A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"My Lady, let's get you bandaged and get a poultice on, before it scars," Pauline said firmly.

"Will she be alright?" Amelia asked in worry, seeing the amount of red that now covered her coat.

"She'll be quite fine, I assure you," Verdant said. "Oliver would not have allowed her to get seriously injured."

"But he let her get injured anyway!" Amelia said pointedly, almost growling as she looked at Oliver.

"Would you rather I have jumped in, and prevented her from recovering her victory?" Oliver asked pointedly. "You would rather deny your Lady small hurts here, so that when she finds herself mixed up in something considerably more dangerous, she doesn't have the tools to deal with it?"

"No, but—" Amelia's eyes widened, as she desperately tried to refute what Oliver was getting at.

"That's enough, Ser Patrick," Lasha said firmly. "You as well, Amelia. It's only a scratch."

Oliver shrugged. "Go and get her tended to then, Pauline. The days are short. I want us moving as soon as we are able."

"Come, my Lady, let's find somewhere more private so I can clean it," Pauline said. "You boys wait here, please."

"I see you're as lenient with the Serving Class as always, my liege," Verdant said, as they watched Pauline lead the girls further into the trees. "Even the quieter girl is forgetting her manners with you."

"I do not mind it," Oliver said. "I would rather they be direct when there's something that needs to be done, rather than dance around with euphemisms that I don't understand."

Verdant smiled at that. "So, what is next on the agenda?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"A Hobgoblin," Oliver said firmly. "I want to explore a bit, at some point, and find out what these other species are like, but for now I think I just want to stick to what I know. It's been a while since I've had a proper fight, I need something to test my sword against."

"Now that is something that I look forward to," Verdant said.

"Do you not wish to train yourself, Verdant? This is a good place to do it. You're basically of the Second Boundary, are you not?" Oliver asked. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

"…I am, but as I've said before, fighting has never particularly been a forté of mine. If you recommend it, though, I will do as you ask," Verdant said.

"I do," Oliver said with a nod. "I think a Hobgoblin should be comfortable for you as well."

"Truly?" Verdant said, his surprise showing through. "In my days as a student, it was a considerable event to hear a single man slay a Hobgoblin. Group expeditions against them were common – but a single combat victory was a rarity indeed."

"The difference between Second Boundary strength and that of other students is fairly extraordinary… But perhaps I am pushing you in deeper waters than you'd like still," Oliver said, trying to remember back to Tolsey's strength. He'd been the only other example that he'd had of a Second Boundary man stacking up against monsters.

The Vice-Captain had struggled against a pack of Gorebeasts, hadn't he..? But surely he could have managed a Hobgoblin.

"Regardless," Oliver said, as his thoughts proved inconclusive, "it's at least worth trying. I'll be here to guard you if need be. I only hope there are enough Hobgoblins for us to slay."

"They're kept a fair distance apart from each other – individual Hobgoblins that is – but as long as we travel, I don't see a reason why we wouldn't be able to find as many as we had a need for," Verdant said.

A screech from amongst the trees interrupted them. More goblins. Oliver glanced back behind him. Blackthorn was still behind a cluster of trees with her attendants, getting her wound dressed. Monsters weren't meant to come from that direction, but perhaps he should have been keeping an eye out regardless.

It was a thought that would have been more useful had he had it earlier. Now there were seven goblins streaming in from the front, and he was forced to hope that the area behind them was as safe as the map indicated.

"Alright Verdant, you're up, let's warm up your spear a little. I'll support you."

"As you wish, my liege," Verdant said, foisting his spear into position. It was not the long spear used by Lombard's soldiers, and most soldiers on the front line, instead this was more of a duelling spear. Short, but not quite a short spear. Verdant twirled it easily within his hand.

The first goblin came into range. Oliver tensed himself, ready to support the priest. The point of the spear thrust out before Oliver could even begin to track it. That was the speed of the Second Boundary, a mighty thing. He punched the goblin straight off the ground with the force of it, and then he twirled his spear and flung the corpse back.

His technique was rudimentary, and clearly not as polished as it should have been, but through the Blessing that Bohemothia had given him, it was effective. The goblin corpse he flung battered into two others, and he into the next enemy. He seemed almost as surprised as Oliver was by his sudden ferocity.

Another goblin fell to his point. He twirled the spear like a staff, and bashed another one's brains in using the wood.

But he'd left his back open. His lack of experience cost him there. Oliver waited to see if the priest had tracked it, but he gave no indication that he was aware of the escaped critter diving for the back of his neck. His attention was firmly focused on those that were to the front of him.

Oliver stepped in at the last moment, and easily dispatched the foe. Verdant looked over his shoulder, surprised. He'd butchered five of the goblins in front of him. Only one remained. Oliver smiled – it seemed there was a man with even worse battle perception than he. An odd thing too, since Verdant – in normal life – never seemed to miss anything.