Bog Standard Isekai

Cid had them dismount and walk their horses in the hopes that the shorter height and the lack of dust kicked up from the hooves would mean that they'd see the band of goblins before the goblins saw them. They approached slowly with Brych guiding the way. He followed his nose at first, then his other senses as they drew closer to the monsters.

Brin saw them all with his Invisible Eyes from the beginning, of course, but he couldn't tell anyone that, and besides, approaching slowly was the right decision.

They were short and ape-like, with thick arms and shoulders, and while they were bipedal, it seemed that they'd have little problem bending over just a little more to walk on their hands. They were furry, somewhere between humans and monkeys, and colored a muddy beige that let them blend in with the landscape.

All of them bore weapons, but most were simple clubs. A few had actually managed to tie a rock to the end with strips of leather, and one carried a simple spear.

The strangest part of them was the variety of shapes and sizes. Some had longer arms, some had longer legs, one was the size of a child while another was as big as Hedrek.

They didn't speak as they walked along; Brin had heard that they didn't have language or if they did it was very crude. They seemed to follow a leader as he led them along, eyes darting everywhere as he scouted the path or perhaps looked for prey. Strangely, the leader wasn't the biggest one, but he was the highest level, a whopping 28. Most of the rest were around level 20. Not terribly high, but a decent threat to the low levels of the Lance.

It was strange to know they were so close but be unable to see them with his eyes. Well, Brin couldn't currently see anything with his eyes, but he also couldn't see them with the Invisible Eyes he'd positioned at his eye level. The plains looked flat when he was looking across them, but they rolled gradually in a way that often obscured wide swaths of land.

There was also nowhere to hide. When the Lance crept forward near enough to start being able to see them around the slow bend of the earth, there was nothing to block their view and the goblins saw them right back.

They were three quarters of a mile away. The goblins didn't look particularly alarmed by Brin's group, but they turned and started moving the other direction.

"Goblins are cowards," Cid said. "They will never take an engagement where they don't have an overwhelming advantage in numbers."

"We could run them down from our horses," said Brin.

"We could," said Cid. "But it'll be harder than it sounds. They're wicked quick when motivated. I'd rather not risk twisting an ankle over a band this small."

Brin looked at Hedrek who smirked and said nothing, clearly already knowing the answer.

"I could take them at range," said Anwir. "I and whoever else can handle a bow."

"You might hit one or two, but then the rest will flee and we'll be back to running them down again," said Cid.

Brin didn't make another suggestion, and neither did anyone else. Sensing his moment, Hedrek said, "Send me."

Cid crooked an eyebrow, but something made Brin think he was expecting that answer. "Just you?"

"They won't flee from one man. They're cowards, but they're also stupid. They'll think they can win if I go alone," said Hedrek.

Cid nodded. "A good thought, but one is too few. I'll send three. Also, I don't imagine enemies at this level will be beneficial to someone with your experience. Better give someone else a chance. I'll send Meredydd, Aeron, and Rhun."

The three that Cid had called out looked eager and excited. Govannon scowled and stared at the ground, while Brych looked to be trying to hide his disappointment.

Cid continued, "Anwir, be ready with your arrows if any of them try to break away. Brin as well. Hit them with your glass if... if you can." He stuttered as he glanced at Brin’s face and remembered the state of his eyes.

"I can," Brin said simply.

Under the cover of Self-Invisibility and a Mirror Image, he passed the care of his horse Nobility to a glass clone, and then started moving silently towards the goblins. He could probably hit the goblins if he lobbed glass like artillery shells, but he didn't have great precision from this range. Instead, he would sneak up and then shoot them from up close while making it look like he was still far away. This would also let him be in the right position in case the other three ran into trouble.

It was a bit tricky to pull it off right under Brych's nose. He had to make the soft, mostly inaudible sound of a heartbeat in the glass copy's chest to make it seem like the real Brin was still over there, and he had to imitate the sound of breathing. He accomplished that by making a cone of silence around his real body while projecting the quiet sounds he made to his fake body. Even then, Brych's eye flicked in confusion towards where the real Brin was standing, perhaps sensing his body's electricity or the pressure differences in the air. [Rogues] could be annoying like that. Hopefully when things really got moving, he'd be too distracted to notice small signs like that.

Meredydd, Aeron and Rhun left their horses with the others and started to approach the goblins.

Cid led the rest of them away. The goblins noticed their group split apart. They watched the approaching knights carefully, and when it became clear that the larger group really was moving away, stopped their retreat.

The goblins watched the approach with interest, and then with eagerness. They started to hoot, some slamming their fists on the ground, some screeching.

The men walked boldly. Rhun kept both hands on his greatshield, apparently meaning to take Galan's words to heart and serve as a pure protector. Meredydd had left his lance behind of course, and unsheathed his sword. Aeron carried his mace in both hands, ready to start swinging. Brin hung far off to the side. He didn't want to bump into anyone by accident, and honestly didn't want to do anything at all unless they needed him.

The goblins' yells and screeches grew more and more agitated as the knights approached. Now they were yelling things that sounded more like words. Brin heard words like, "Caro!", “Visne?” and "Puer bonus!" but the way they repeated it made it sound more like they were parroting sounds rather than actually communicating.

Brin didn't know if they'd charge or flee. He didn't think the goblins knew either; they seemed to be riding the line between anger and panic. Some of the smaller ones ran back a few steps, only to come back around when they noticed that no one was following them.

Soon their cries reached a fever pitch, and the leader stepped forward. The big goblin followed and the rest charged forward with guttural yells, eager to swarm the three knights at once.

Rhun took the lead, charging with the tower shield in both hands. He bashed the shield in every direction, knocking weapons away and opening up the goblins for Meredydd to lay into them with his sword. He was a flurry of quick, light slashes that cut into each of the goblins like a living blender. He cut necks and arteries, wounds that would be fatal if given time, but didn't stop the goblins in their berserker rage. He took a lot of stabs and cuts to his armor, but nothing broke through. Aeron followed up, bashing the wildest goblins with his mace. He took three of them down with strikes to his head, and then followed up with a jumping overhand that struck the seven-foot-tall goblin in the forehead.

Brin expected the goblin to fall. Instead it roared. It swung its fist, knocking Aeron to the ground.

Meredydd cut him, but his sword caught in the goblin's forearm. It kicked him and Meredydd miraculously kept his feet but he lost his sword and took two steps back, dazed.

The big goblin jumped forward and punched toward Meredydd's head. Rhun got into place just in time, blocking. The punch put a huge dent into the tower shield, but it must've hurt the goblin's hand more, because his roars of anger started to take on a pained tone.

A group of five little goblins all mobbed Rhun at once, tackling him to the ground. It was almost funny, except that getting pulled to the ground was death for a knight. Aeron had his own problems; he'd engaged the leader who was proving to be a proficient fighter. His stone spear clanged against Aeron's armor over and over, and the [Warrior's] mace never seemed to find purchase.

Brin stepped forward to save Rhun even though that would expose him, but Meredydd got there first. He plucked his sword from the ground and hacked wildly at the goblins on top of Rhun with wild abandon. The occasional crack of sword striking armor showed that he didn't care about accidentally hitting Rhun, and also that he didn't need to.

The big goblin picked up his club and swung at Meredydd from behind, but the [Armsman] ducked just in time and the swing took out an unfortunate small one.

Before the big one could recover, Meredydd stabbed his sword to the hilt in its chest and then turned around to pull the rest of the goblins off Rhun with his hands.

Rhun got to his feet, abandoned his shield, and warded the goblins off with his sidearm.

Aeron's duel with the leader still didn't have a resolution. The little monster was a talented fighter, and Aeron seemed to be much worse than normal. He was fighting like he still had a sword instead of a mace, Brin decided. [Blade Master] wasn't helping him adjust his form for the fact that there was a bit more weight on the end of his weapon than he was used to. Only his armor was really saving him, as the goblin scored hit upon hit against the metal.

The goblin leader seemed to realize that he wasn’t going to break through the steel, and with a howl of frustration, broke off and started to run. Three goblins had survived the fight with Rhun and Meredydd, and started running the other direction.

"Take down the strays," ordered Cid.

"I have the leader. Anwir, try for the others," Brin said through his mirror image who'd stayed behind.

He had his mirror mime summoning a glass javelin. The real him summoned a real one while invisible. He empowered it with language, and then both real and fake Brins threw their javelins. They struck at the same time, nailing the leader in the back.

You have defeated: Plains Goblin [28]

Anwir got one of the strays with his arrows, but there were two left.

"Hedrek," said Cid.

"Got it."

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The big [Knight] spurred his horse forwards, galloping towards the last two goblins, intent on running them down. He made up ground quickly, and then when he sensed he was in range, activated [Knight's Charge] to make up the last of the distance. One goblin died under his horse's hooves, and the other from one swing of his longsword.

The fight was over.

In Brin's opinion, it was kind of a disaster, but at least no one had died. The three knights seemed elated as they gathered themselves and headed back to where the rest of the Lance was waiting, though Rhun had a limp and Meredydd favored his left arm.

Brin quickly ran back and put his real body where the fake one was so that he could undo the illusion.

"What a load of garbage!" Brin shouted, because that was his job. "What were you thinking, running straight into them? If you're going to run into the mob, then burst straight through! Don't stop in place while they have you surrounded. And Aeron, you need--"

"Now, now, Brin," said Cid. "I think they did quite well. Rhun, you did especially well when you caught that blow meant for Meredydd. Meredydd, you had a very nice economy of movement in the beginning."

"I didn't get the spear fighter," said Aeron.

"You engaged an enemy with twice your levels on you and drove it away," said Cid.

"He could still use some practice with that mace," said Brin.

"We can't hold that against him. I've deliberately avoided combat practice until more of the Lance attains [Squire]."

Thinking about it now, a lot of his complaints about the way they handled themselves came from [Battle Sense] telling him that their strategy and positioning wasn’t ideal, but that wouldn’t be obvious to everyone. "I guess. I guess you did ok. But we'll be having a discussion on tactics tonight, so that you're ready for the next one."

At the mention of a "next one" Govannon and Brych visibly perked up. Cowl seemed calm and placid as always. He probably wasn't expecting that he'd be in the next group of three. That was a problem. Did Cowl think of himself as a knight, or did he just think he was here to carry their stuff?

The Lance met up with Hedrek again, who did an admirable job pretending not to be exhausted from his [Knight's Charge]. They spent a little time examining the corpses of the goblins. Cid said they never kept money, but sometimes they kept prizes, so anything they carried could be a clue to what villages they'd been attacking. They didn't find anything like that, but Brin found their weapons interesting. Despite being made of wood, hide, and stone, the edges of some of the blades were quite sharp, and none of it was below journeyman quality. They were primitive, but they had at least some access to System-improved crafting.

There wasn't loot, but that didn't mean there were no rewards. Aeron and Meredydd both got a level, and Rhun got what he'd really been waiting for. [Squire].

Rhun was normally a bit stoic and reserved, but not today. When they returned to their patrols he rode out of order, right between Meredydd and Brych, and reveled in his new Class. He read out the Skills and descriptions, speculated on the ways he could improve them, and boasted about all the things that made him a "true man." When those two had enough he rode up next to Hedrek to do the same thing. Hedrek took it all in good humor and didn’t seem to grow tired of congratulating him.

Brin spent the day riding with Cid, and they plotted about how they were going to get the rest of the Lance to [Squire]. Brin brought up his concerns about Cowl, and Cid agreed.

They spotted a small group of five goblins just before sunset. This time, Cid sent Cowl and Govannon, and only those two.

"I can do it alone!" Govannon said, while Cowl said, "Are you sure, sir? I can think of a number of men here who would rather go in my place."

Cid ignored Govannon and said to Cowl, "I would have you go, and if I sent someone alone it would be you. I do not see you inferior to any man here, and I would have you receive the [Squire] Class tonight if possible."

"If I stay at [Porter], I can serve in ways that others cannot," said Cowl.

"I'll set bags on the saddles of our other horses if need be, and I already had in mind to set up a rotation for meals. No, I'll have a [Knight] out of you, Cowl Candle."

Cowl's face stayed expressionless as always, but he gulped three times before he said, "Very well, sir."

Cowl kept his warhammer on his back as Galan had advised him, and surprised Brin by asking for his spear. "It seems like the right tool for the job," he explained simply.

The fight itself was much smoother than the one earlier in the day. The goblins showed no hesitation engaging them five versus two, and Cowl and Govannon didn't rush in. Cowl expertly used the spear to keep the goblins at a distance and prevent them from surrounding him. This left Govannon free to pick the goblins off one at a time. Their brutal strength meant nothing when they couldn't land a single strike on the [Page]. He flowed through their movements like it was a dance he'd practiced a hundred times.

For the last one, Cowl dropped the spear and stepped forward with his sword. His movements were a lot more awkward than Govannon. Honestly, he was worse than anyone else in the Lance, but against one goblin he was good enough. Govannon didn't interfere, and stood back to watch as Cowl took down his first monster.

Cowl had a small smile on his lips when he marched back to the men, one of the few smiles that Brin had ever seen there, and it didn’t leave his mouth for the rest of the night.

He didn’t get [Squire] that night, but Brin thought he was close.

The next morning, Cid gave them more time to pack up camp and prepare for the day than usual. Meredydd got to work repairing everyone's armor without needing to be asked, showing each of the men what he was doing so that they'd be able to do it in the future.

Cid reorganized the list of chores, giving the men more of the tasks that Cowl usually did without being asked. Everyone was horrified when they found out Cid was serious about having the others cook meals. When Hedrek went first and made a burnt mess of bacon and eggs, their anxiety only increased. But then Cid did a passable job with lunch and Brin had dinner. He made stew, copying every step from his recorded memories of seeing Cowl do it, and ended up with a result that was every bit as good.

Meals were hit or miss after that, but Cid's strategy bore fruit. Two days later, while Cowl was biting his fingernails and trying not to object to Govannon's misguided attempts to make a roast over the open camp fire, he suddenly shouted with joy and jumped to his feet.

"I did it! [Squire]!"

With [Inspect], Brin saw that Cowl's actual Class was [Squire of Burdens], a hybrid [Porter]-[Squire].

The patrol went on. Four days after setting out, Brin felt a sudden uncontrollable itchiness on his eyes. He gave in and rubbed them furiously and felt dead skin fall away in clumps.

Suddenly, he could see again. It was blurry and painful in the bright sunlight, but he could see. He wept openly in relief, though he used his magic to silence himself when he couldn't stop the big, gasping sobs.

He could see. He spoke a prayer of thanks to Solia. After that, he prayed every day and never forgot.

As the patrol went on, the Lance spotted small groups of goblins here and there, and Cid continued to send two or three men at a time to take care of them. Even Brin got his turn, fighting side by side with Govannon. Marksi had insisted on participating, and had left some impressively large gouges on a smaller goblin with his claws.

It confused Brin that there always seemed to be between five and ten of the monsters, and that they never saw females or juveniles. Cid figured that the goblins were doing what they were; these were scouts or patrols.

The overall mood was better than ever. Four of the men had earned [Squire] and the other three who still wanted it seemed close behind. Cid spent a lot of time each night taking the men aside one at a time and talking to them about their lives, their pasts, and trying to ferret out exactly what was keeping them from reaching [Squire]. Aeron and Anwir were both tough to figure out; they seemed to have come from happy home lives and didn't have any particular hold-ups. He also approached Hedrek, trying to get the big [Knight] to take more care with the way he did things, but that was trying to talk to a wall. Hedrek deflected with jokes, excuses, complaints, and then just flat out refused to speak on it.

Govannon was Govannon. Most of the men ignored him, all of them too excited to need to blow off steam by abusing the black sheep, but that wouldn't last forever. When Cid tried to speak to him, he saw every question as an attack and every comment as an insult.

He treated Brin the same, though one night when Brin caught him alone watering the horses and managed to draw him into conversation.

"I've always wondered. Why [Page]? People say it's because you weren't offered [Warrior], but I don't think I believe that. I think [Page] is better," said Brin.

Govannon grinned. "You know? None of the other guys get it, but you're right."

"Why, though?"

Govannon had the same fluid grace working with horses as he did while fighting. He led them in an orderly line, and when he snapped and pointed at the water, all ten horses ducked their heads and drank at once. "For the same reason that you take [Squire] before [Knight]. Each time you get a new Class you get between two and four Skills right out the gate. So if you go straight to [Knight] you start with three Skills, but someone who went [Page], [Squire], and then [Knight] has between six and nine," said Govannon.

"But if you went [Warrior], [Squire], and then [Knight], isn't it the same?" Brin wasn't expecting a thorough answer; most people were cagey about sharing this kind of thing.

To his surprise, Govannon answered without resistance. "No, because a [Warrior's] base Skills are flat. [Blade Mastery] and some kind of intimidation or encouragement Skill. Usually a shout. They're both as good on day one as they'll ever be, unless you find a way to evolve them. [Page] gave me the [Speedy Messenger] Title and then [Knightly Training] and [Child's Imitation], which are both growth Skills."

"What?" Brin was stunned. [Child's Imitation] was the one reason to be tempted by the [Child] Class. With it, you could copy any Skill as long as you had someone willing to teach it to you. "You could go from [Page] to [Mage]!"

Govannon shrugged. "I want to be a [Knight], though."

"What a waste," Brin moaned.

"Is it? Because I used [Child's Imitation] to copy [Blade Mastery]. And [Knightly Training] helps me learn everything that a [Knight] can do. Riding, fighting, anything. So I already have two fighting Skills. Now think what'll happen when I get to [Squire]."

"[Squire] gives [Knightly Training], too," said Brin.

"Yep, and since I already have it, the Class will upgrade it instead. [Knightly Discipline] gives real stat bonuses and it's still upgradeable. Then when I get [Knight], it'll upgrade again. I'll be unstoppable."

"And [Child's Imitation] goes to [Blade Mastery]?"

"Or [Sword Mastery]. I don't actually care which," said Govannon.

"Or even [Axe Mastery]?" said Brin.

Govannon looked at his war axe glumly. "I guess."

"What can you expect at [Knight]?" asked Brin.

"Well, that's a little different for everyone, but..."

Govannon talked about all the possible paths his Class might take for a solid half-hour. When they finished watering the horses and went back to camp, the [Page] clammed up again, not wanting to be seen talking to the Second. Baby steps.

They were on the road for two weeks before they made their first rest stop. Cid had been informed that they could station at the headquarters of the Order of the Broken Stone.

The Order of the Broken Stone had a massive castle to the southwest of Gonwy, with a quaint little village that Brin supposed had the sole purpose of serving the Order. The walls of the keep were plastered white, and the symbol of their order was painted on both sides of the front gate. A sword, with two half circles on the sides, maybe the broken stone they were named after.

The keep was built into the side of a tall mountain, and a jagged canyon defended the other side. It was accessible by only a single, long stone bridge that Brin was certain would have collapsed under its own weight without the liberal use of enchantments and Skills.

They were welcomed in and shown to a bunk room that was much more luxurious than their quarters in the Order of the Long Sleep, if only because this keep wasn't falling apart.

Servants took their things for cleaning and laundry, and saw the men were bathed, clothed and fed, though no one invited them to the dining hall. Instead, food was brought to their room. They were being shown hospitality, but Cid made sure everyone knew that this Order didn't want them wandering around through their halls.

That didn't matter to anyone. The men were just happy to sleep in beds for a change, and Brin didn't mind either. He could snoop just as easily without leaving his rooms.

It didn't take long for the men to settle in and for the sounds of snoring to fill the room. Once he was sure no one was going to bother him, Brin sent out his Invisible Eyes.

Brin found the armories first, and decided not to try to pry into them. They were warded in the Order of the Long Sleep, and if they were protected here, too, then trying to look inside might set off an alarm. He found the practice grounds. These knights relied much more heavily on shields than Brin was used to; every single man carried one even if he didn't have a weapon. Value Sense told him that the average shield was much more expensive than the weapons. Maybe he could convince someone here to show Rhun a thing or two?

Continuing on, he found food stores and servants quarters. He found the leadership rooms by accident when he ran straight into a room that totally rejected his illusions. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any alarms at the attempt.

He soared up and out, along the walls, and got a glimpse of silver and gold up on a high tower.

To his surprise, Lothar of the Order of the Golden Ivory was up there, speaking to a [Knight Commander] who probably led the Order of the Broken Stone.

Brin rushed in to hear what they were talking about.

"...a terrible mistake. We shouldn't rush in where... where..." Lothar trailed off, looking distracted.

"Where?" the [Knight Commander] prompted.

"I apologize. As you well know, I am not a man of secrets. I live my life clearly and openly, so that if any man seeks to know my mind he has only to ask," said Lothar.

"This I know well."

"That is why I find it completely intolerable to be spied on," said Lothar. He turned and Brin expected him to match the trick of staring at his Invisible Eye. Instead, he looked down.

At first Brin wasn't sure what Lothar was looking at. There didn't seem to be anything there. He was staring at the ground of the tower. Then Brin thought about what direction Lothar was facing.

Lothar wasn't staring at Brin's Invisible Eye. He was staring through several walls of stone directly towards Brin's real body.