flatly tell her.
“You mean with the stone kin,” Tabitha blankly looks at me before sitting back down.
“Yes, my master,” I stress. “I’m a crafter by profession. I can’t spend all day every day sparring with you. And don’t you need to move into Sandra’s room?”
The disappointment on Tabitha's face is clear to see. But as if a switch is flicked, all the emotion slowly drains from her face after hearing we won't be sparring today. "I didn't bring much with me, so unpacking won't take that long," she answers in a detached voice like when I first met her.
How!? Is she screwing with me? There’s no way someone can flip-flop emotions like that.
“When you’re ready to train, you can come and find me,” she tells me in a dismissive tone, moving to reach for her tea again.
I don't think she's screwing with me! Does she only show emotion when she's talking about her master or fighting? I'm curious; I need to test this out.
“Sister, Tabitha,” a little brown-nosing will go a long way if I’m wrong about this.
“Yes?”
“Could you tell me a little more about Pacore? It’s hard for me to accept him as my master when I don’t know anything about him,” I ask in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Tabitha's eyes light up again as soon as I ask about Pacore. For someone who said they were used to dealing with people like me, Tabitha doesn't appear to realize I was feigning excitement to get her to talk about her master. That, or she doesn't care and was just waiting for an excuse to talk about Pacore.
"Master has been serving the Scholl royal family for generations," she happily tells me. "Most rulers invest heavily into their Vitality stat, but master has outlived the previous king and will certainly serve young prince Kaliks when he takes over for the current king!"
Tabitha continues to talk about how Scholl's previous king supported Pacore for his bravery in battle and how he was always on the front lines of any conflict.
I recoil as Tabitha starts going on and on about Pacore like she's teaching a history lesson. She covers his major battles all with a bright smile on her face. I only half-listen to her as she talks about battles that happened before my parents were even born.
I use this spare time to check my status page for the week.
LV: 73 Experience:571,837/ 956,780
Health: 2,430/2,430
Stamina 1,561.71/1,650
Mana:907.39/1,020
Vitality: 243.00
Endurance: 100.04
Strength: 152.01
Dexterity: 150.02
Senses: 62.42
Mind: 65.26
Magic: 102.84
Clarity: 78.81
Status Points: 0
Skills:
Tier 1:
Meditation (LV78), Running (LV77), Blacksmithing (LV72), Hammer Skills (LV61), Axe Skills (LV60), Cleaning (LV53), Chanting (LV50), Mining (LV50), Drawing (LV46), Trading (LV45), Cooking (LV41), Sword Skills (LV40), Dagger Skills (LV34), Acting (LV33), Wood Carving (LV31), Sewing (LV30), Alchemy (LV9), Pugilist Skills (LV8), Spear Skills (LV2)
Tier 2:
Sense Mana (LV79), Double Step (LV63), Charm (LV50), Measurement (LV47), Hammer Arts (LV43), Axe Arts (LV39), Writing (LV32), Intimidating Shout (LV31), Mathematics (LV30), Steady Hands (LV24), Increase Price (LV21), Lower Price (LV20), Sword Arts (LV17), Dagger Arts (LV13), Gourmet (LV7), Marching (LV5), Shout of Valor (LV3),
Tier 3:
Expel Mana (LV62), Mana Manipulation (LV61), Precise Strike (LV40), Double Strike (LV40), Weighted Strike (LV40), Flash Step (LV26), Contract (LV14)
Tier 4:
Mana Skin (LV55), Mental Resistance (LV55), Inject Mana (LV53), Extract Mana (LV34), Magic Blacksmithing (LV29), Empowered Spell (LV14), Air Walk (LV12), Magic Threads (LV10)
Tier 5:
Sense Soul (LV40), Soul Manipulation (LV11)
Tier 6:
Soul Devourer (LV2)
Increased Skill Levels
Hammer Skills (LV61) 3,050exp
Sword Skills (LV40) 2,000exp
Alchemy (LV8-9) 850exp
Pugilist Skills (LV8) 400exp
Steady Hands (LV24) 2,400exp
Flash Step (LV26) 3,900exp
Magic Blacksmithing (LV29) 7,250exp
Air Walk (LV12) 3,000exp
Magic Threads (LV10) 2,500exp
Soul Manipulation (LV11) 5,500exp
Skill Experience: 30,850exp
Crafting Experience: 22,716exp
Fighting Experience: 254exp
Total-experience Gained: 53,820exp
Not my most impressive week ever, but I managed to raise almost a dozen skills while working on my forging. I finished another five kaglese spears and three matching swords. Then, I added another four steel spears to our new armory, along with eight more bucklers. I wanted to make some helmets today, but at the rate Tabitha is talking, I don't think I'll be getting to it.
It's annoying that I won't finish what I had planned today, but I'm ahead of schedule, so I can afford it.
My stock of kaglese weapons is growing faster than I thought it would. I've forged a total of thirty-one spears and thirty swords, but my inventory of kaglese is rapidly depleting as my stock of completed weapons grows. It's only thanks to all the steel in my kaglese alloy that I haven't run out of material yet. I have maybe another two weeks before I run out and have to switch to making the arrows I’ve set aside for later.
I'll have to keep this in mind as I move forward in my craft because even though I tried to plan ahead when it comes to materials, I couldn't correctly predict how long my supply of kaglese would last me. This experience only proves I’ll need a steady supply in the future and not to rely on one-time massive deliveries.
Still, I made a decent amount of experience from all the crafting I did. I even gained a small amount of experience in practicing alchemy with Sandra. We haven't produced an actual vial of engraving ink yet, so the tiny bit of experience we're getting is only a consolation prize, just like the experience I gained from practicing my swordsmanship with Camden.
While I gained a good amount of experience from my crafting, the bulk still came from leveling my skills. But looking at my status page, I'm starting to see a slowing in the speed at which I level my skills. Besides Hammer Skills, only my lower-leveled skills saw any significant growth.
“Then master charged the blagist and blocked the beast's claws with his hands!" I turn my attention back to Tabitha, who's still praising everything Pacore has ever done. I've been tuning her out for a while, and I don't even know what a blagist is.
"That sounds amazing," I interrupt her before she can start telling me Pacore's next harrowing tale. "Thanks for telling me so much, but I think I must be going now."
“Oh, alright.” All the excitement Tabitha was just expressing talking about Pacore quickly dries up.
Tabitha watches me stand up with her stony expression back on her face. I need to get going, but there's still one more thing I wish to ask her. "Sister Tabitha, why did Pacore make you sit in place for two days?"
“Master was messing with me and wanted me to read a book or something; I just remember it being pointless,” she lazily informs me.
I don't think Pacore was trying to mess with her; I think he just wanted to see if he could get her to read a book. I've only known Tabitha for a couple of hours, and it's obvious the only two things she cares about are fighting and her master.
Sarette and Camden are going to love hosting her. In my head, I offer the two of them a silent prayer. I hope I get to see Sarette's face when she realizes her houseguest has no real interest in tea or gossip.
“I’ll see you around,” I give my farewells to Tabitha. She doesn’t say a word as I leave, only giving me a nod goodbye.
I open the drawing room door and walk into the hall. Making sure the door closes behind me, I start grinning to myself. I really lucked out with Tabitha.
My family and I were worried Pacore was going to send someone who would try and supervise us. Not only did Tabitha say she wasn't going to force me to do anything, but she sounded content to leave me to myself until Pacore showed up.
I'll have to watch my smart-ass mouth around her when it comes to Pacore, but unless I'm wrong about her, interacting with Tabitha can be a bigger blessing than I ever thought. I still want to see what lies in the deeper parts of the forest, and I have a feeling I know a knight in shiny armor that would love to go with me. While the monsters are trying to eat her, I can enjoy the scenery.
"What's done is done, dad!" I hear Sandra arguing with Camden from the direction of their front door. Walking down the hallway, I see the two of them are arguing in the entryway while Richard is standing nearby holding Sandra's clothes chest. Sarette is standing next to my brother, watching the argument play out.
“You’re not moving out; you’re too young!” Camden argues.
Sandra just gives him a ‘really’ look. “Dad, I’m twenty already, and I’m pregnant. I’m moving in with Richard whether you like it or not.”
I thought this was resolved a while ago; have they been arguing this entire time?
Camden tries to search for a convincing answer, but the longer he stays silent, the deeper the hole he digs himself into. I’d love to stay and watch this play out, even if the ending is already determined, but I need to tell my parents and master that I’m ok.
“Excuse me, can I get through?” I grab everyone’s attention.
"Aaliyah, dear, are you done talking to Lady Tabitha?" Sarette asks as soon as she notices me.
"Yeah, we hashed out a few things," I tell her.
“That’s wonderful,” Sarette happily claps her hands together.
Camden looks like he's trying to decide whether he wants to continue his argument with Sandra or ask me the details about my conversation with Tabitha. Too bad for him, Sandra notices when Camden turns his attention towards me, and she secretly motions for Richard to follow her. Sandra quickly opens the front door for Richard, and the two of them take off.
"Wait, we're not!" Camden shouts after his daughter while Sarette starts to giggle.
I see my opening and follow Sandra's and Richard's example by running past a stunned Camden out the front door.
“Wait, Aaliyah, I need to talk to you about Lady Tabitha!” Camden calls out after me. Sorry Camden, but I have places to be.
I rush home with a smile on my face and some good news for my family that’s long overdue.
**********
Master Pacore the Deathless’ Point of View:
I stare up at the three towering war machines in front of me. Each war tower is constructed from hundreds of nearby trees and all the metal we could scavenge. The frames and wheels are reinforced with the strongest steel we could form with magic. Large stones were carved up and attached to the towers' front and sides to help protect them from projectiles.
The three towers took longer to build than I expected. My engineers aren’t trained for this sort of thing. Their job is to help find flaws in my opponent's defenses, and only one of my engineers had any experience building siege weaponry. So, I made him the leader of the projects.
I wonder if this will make it into the history books? The day Master Pacore turned to common siege tactics, I'm sure future historians will eat that up.
"Master Pacore, sir," the leading engineer salutes me as soon as he finishes directing a few builders.
I give him an approving nod to reduce some of the tension my presence has on the man. "Are they almost finished?" I ask him, gesturing at the masses of wood, stone, and metal.
“The two flanking towers are ready, Master Pacore. We’re just putting the finishing touches on the tower with the battering ram as we speak.”
“They’re almost ready then,” I dryly remark.
The leading engineer must think I'm displeased with construction speed because he starts to sweat. "I apologize for the delays, Master Pacore. It's one thing to know how something works, and it's another actually to build it from scratch," he stutters.
"Will they hold under Blaiton's barrage?" That's the only thing I care about.
“They will!” The lead engineer hastily assures me.
“Then the extra time was well spent,” I remark to the man before walking off.
Behind me, I hear his heartfelt thanks. “Thank you, Master Pacore!”
I make my way back to my tent, overly conscious of the many soldiers stealing glances at me. We've been camped outside Blaiton for days now, and other than capturing a few supply wagons trying to enter the city, we haven't so much as loosed an arrow in their direction.
The men are getting antsy over the long wait, and I understand why. These men and women are Scholl's pride; most volunteered after the dragon took up its nest and pushed everyone away from the Heart of Scholl. They're here to fight for their families, knowing time is of the essence. If anyone else were leading, there'd probably been a revolt.
But with the war towers almost done, we can proceed with the next steps, though I'm not sure how well they'll be received.
When I make it back to my tent, I address the communication mage stationed outside. At least one communication mage is permanently stationed around my tent should I need to give out orders. "Call a commander meeting," I order the female mage. She salutes me as I walk past her into my quarters.
In the middle of my tent is a mud mockup of Blaiton that was crafted using earth magic. The miniature shows all of Blaiton’s gates along with all their defenses we’ve been cataloging.
While I stare at the battlefield model, it doesn't take long for the commanders of the various units to start showing up. Each one of them has an excited look on their faces, and it's infectious.
“Is it time, Master Pacore?” Darrell, the head of one of our archer divisions, asks me once everyone who’s supposed to show up has arrived.
My tent is quiet as everyone awaits my answer. The communication mage from out front has joined the meeting and will convey everything that happens to all the leaders who couldn't leave their posts.
I want to smile, seeing my men's excited faces, but I can't. "We start our attack tomorrow morning," I confirm their suspicions. "I want everyone to gather around. You all know the stakes. Each soldier we lose, our overall chance of victory diminishes." I convey the severity of our situation with my eyes.
We are almost guaranteed to take Blaiton; no one doubts that. The city would've been ours the same day we set up camp if we pushed ourselves, but the cost in blood would’ve been too high.
I point at my model, "Blaiton is only the first city we must take. I'm aware of the whispers around the camp." A few of my commanders flinch back, but I continue pretending not to notice them. I don't have time to worry about insubordination. "But we need to change our tactics for this battle, or else we'll lose the overall war. As soon as Blaiton falls, we need to march on Yleles."
"We'll need to leave behind at least 40% of our troops to secure Blaiton while the other 60% finishes our campaign. We can not lose more than 10% of our forces. If we do, there's a chance our mission won't succeed." I pause and look each of my men in the eye.
"Scholl is a kingdom based on strength! Battlefields are merely testing grounds for us! Those who die do so for the kingdom; no sacrifice can be more honorable! These are the values we live by!”
"These are the values we die by." A few of the commanders start to cheer but stop when they see the pained look on my face. This is the only time I'll show weakness to my men; that's how important this is.
"It pains me to say it, but we have to set our core beliefs aside this time." A few murmurs break out amongst the commanders, but they all quiet with the raise of my hand. "Too much is at stake should we fail our mission. And I will not tolerate failure," I release my pressure, "nor insubordination. We will forgo our honor this time, and in doing so, we will save everyone counting on us back home."
"We won't like it but will hide behind our war towers. We will chip away at their forces. And in doing so, we shall win. Any objections?" I bellow.
I’m not surprised when no one answers me.
I start thinking about how I'm going to convince everyone to forgo their honor and follow my plans when the first commander steps forward. "I follow Master Pacore the Deathless!"
“As do I!” Another commander steps forward.
“I will serve!”
“As will I!”
“Me too!”
A few of my commanders still look hesitant knowing my plans, but one by one, they all pledge their loyalty. And I'll need all their support to keep the soldiers in line.
"Good," I address them. "Then gather around and listen; we have a lot to cover before the sun rises tomorrow."
*********
Author’s Notes:
5,150 words.
I want to make excuses and say I didn’t have this chapter out sooner because I had to set up our new internet today, but that would be a lie. I’ve just been having a hard time writing recently.
The next chapter will be another long-awaited fight scene, and I guess I'm nervous about how it will turn out. Some people have sent me links to some great material on siege warfare, so I hope it comes out entertaining as well as semi-accurate.
Let me know what you think of the chapter below or maybe what you want to see regarding the siege on Blaiton.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always, stay safe.
Comments
Nikola
Yeah that sounds like a cult and the emotional filp-flop is suitability unnerving.
Pretentious Slime
I disagree also you forget this is the authors story. Some of Your criticisms would fall under bad story writing as well. You don’t just give everyone cake and ice cream every other paragraph. Then the story doesn’t have much merit.
lenkite
Story should be renamed to [The Great Pacore] ! All hail the Great Lord Of Scholl!
Jean Fere
I like Pacore more and more. Glad to see him take over from general Pitz.
Sarah Baskind
first, thank you very much for all the writing. I really enjoy your story and the characters you create. second, i'm sorry to hear that you have been having writing troubles and just want you to know I can wait for as long as it takes to get the awesome writing. i don't mind delays or skips as long as it keeps writing as an enjoyable thing for you. sorry to blather on. have fun, stay safe and thanks for sharing!
Carl Mason
That is actually a very real and possible way things could go, and no doubt part of why he wants to bring her parents with them when they leave. It might also be the only way for him to be reasonably taken down. All we need now is for Olebert to find out about the contract somehow and act on said information. I doubt they would have any qualms about doing so.
Stylemys
The POV’s around the Blaiton conflict make me think Pacore might die unexpectedly and throw that region into chaos. Like he might unknowingly fail to uphold a recent contract that he leveraged his very life against. My guess is that Tabitha will eagerly join Aaliyah on a hunt into the deep woods. While Tabitha isn’t there to guard the village, someone in Aaliyah’s family will get killed (probably by Grey’s thugs). Thus, Pacore will have failed to provide protection her family and the contract will kill him.
Stylemys
I think the Blaiton perspective was to confirm just how far Giovanni is throwing in with Aaliyah. He’s essentially allowing himself and his entire business to be captured by Scholl. That will fully cut them off from Olebert and ALL of their current noble clients. They’re maintaining an excuse in case Olebert manages to recapture the region, but they will effectively be a Scholl merchant company otherwise.
Grumlen
I expect her to come into hard conflict with the dwarves, with them wanting to assassinate her to maintain their monopoly.
Kelan
To be honest, Aaliyah’s annoying quips are actually quite good as they aren’t enough to get her “executed” as some people seem to think would happen, but they are enough to annoy these major characters that would never really see any deviance. Especially since these relationships are forced onto Aaliyah without anything she can do to prevent it. Just want to see the reaction Scholl has when Aaliyah uses all of the their resources to improve herself and then just say “buh bye!” And leaves to go independent. Because at that point Scholl would be a limiting factor similarly to how spotted creek is a limiting factor now. She could also just go to a dwarven country or something.
Grumlen
I'm actually not terribly interested in details of the siege. The 2 characters involved, Pacore & Giovanni, aren't in direct conflict unless a betrayal is planned. Empty conflict serves no narrative purpose, so while the result is important . . . the methods aren't without something to stir the pot. As for Aaliyah & Tabitha . . . I want Aaliyah to maintain combat as a means to an end and not a focus. I would enjoy seeing Tabitha getting frustrated and annoying Aaliyah about "wasted time" forging weapons.
marids
100% agreed. It's been an ongoing trend that Aaliyah has been less of a focus over time as the story progressed. PoVs that were once every once in a while become every other chapter and now included within the same chapter all the time. I started and wanted to keep on reading about the MC, their thoughts, their actions, and what happens in their surroundings. But as it is it's been changing to become a story about the world that the MC is living in more than the MC themselves, which is disappointing when we could read more about her personal growth or her own family and friends than these new characters that forcefully pushed their way into her life. Since when when did this become a story about Pacore and other extra characters over Aaliyah's Magic Smithing?
Limbus
I don't want to hear about the war. I want to hear more about Spotted Creek Village. The village has been stated multiple times to be remote and isolated, so keeping the perspective isolated would make it so that news of the outside world has much more of an impact. Ok, so there is a war. Let there be a war in the background. There is plenty to hear about in this tiny town. Aaliyah has not seemed to make much progress in crafting for many chapters (maybe more than a two week time skip is needed.) When did Braddon decide to start trying to court Aaliyah and why? What goes on in Del's head when he's pretending to sleep? What to Aaliyah's parents talk about when she's not around. There are lots of characters to know more about that are more interesting and relevant than Pacore. Even Pitz's perspective would be a more interesting take.
David
She only looks like she is 15. He is actually significantly older.
David
I want to read more about the main character and less about Pacore and his siege. It seems like the main character is getting less than half of the chapter time for a while now.
Blackmoon11
Ok, am I the only one who pictured Tabitha with a pair of dog ears, that perk up whenever someone mentions fighting? . It seemed like she was going to be one of those uptight nobles but it turns out she's just a simple muscle head, I like the direction this is going although the next chapter seems like a bore as I cant see it being relevant to the plot, Kosnik should consider relegating that kind of content to sidechapters.
Yomuashi
Regardless of how people are reviewing it. I'm enjoying it and if you need to take a break. Then take one. Nobody is going to stop you. Gather your thoughts if you need to if you felt it was good or rushed. Thank you for posting it I enjoyed it
Rui Lourenço
If only there was a little blue writing pill.
Toni Pampliega
Lost of potential. The last three chapters are magically well done. But I have the feeling that there is lost of potential. In the scenes, the structure, dialogs, etc. basically, the strutuctre of the chapter and the shifts/twitts you use and we love. Interesting, but falling in the boring side. For exemple, why not ask to examine the armour of pacore? Why not detect the fail in the gem? Why not ask about magic in the new training? Why not a scene between Pacore and Pritz talking about the 4 tier skills or the combat (the no tell show with the behavieor of the general trying to Kick Pacore was great). Why not Tabitha, for one, enetring the claring of the forge and surprise the others (CAmden house is so .... used). Surely all this is due to the lost of tension after all the previous chapters and we need a new challenge to engage. Maybe?
Timo Immig
The spliting was suggested in order to focus the story on the MC when other POVs than the MC are used. This after we had multiple chapters in a row that only had other POVs where the MC was not present. To make it simpler my suggestion would be to reduce the amount of different actions/plot points per chapter and instead increase the amount of describing the environment, flora, fauna or actions. The benefits are a more colorful world. What I noticed when rereading the earlier chapters, there was a lot more of this which made the story lighter and less dense in action. It gives the author more time to think about the stories direction and action scenes.
Nematrec
I think it's moatly to show that progress is happening on Pacores side of things.
Andrew
Thank you!
Dave_S
A few scenes of the scenes would be nice but not the full fight.
Camelopardalis
“ The three towers took longer to build than I expected. My engineers are trained for this sort of thing. Their job is to help find flaws in my opponent's defenses, and only one of my engineers had any experience building siege weaponry. ‘ Should it be “aren’t” trained for this?
Camelopardalis
Should “ personality's” be “personalities?”
Camelopardalis
I disagree-this feels authentic to me. She’s still a fifteen-year old used to having her own way, with the lack of caution that comes from being the strongest in her village and from manipulating Silver Hand. It’s a little annoying to have to read about her brattiness, but it feels true to the character, and sets up future development.
Meschmee
I'm thinking the author is tying up loose ends before she goes for an adventure in the forest.
Lesley Douglas
Hi, while I thank you for the chapter, I am not a fan of it. After reading the last 3 chapters it almost seems as you are conflicted on Aaliyah and what you need her to be now or later. I know she is 15 but her critical thinking and evaluation skills which have been spot on over the past year. Seems to have fell over and regressed to that of a 15 year old with no experience. The contract with Grey, the issues with her parents, how she could think of a way to kill the spiders and the non blink guy, but not Deathless. We have come to expect a higher level of thought and behavior but over the last chapters she has become whiny and dumb. I know Deathless is her first failure, but serious now it's like she is mind control submissive. Seriously going from childish to senior sister after how rude Tabatha was, not even for a test that seems right as in that society titles, chains of command are serious things and abusing those things are a quick way to get a commoner and their family killed. Also MC feared what Deathless would do to the village but not Grey if she broke the contract and the backlash did not kill him. How short sited of her again. I agree with another reviewer on the need to actually have the battle of Bastion and not just tell us the after battle report. Unless someone was going to get a major power boost or new awesome power why bother and stress yourself, this is not a war/military fiction it's something else where wars are occasionally fought. But if you want to write it feel free to do so, your story your plot. I think if you become unconflicted on her, and give her a clear path then writing might get easier as it seems your fighting against something.
Justin
Thanks for the chapter, it was well written. I'm more hooked on MC and less on Padcore. Padcore stuff is well written but my main interest is MC. With Tabitha being a battle junkie she'll be a good teacher for MC with weapon skills. The story has lots of places to go with MC, weapons training montage, finish the damn enchanter ink and enchant something, and after those items get to the forest!!! Don't let the comments section worry/stress you out! The writing being difficult lately sucks to hear but simplify each chapter. One story plot point and expand on it. Switching perspectives must make it harder to write. BUT you do you I'm just a couch editor, not a writer with an enjoyable, fun, amazing story!
Justin
Having Tabitha as a battle junkie might be a good way for MC to have time at the forge and get trained while keeping the forge time with only her master.
Carl Mason
Thank you for the great chapter. Why is writing so difficult recently?
Albedo's Ahoge
Thank you for the chapter... BTW, will she be moving out of the village anytime soon? The scenario has become rather stagnant. I would like to see more of her adventure stories. Not really interested in old man Pacore.
Sondadir
When Aaliyah uses a pickaxe it increases her Axe skill, as the two tools are similar. So I wonder if archers can use their skills for siege weapons, like on a ballista. If someone like General Pitz uses her bow skills on a ballista, it gets monstrous very quickly !
luda305
I'm unclear on the narrative relevance of the details of the Battle of Blaiton. Sure, the two preparatory snippets help develop secondary characters and the aftermath is relevant to the plot. But the details of the Battle itself? The siege of Pitz's fort was fine because we had to see how Aaliyah's products held up. Ultimately that battle both marked a radical turning point of the circumstances that Aaliyah operates in AND led to the two titans of that battle discovering her.
Bookman
i am glad you took the link i send you about siege towers and how Hollywood is completely inaccurate in their usage. 3 is a good number. More would be hard to believe unless scholl has a very high level siege engineer. One has to remember that Normal siege towers would not do in a place where levels rule. A single mage could destroy our world siege towers. So the towers need to be reinforced with magic and material that can withstand enchanted ammonition. Takes a lot more time to do but again levels help. Take your time with the fight. Seeing as scholl is all about "charge until the enemy is dead" i can see why they have not build catapults. Will be interesting to see if there is a nation focusing on Siege Warefare and what they can do. A Team of Siege commander (Aim and team controll), Engineer (building), Loader (gota get that rapid reload skill) could turn a simple scorpion into a mashine of pure devastation. Combine that with Enchanted Ammunition and you get middle age High explosives.
Straven
Thank you for another enjoyable chapter. I hope she manages to surprise this newcomer. I know she's going to bring us who knows how many an enjoyable spin session when she gets her going on her preferred thoughts! Easy peasy to guide into talking non stop!!!! Oh that poor woman, she's going to polite fully ask her about her most loved things and the talking won't end during there first tea session!
White Neko Knight
Thank you for the story.
Sondadir
I doubt that even 100 men can defeat Pacore. General Pitz's estimate was that Pacore has 800 in endurance and 500 in vitality. If he didn't have his armor, he might be defeated by mages. But infantry will not be able to hurt him, no matter how many. In addition, we have learned that many soldiers and leaders of Blaiton have prepared emergency exits in case the siege goes badly. The Runaways will be more numerous than the kakikazes.
Augustus
Common courtesy, and she is strong so it is not a good idea to completely ignore her.
Olivier Pascal
I do love your story, but I feel you are somewhat stressed :( If you at some point find that you think to yourself that the chapter won't meet reader expectation and feel pressure all around, go into a long break and figure out where the pressure is coming from and cut the cord. This is your world and not the reader's.
marids
Is it me or is Tabitha extremely annoying to read about? I can't understand why the MC would care to cater to her this much and not just ignore her utterly, not when it's Tabitha that needs the MC to work with her and not the other way around. But if more updates are going to involve Tabitha with this kind of interaction then it's not worth paying for reading the latest chapters until the public chapters has caught up with this one. Because honestly I wouldn't reread this chapter even if it were free.
rasmus1070
Good chapter
Mist of Shadows
Hmm, I'd rather see crafting goodness than siege stuff. Either way, thanks for the chapter.
Black Unicorn
Vary good chapter. As for the next chapter please remember that in a siege more often then not the gate ISN'T broken down. It's gotten from men the climb the towers to the wall, and when that happens in a city without another inner wall the defenders tended to try to surrender with conditions. If that fails then they became what was known as death solders, and that's something even Pacore should fear' as they didn't care if they died. I'd bet if 100 men all with no fear attack Pacore he'd die just like anyone else.
Adrien Busnel
It's alrigth to have performance issues, it happens. Just kidding, thanks for the chapter.
Bunny Waffles
Oh dear, a combat junkie. A SUPREMELY focused one at that. While it might be good for Aliyah to get some actual fighting experience I hope that her new "senior sister" doesn't insist on trying to actually turn her into a warrior. Because I rather like our dear MC preferring the forge to the battlefield.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter!
Andrew
Take as much time as you need to get it right. I’d rather get the chapter a week or two late than one you aren’t satisfied with.
Timo Immig
Thank you. Great chapter.
That One Guy
Great chapter, worth staying up for. :)
Imspinnennetz
Thanks for the chapter. Does Tabitha know more Celestial spells? So far, I get the impression that she is mostly has physical fighting skills. Hopefully, Tabitha is able to offer Aaliyah a ranged weapon skill training option.
Vegetables
Salyer > slayer
Patrick Schuldt
Thanks man
Vegetables
Thanks 4 the chapter :)
Kosnik4
Corrections
