Chapter Twenty — Pre-Mission Preparations
Daniel returned after a while carrying a bundle of books and assorted folders. Some contained detailed information about the kingdom: its laws, its social structure, its prominent noble houses, and its important locations. The rest dealt with the local wildlife: desert beasts, their poisonous and healing plants, even the types of insects that lived in those arid environments.
In a separate pouch he held four False Hearts of Orne, each normally sold for three hundred silver coins. He'd managed to bargain with the seller and paid only one gold coin and one hundred silver for the four. The deal was good, but his purse was nearly empty.
When he came back to the inn, he found Lucas and Sanjay finally seated at the table eating. Daniel joined them, placed the books on the table, then sat. Both of them were surprised by what he'd brought; their astonishment grew when Daniel produced the Hearts.
"Four at once?" Sanjay said in amazement, turning one over in his hands. "How much did you pay?"
Daniel gave a faint smile. "One gold coin and one hundred silver… and now I've hardly anything left."
The three exchanged looks and launched into a long discussion about plans, roles for each of them at the house, and logistics. When they finished, they dispersed quietly to their rooms to prepare for sleep.
…
The next morning Daniel woke early. (It's been a long time since I last did my exercises), he thought as he stretched and drew a deep breath. He ran through a series of workouts he'd neglected for a long time before leaving his room.
Outside, Lucas had already beaten them to it; he'd brought back food from the market and two Hearts of Orne—one for himself and one for Sanjay.
Daniel smiled quietly, took the food, and went into the kitchen to prepare it. After a short while Sanjay woke and the three gathered around the table to eat.
While they ate Daniel told Sanjay, "You're in charge of washing the dishes."
Sanjay replied, bewildered, "What? Me? I can't wash them — I've never done it before."
Lucas said, "You will do it whether you want to or not. Don't make excuses."
Sanjay protested, "But I really can't—"
Daniel smiled, "Then start today. If you keep doing it every day you'll become the best dish-washer in the entire Empire."
Before Sanjay could reply, Lucas added, "I buy the food and Daniel cooks it, so your task is the easiest."
"Okay, okay, I'll do it, but don't expect great results," Sanjay conceded.
Daniel warned, "Just do it — but when I cook and find the dishes not properly washed, don't expect your food to taste great. Sometimes I mix in new herbs to see if they change the flavor, and if they do, the result is your plate, not mine."
"What?" Lucas and Sanjay blinked, then asked, "Does your food taste different from ours?"
"Yes. Even this experiment ranks seven out of ten — not bad," Daniel said.
Sanjay and Lucas tasted Daniel's dish. At first they found bitterness, then sweetness with a hint of acid. Lucas didn't react much, but as soon as Sanjay tasted it he ran to the privy to spit it out, then returned sipping juice to wash away the awful taste. Daniel and Lucas laughed uproariously.
They finished eating and returned to their rooms to continue training. Sanjay took on the task of cleaning the dishes.
From Daniel's point of view:
I entered my room in good spirits. The headache from yesterday had faded, and I felt better than I had in a long time. (My goal today is to bind the Lightning Nira… I must succeed this time.)
I began refining mana as I had the day before, but this time I used nearly two and a half stones. Mana flowed into me more strongly until my first circle filled with three whole points, and my body thrummed with energy.
I took the "Neural Paralysis" Nira. The moment I touched it I felt a light pulse in my chest… as if something inside me whispered, "You can do this." It was completely different from using stones or false hearts.
I started injecting mana into the Nira slowly and steadily. The process demanded razor-sharp focus and precise control of every filament of mana. With each passing minute the connection between me and the Nira strengthened, as if it were responding to my very heart. After prolonged effort and patience the words appeared on the screen beside the Nira slot:
[Neural Paralysis — Connected]
I smiled without realizing and chewed a little of the herb I used to ease the lingering effects of the headache. I waited a while, this time with the intention to bind the "Neural Paralysis" Nira.
…
Three weeks passed in training and concentration. During that time the three of them devoted themselves to strengthening their bodies, improving their mana control, and linking their new Nira. They worked quietly in their rooms, each with the same objective: to be ready for their first official mission.
At last the morning came. They gathered outside the inn and saw their screens — their stats had changed a great deal since they first entered this world.
[Name: Daniel Moriarty]
[Age: 22 years]
[Heart of Orne: Lightning Mana]
[First Circle Completion: 13%]
[Strength: 8 points]
[Speed: 8 points]
[Endurance: 8 points]
[Mana: 1,3 points]
[Nira: Neural Paralysis — Uses: 10]
---
[Name: Lucas]
[Age: 20 years]
[Heart of Orne: Earth Mana]
[First Circle Completion: 5%]
[Strength: 6 points]
[Speed: 7 points]
[Endurance: 8 points]
[Mana: ,5 points]
[Nira: Stone Skin — Uses: 10]
---
[Name: Sanjay]
[Age: 25 years]
[Heart of Orne: Fire Mana]
[First Circle Completion: 4%]
[Strength: 5 points]
[Speed: 4 points]
[Endurance: 3 points]
[Mana: ,4 points]
[Nira: Burning Hand — Uses: 10]
Despite all this progress, none of them could yet wield any of the Nira bound to them. The reason was simple: each single use required a certain amount of mana — an amount they had not yet reached.
The three of them headed to the Noble Mercenaries' headquarters, specifically to the mission board. Their eyes were fixed on F-rank tasks, the easiest and least dangerous.
Although F-rank missions appeared simple, there was a clear variety in danger among them — some were harmless while others hid unexpected peril.
As they browsed the board, most people there were eyeing higher-level jobs. At that moment a clerk approached and pinned a fresh set of missions to the board.
The three exchanged looks and stepped closer to see what was new.
As Daniel's eyes scanned the posted tasks he suddenly stopped. "Wait…" he whispered, staring at one sheet, then snatched it up. He'd remembered something he'd read in one of the books earlier — a small detail that might change how they handled the job. Without hesitation he grabbed the paper and said, "I'll take this."
When Lucas read the mission contents he understood Daniel's thinking. Sanjay stared at them in surprise but nodded confidently.
They told the clerk they'd accept the mission; he recorded their names and stamped the sheet with the official seal.
Then they made a quick round of preparations. First they bought provisions for the journey: food, water, and some medical supplies to staunch bleeding. Next they went to the stables and rented three horses.
Each horse cost ten silver pieces to rent, but the system refunded nine when you returned the horse in good condition — meaning the actual rental cost amounted to one silver piece. A fair, even excellent, deal.
They also rented ordinary wooden carts at half the price of the horses' rental; of course the carts would be important for carrying any spoils they took after completing the mission.