Two days passed in a blur of preparation and anxious waiting.
Jade spent most of it helping his "father" with chores, hauling water and chopping firewood while the man watched with that same gruff expression, like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words
On the second night the man finally spoke over a dinner of stew and hard bread.
"Your mother would've been proud"
Jade looked up, confused
"She died when you were small, fever took her," the man said, staring into his bowl, "always said you'd do something important someday, thought she was being foolish but maybe she was right"
Jade didn't know what to say to that, this wasn't his life but it felt real enough to hurt
"I'll come back," he said finally
The man just grunted and went back to eating
The morning of departure came cold and gray, mist hanging over the village like a blanket
Jade strapped on his grandfather's mail coif and grabbed his spear, checking his UI one last time before heading to the square
Jade - Level 2 Peasant
One-Handed: 28
Polearm: 30
Leadership: 28
Experience: 15/200
The square was packed, families saying goodbye to the militia members, mothers crying and kids clinging to their fathers' legs
Torvald stood at the center with the elder, both looking grim as they waited for everyone to gather
Jade spotted his crew near the well, all of them looking as tired as he felt
Numerius had his heavy club slung over his shoulder and a pack of supplies on his back, Yuzon was adjusting his quiver strap, Mataranas stood like a wall with his metal-rimmed shield strapped to his arm, and Nathaniel was having what looked like a very uncomfortable conversation with Hilda
"I'll be fine," Nathaniel was saying, backing away slowly, "really it's just garrison duty probably won't even see combat"
"You're a terrible liar," Hilda said, her eyes red from crying, "just promise me you'll be careful"
"I promise"
She grabbed his face and kissed him, quick and desperate, then shoved him away and ran off before he could react
Nathaniel stood there frozen, hand touching his lips
"Dude," Numerius said with a huge grin
"Shut up"
"That was actually kind of sweet"
"I said shut up"
Jade couldn't help smiling despite everything, at least some things never changed
Torvald's voice cut through the murmurs, "militia form up! Two columns, keep your spacing, we've got a full day's march ahead"
The fifteen militia members shuffled into formation, Jade and his crew ended up near the front with some of the older fighters behind them
The elder stepped forward, raising his hand, "you march for Lord Eristan and for your village, fight with honor and come home safe"
Not exactly inspiring but it was honest.
Torvald took point and started walking, the militia following in his wake as the villagers called out farewells
Jade glanced back once and saw his "father" standing by their house, arms crossed, watching
Then the village disappeared into the mist behind them.
The road was little more than a dirt path winding through fields and patches of forest, Torvald set a brutal pace that had some of the less fit militia members wheezing within the first hour
"Keep up!" Torvald barked, "you think raiders are gonna wait for you to catch your breath?"
Jade's Endurance attribute was barely enough to keep him from falling behind, the mail coif weighed on his head and shoulders, his pack dug into his back, and his feet were already starting to blister
Beside him Numerius was doing fine, his Vigor investment paying off, but Nathaniel looked like he was dying
"This is torture," Nathaniel gasped, "why didn't I put a point in Endurance"
"Because you wanted to talk good," Yuzon said, not even breathing hard thanks to his higher Control, "live with your choices"
"Easy for you to say"
Mataranas was the only one who seemed completely unbothered, his Athletics so high he could probably march all day without breaking a sweat
They stopped for a brief rest at midday near a stream, the militia collapsing on the grass while Torvald walked the line checking on everyone
"Drink water, eat something, we move in ten minutes"
Jade pulled out some dried meat and bread from his pack, chewing mechanically while staring at the road ahead
"How far you think the castle is?" Numerius asked, lying flat on his back
"Day and a half maybe," Yuzon said, studying the horizon, "depends on the terrain"
"I hate walking," Nathaniel groaned, "I miss cars, I miss not sweating through my clothes every five minutes"
"You miss Hilda," Numerius teased
"That too honestly"
Jade smiled but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about what they'd find at the castle, Lord Eristan was just a name to him but in Bannerlord terms he'd be a minor vassal, probably holding a small keep with a garrison of maybe fifty to a hundred soldiers
Adding militia from the villages would boost those numbers but they'd still be green troops, barely trained and poorly equipped
If Sturgian raiders were really coming this was going to get ugly fast.
"Alright up!" Torvald shouted, "move it!"
The march continued through the afternoon, the landscape shifting from fields to rolling hills dotted with patches of forest
Jade's UI pinged occasionally with minor Athletics gains as his body adjusted to the strain, by the time the sun started setting his legs felt like lead and his shoulders were screaming
Torvald finally called a halt as they reached a small clearing off the road, "we camp here, set up bedrolls and get a fire going, two-man watch rotation through the night"
The militia scattered to their tasks, some gathering firewood while others unpacked supplies
Jade and his crew claimed a spot near the edge of the clearing, dropping their packs with relieved groans
"I can't feel my feet," Nathaniel said, pulling off his boots to reveal angry red blisters
"Should've bought better boots," Yuzon said, though he was wincing as he stretched his shoulders
Numerius was already setting up a fire pit, stacking wood with surprising efficiency, "anyone know how to actually start a fire without matches?"
"Flint and steel," Mataranas said, pulling out a small pouch from his pack, "grandma made me bring it"
"Your grandma's a legend"
They got the fire going as darkness fell, the other militia members clustering in small groups around their own fires
Torvald moved between the groups, assigning watch shifts, "you five take the second rotation, midnight to dawn, stay alert and wake me if you see anything"
"Define anything," Nathaniel said
"Anything that isn't supposed to be there," Torvald said flatly, "bandits, wolves, raiders, use your brain"
He walked off before Nathaniel could respond.
Dinner was more dried meat and hard bread, washed down with water from their canteens, not exactly a feast but Jade was too tired to care
The conversation around the fire was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts about what was coming
"Think we'll actually see combat?" Numerius asked, poking the fire with a stick
"Hope not," Yuzon said, "but probably yeah"
"Great"
Jade stared into the flames, his spear resting across his knees, the weight of the mail coif still pressing on his head even though he'd taken it off
This was really happening, they were marching to a castle to join a garrison defending against raiders
In three days they'd gone from gaming in their bedrooms to preparing for medieval warfare.
"We should get some sleep," he said finally, "watch shift starts in a few hours"
The others nodded and started rolling out their bedrolls, thin blankets and straw-stuffed sacks that barely qualified as beds
Jade lay down and stared up at the stars, they looked the same as back home but everything else was different
He closed his eyes and tried not to think about what tomorrow would bring.