Ashes of the Fallen

The way skills were earned in Dragon's Wrath was a bit different from most other RPG games. You didn't get them by simply hitting a level requirement and paying a class trainer to grant you a new skill. Here, you had to earn all of your skills and abilities through hard work,  some luck, and a little ingenuity.

You trained your proficiencies, and when you were proficient enough, you could seek out someone more advanced than you and have them train you, assuming their mastery was high enough. I already had another Rare Skill, one that I often forgot about.

[Deadeye] allowed me to have increased Accuracy when shooting any projectile weapon, how that worked in-game, I wasn't entirely sure. I was awarded the skill after hitting twenty-five moving targets in a row without missing, all of them over a one-hundred yard range. I didn't know of the parameters until I met the conditions, and then suddenly, poof, I had the skill.

There were other ranks of the skill as well. I wasn't aware of the conditions that needed to be met though. That was how these Rare Skills were. Secretive and almost entirely random to the player base at the moment.

Whatever the case, I had grown immensely from this excursion.

"Let's go home, Kate," I said softly, squeezing her hand.

"Yes, Sigurd," she replied as she placed her other hand on my shoulder.

There was still a lot of work to be done.

Chapter 69: New Faces

(Monday, October 11th Game Day / Monday, April 5th Real Day)

Dragon's Breach, the crown jewel of the far Northern wastelands, was rising once again. The walls and main buildings were completed in record time, and so too, were the critical infrastructure buildings. Work had already begun on the towers and their main structures had already taken shape. It wouldn't be long now, perhaps a few days at the most, for this village to be fully fortified.

Those that lacked practical skills worked the land, performing the manual labor that was equally necessary. Digging the moat took an immense effort and was largely supplanted by the warriors that were left. Even the priests, were asked to join in.

They would be pulled away though, for a few new faces were arriving shortly.

That meant one thing, the resumption of training… more accurately, the beginning of my first training camp. Things were changing in Dragon's Breach.

I wasn't going to fall victim again.

The blacksmith was back in action, far too busy with their assigned project to pay me any heed. I wasn't bothered by that though. They were asked to produce axes and shields as rapidly as they could. Pattern-welded axes, iron heads with steel edges.

They already made axes previously for the warriors, now they were reworking the weapons, forging them anew. Upgrading, in a sense. The shields weren't necessary for a two-handed axe user, but I wanted them to have one. A shield on the back was better than nothing at all.

The axes were quickly taking shape, which brought a faint smile to my face.

Bearded axes specifically, they were large and long enough to create separation and provided an amazing amount of killing potential to boot. That, in addition to the fact that I was somewhat partial to the style and heritage made them all the more special.

They would be the signature weapon of Dragon's Breach.

I would make it work. My cheap warriors that no one the game-over wanted, would work with the right guidance. I was sure of it, and I was betting my all on it.

Leaving Ansgar and Enok to themselves, I continued on.

The shipbuilder was next, and he had been busy as well.

Working in the darkness of the night, the light provided from a series of torches and the moon was barely enough to get by. The men and women didn't complain. We were pressed for time. Even if, there was no immediate threat clearly visible.

A self-imposed deadline, was what we were all working on.

"Stigr, how goes the Longship?" I called out to the shipbuilder.

"It's comin', short a hand'll take me 'nother day," he replied with his almost broken English. His knack for cutting sentences short was easy enough to get used to though.

"You've got the time," I followed up while examining the boat. "Won't be a week or two before we need her, take as much time as needed, can borrow one of the kids too."

  "No need, I'll be done with her 'n weeks' time," he yelled back. "Youngins'll take more time than'er worth, headache is all they'er."

"Good work Stigr, I'll send food and drink your way," I said as I walked away.

Roald had been busy, running errands to the Northern Triangle in order to procure supplies. We lost a lot of stored food in the fire, all of it really. Meat was easy to replace, bread and beverage though, was not quite as easy.

He was expected to arrive within the hour, but he knew what was needed.