Well, I have to admit that I am getting too used to getting injured. Otherwise, this is supposed to hurt more than it is right now. I mean, my injuries are not the worst I have taken, but it is still enough to confine me to a bed. I am not supposed to be so nonchalant about it. Of all my wounds, I am only really concerned about two of them.
The first is the stab on my arm. Even now, my hand is covered in bandages. The bandages have been magically enhanced, because I can feel waves of coolness burst out of them every few minutes. It somewhat helps in managing the pain. I guess that I should be thankful for that. Otherwise, this would have been annoying to manage. The wound has swollen up like a balloon. Just touching the wound through the bandages, it is raw enough that I can feel a wave of pain course through me.
Then there is the wound on my chest. It is much better than the injury on my hand. At least I am able to touch the wound without wincing. Still, even that requires an entire set of bandages to keep in control.
Now, I guess I should describe why I am in my present situation. After all, I had taken much worse injuries in the fight with the boarders. I hadn't even noticed it then. The reason for that is the poison. Turns out there was poison on the blades of my would-be assassins. Now, with my ability to heal, poisons aren't usually a concern. It depends on the type, though.
Normal poisons are no issue for me, but certain poisons still have an effect on me. Poisons that take into account the healing of the body. Poisons that can keep inflicting damage even after the body fixes it. (I might have been in a better position for longer with my sword.) Other than this, I have no idea as to what kind of poison it could be. I did not even manage to find out a name.
The Snowwinders are not going to tell me anything about that. The Empire is legendary for its proficiency with poison. They are supposed to be able to make poisons that even the Shack wants their hands on.
All of this is naturally hearsay, usually from the victims of said poisons. (There are not a lot of these folks.) They aim to keep their poisons a secret even from us. (Especially from us.) They seem to have been pretty good at hiding this as well. I did not find anything worth speaking about at the very least.
Right now, Eric is in a shittier place than me. Even now, he is standing guard at my gate, though it is clear it is the last thing that he wants to do right now.
He can't really move away from the position as well. The reason for that is political. The only ally of the Snowwind Empire is the Black Mountain. An attack on their representative is something that they certainly cannot afford.
That is why they are placing Eric here as my guard. This kind of a show is the only way that they can think of appeasing us (or more specifically, me). He is mostly a piece of decoration. We are in the Frozen Peak. The only way I will die here is if the Commander wishes to kills me. That is very unlikely. It would harm the alliance between us too much. (Something tells me the man also has big plans for me.)
Eric has bigger worries than this alliance at the moment, if his present panic is anything to go by. The man has been trying to find out what happened to "Lady Emily". The desperation in the man's voice on mention of this lady certainly leads to curiosity.
This Emily is certainly no lady and that fact leads to implications. (No noble would spend their life in such a squalid place.) If it was anywhere else in the continent, a noble getting close to a commoner is a pretty normal thing. In many places, bastards are even given official positions as well. In the north, though, the relationship between commoners and the nobles tend to be "frowned upon". (Let's just say that this might be an understatement.)
Jacob also doesn't seem to be too happy about this, if his scolding of Eric is anything to go by. (The brief gist of it being questions about why the two of us were in that part of the town in the first place.)
Regardless, the reason that I have started a record is not to gossip about Eric, but because the Commander is coming here. He will be making his way here at any moment. Talking to the man is going to be an annoying task if I am to be honest about it. If I were a bit stronger or the commander a bit weaker, this would have put me in a pretty strong position, diplomatically. After all, they are the offending party. Without the strength to stand up to the man, though, it leaves me in a complicated position.
As I am recording this, the Commander is already entering my room. He appears just outside my room like a ghost. I still can't help but shudder at the thought of how easy it would be for the man get sword into me if he wanted to.
The very first thought that I have looking at the man is about just how tired he looks. It looks like he has been spending the last couple of weeks without sleep. (Knowing his strength, it is better to place period in months or years.)
"You have certainly left me in a fine mess, young captain," Speaks the Commander. "Your little shopping spree might just end up pushing the Frozen Peak into a civil war."
"I wouldn't say it was a shopping spree. I certainly don't think I have caused a civil war," I reply. "I would rather say it was an assassination attempt on me. One that you people were supposed to protect me from."
"An attempt about which we have warned you from the start. Whatever might have been the case. Right now, we are in a pretty dangerous position. Your actions have triggered a fight among the nobles," he replies. "Based on how this ends, I might have a full-blown civil war between the nobles and commoners by the end of this month. This had to happen at the onset of winter as well."
"I have done nothing to provoke either group, Commander. I have been careful to do my own thing. I have no idea why I have been implicated in the first place?" I reply. I word myself carefully. There is an edge to this man. The wrong word can get me killed today. "If anything, I have suffered as much as you have. Right now, I am the person who is injured in bed. Anyway, I don't see any of this conflict that you speak off. As far as I can tell, the Starfalls control all the nobles in this place and you work with the Starfalls."
"Firstly, I don't work with the Starfalls. If anything, I would say the Starfalls have the most problem with me. I think that it would be more accurate to say I work with Jacob Starfall. The man has been helping me in keeping the nobles of this place under control," The Commander growls, the irritation clear in his voice. "Secondly, nobody else would manage what he has done. Jacob Starfall has an incredibly bloody reputation. Just him and his axe have been able to keep the nobles here in control. Considering all of this, do you see why anybody will attack you?"
"Failing in my protection could cause him to lose his reputation. With the correct story being spread, it could cause people to lose all their fear of the man. I assume that might motivate certain nobles into acting, leading to this civil war you speak about," I reply. "That begs the question, who other than the Starfall's would be able to pose a challenge to you? Only Jacob Starfall can be considered anywhere near your strength in this place."
"Well, it could be any of the other families. They don't need to hurt me to get me killed, kid. Winter is upon us," The Commander replies. "I have to think it is one of the youngsters based on the way this plan is so short-sighted. Any chaos now could bring down the entire fort, including them."
"Just how many nobles are here?" I ask the man. "It shouldn't be too many, right? The way that the Starfalls holds a hegemony on the nobles here. I would say that it should not be more than two hundred families with five to six major families."
"There are a bit less than a thousand nobles families here. Of the major families, I would say about twenty of them have people here, though it is true only six of them have enough people to be a threat," the Commander answers.
"How?" I ask. "This place is supposed to belong to the commoners."
"Well, it is true that in the Frozen Peak, the commoners are the stronger force, kid," he says. "A consequence of that is that none of the nobles trust this place. Almost all of them send their bastards to this place. There are enough nobles here to pose a challenge to us, if they want to."
"So what shall happen now? Will I be restricted to the guest house again?" I ask after a bit.
"You will take control of temporary fort number 3 and work on building a formation enhancing it," he replies. "If you feel like it, you can take your troop with you. I will have to warn you that I won't be able to spare too many soldiers to guard your Scholars. Your troop would be better of with them."
"Temporary fort?" I ask.
"It is a little something that the Construction Corps build for us every year. A set of forts, all constructed within a week. It is enough to maintain a defensive line against the Snowlords, at least during the start of winter. The damn monsters don't allow us to build anything more permanent than that," he replies.
"I have my charges. It is not like I can abandon the Scholars just because I might be under threat," I reply. "I have my duty to them."
More accurately the Head Office will screw me over if they were to find out I did something like that.
"The magical ruin shall be en route to the fort. The fortress I am sending you to is about a few days journey from the ruin. Maintaining the fortress is the best way to ensure your Scholar's safety," He replies. "If you do a good job of maintaining this fort, you will have a tiny army under your control. Do you think that you are better than an army."
As he speaks, I realize that this is not a request. Still, I am not his servant. To follow his commands just like that will damage the reputation of the Black Mountain. I will need to give lip service at least.
"Why can't I just remain here?" I reply. "It is not like I will be leaving the guest room if it means I will be attacked like this."
"Well, you do not seem to understand just how many people will be trying to assassinate you from now on. It is the nature of nobles to copy each other. I wouldn't be surprised if there are daily attacks on you from now on," the Commander replies. "My soldiers will be more than able to protect you, but can you imagine just how much chaos your actions will cause? I cannot afford such a bloodbath during the winter, especially if those damn poisoners are getting involved."
"Regardless, if I do this mission of yours, I would have to consider it under the Hexmountain treaty. It is nothing personal, but that is the only way that I will be made to leave the protection of my charges," I reply.
"You can consider that condition met, then. Now then, under the Hexmountain treaty I want you to go to temporary fort 3 and build a formation to enhance it," he recites, smug victory in his tone. "The materials for your formation have already been sent there. I can't claim much knowledge of the material other than the fact that it is a class 8 material called Copper Bark."
"I do not have a problem doing this, Commander. I have to warn you, as a professional, that building formations in the middle of a battlefield is not an easy task," I speak. "If the enemy were to sense the fluctuations of a formation inscription things won't be pretty. The very first thing that they are going to do is attack me. This might lead to some catastrophic losses if the enemy manages to attack me at the right time. The ensuing explosion could destroy this fort of yours."
"Well, do you think I would be one to care if the building were destroyed? If it is razed to the ground, I will have a new fort standing there in a week," the Commander replies. "As for the materials for the formation, well, I am sure that such a loss is manageable. Just make sure that my soldiers manage to survive this fight, young man, and I will be more than happy."
"My lord, you ask a lot," is my reply.
You must realize what the man is asking me to do is crazy. Creating a formation for him would mean that I have to leave a formation here. While the formation itself doesn't mean much. The issue is that the formation design will allow the Snowwinders to study it.
"You don't need to worry too much about your 'Head Office'," He replies. "My original plan with the Hexmountain treaty was to have you design a blueprint for this fort chain of yours. Compared to that, reverse engineering a formation will be making things much harder for us, don't you think?"
"Well, you might have asked me to design a fort chain, but that is something that is at the level of my master. I would have tried my best, but I would not have been able to achieve it," I reply, almost on an impulse. (What, I can't bear the smug look on his face.) "You might have been able to even start working on the chain, but the number of problems it would have given you would have made it impractical."
"Aah, no wonder you spoke about the fort chain so readily," He replies, a tiny bit of surprise in his eyes. "Well, so be it. Looks like this is a silver lining in this shit show then."
Saying so, the commander takes his leave with a chuckle, disappearing as suddenly as he came in here.