The Empires Rise

Once I have pushed through the crowd, I get to the gatehouse before anyone can stop me. Charging through with conviction in my steps, I am oblivious to those following behind me and trying to get my attention. I aim to make it to the fog before anyone can stop me.

Not long after I pass through the gatehouse, Ritotorous joins me. "And what are your plans, Drake?"

"No one has gone into the fog wall by themselves yet. I need to know what will happen. And since I am a noble, something special might happen when I try and go alone."

"Hm, that is an interesting thought, but why haven't you shared it with anyone?"

"Because they will try and stop me the first chance they get."

"You mean like right now? I think I saw Laxreal trying to persuade Rhenriqi to let him onto her back to catch you."

"That seems about right." I continue forward, now trying to run, finding that my strength has improved even though it hasn't been displayed on the stat sheet as being adjusted. "Will you come with me?" I asked him.

"As your familiar and guide, yes."

"Not as a friend?" I ask perplexed.

"Sure," he gives me a smirk only a raven can manage.

Rolling my eyes at him, I keep going. It doesn't take long before I am at the fog wall. As I am about to pass through, I am tugged backward. Looking at the area pulling me back, I found a mana rope around my middle leading to Laxreal.

"Drake, what are you doing?" I hear in his crypt-like tone.

"I am trying something no one will let me do."

"What?"

"No one has gone in alone yet, not even when it was just myself. And now that I am a noble, something different might happen!" I exclaim in hopes he will let me go.

"You know this is a foolish idea," Rhenriqi says, looking split between joy and frustration.

Not understanding her mood, I continued, "When would any of you let me go? I know it is stupid, but I need to try."

Laxreal gives me a look like he remembered something from his past; I feel the mana slip from his concentration for a second. In that second, I pounce and get back to the wall. The notification appears in front of me.

- Would you like to enter the fog? Yes/No -

I quickly command yes.

- You are entering the fog alone, and a unique instance is being generated.

It is detected that the participant is from the Noble class. New Instance generating; please wait. -

Looking behind me, I see Laxreal pulling on the mana rope again, but I am not moving, no matter how much he pulls. He is also shouting something, but I can't hear him. I look into his eyes and show him all the determination I have before turning away with Ritotorous on my shoulder.

- Instance has been generated. Good Luck -

This is the first time I have seen PUN saying good luck. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It doesn't take long before I disappear from their sight, and a new instance is before me.

- Laxreal's POV -

"What happened?" Shouting comes from behind Rhenriqi and me.

"What do you mean? I tried to stop him." I answer Madoka's question.

"I know you are stronger than that, and why wasn't she helping you?" He is furious at me for not stopping Drake.

"Madoka, for how long are you going to smother him? He is an adult and honestly more powerful than we could think."

"By why, why couldn't you pull him back, and we can talk about it more?" She looks at me, tears streaming down her face.

"I did try; he just overpowered the pull on my magic. And you all discussed it before; the last time was before the event. You stopped him from going out. He understood your take on it. This time, there is no harm in him going. We can work on what he has left for us. People can explore while he is gone, or we can finish what has been started. We all need rest."

"So did he," She rebuttals.

"And I tried."

"That still doesn't explain why she didn't help," she again points accusatorially at Rhenriqi.

"She can't see my mana, let alone touch it. So how was she supposed to help?" I ask, showing some frustration at her constant questions.

Flustered, she tries to continue, but I stop her. "Madoka, why don't we just head back to the settlement? We can discuss the plans there, but we hope he returns fine for now."

Huffing, she returns and storms to the settlement again, where everyone watches the scene. Once she is out of earshot, Rhenriqi asks me, "Was it really alright for you to let him go just like that?"

"Yes," my memories still come back to me. "He reminds me of someone who wanted to go on a journey to learn and experience." Visions of myself when I was a human flash past. The friends I made while traveling on the road, the lovers I had, and the adventures. "If he is half the person I think he is, he will be back and stronger for it. I hope he learns some lessons while he is out."

"I still think lying to her is stupid," Rhenriqi says. "And is this why you discussed making a fake argument last night?"

"Yes," I mentally smirk, "I knew he was going to do something stupid like this, so why not let him try?"

She shakes her head, "Lax-Lax, I hope you know what you are doing."

"I hope so too," I say, patting her on the head like I used to. Then, we head back to the settlement.

- Drake's POV -

The fog slowly clears from my vision, and a table is before me. Confused, I try to look closer but find I can't, and a notification blocks my vision.

- Welcome, Nobleman. This unique instance will train you to be a noble and lord of lands. Be prepared; as you grow, so will your enemies, so make sure you are ready. -

The notification closes, and I can inspect my surroundings more thoroughly. I find myself inside a small tent. With the table in front of me, a bed behind me, and a small bookshelf, most of the space in the tent has been taken.

I analyze each of the items.

- Cott: Basic sleeping quarters for a noble on the road.

Small Bookshelf: Holds a small number of books for perusal.

Small Strategy Table: ??? -

"Well, this is going to be interesting." I hear from Ritotorous.

"Yeah, shall we take a look outside?"

"Yes."

Approaching the tent flaps, I am stopped by a notification.

- Would you like to start the battle? Yes/No -

Hurrying to select 'No,' I turn back around. "That is a bust. I can't leave, or else a battle starts."

Turning to the bookshelf, I find it is mostly empty. There is one book available for me.

- Nobleman Basics -

Shrugging my shoulders, I open the book and start to read. Inside is information about what I need to learn before I can leave. After reading a couple of pages, a quest comes to me.

- Noble Class Quest:

You have entered a unique instance for a nobleman. This instance will save your progress after finishing the initial series of battles. During these battles, you will learn about leadership, cunning, people management, delegation, and other minor skills any nobleman must possess.

Tasks:

Learn 6 Noble Class Skills (2/6)

Complete the initial series of battles (0/10)

Rewards: ??

Failure: If you cannot complete the battles, your status as a Noble will be stripped from you, losing all the class bonuses and the right to become a Noble ever again. -

That is one heck of a quest. Putting the book down, I focus on the table. Nothing happens. Looking closer at the table, I see two grooves in the wood, about the size of a pair of hands.

Pressing my hands into the slots, a map magically unfurls from the table.

- This is your first time using the Strategy Table, so you have been gifted ten command points. -

And then it clears away. Looking at the map, nothing appears other than one point. Focusing on that point, I mentally think of zooming in on it. The map slowly pans closer to the point, and I see it isn't just a point but a clear square on the map. On closer inspection, I see a small tent icon. Mentally selecting that, a notification appears.

- Central Command Post Level 0

Noble Present: Yes

Troops: 1

Command Points: 60/60

Resources: 20/200 -

Thinking about options for the command post, I get another notification.

- Central Command Post Options:

Build Buildings

Recruit Troops

??? (Command Post Level Too Low)

??? (Command Post Level Too Low)

??? (Command Post Level Too Low)

??? (Command Post Level Too Low) -

"Ok, this is going to be interesting." I smiled and jumped in since this appears like the strategy games I played in the past.