Chapter 30: Riddin'
Ronald almost hacks up a lung at Michael's words, breaking into awkward laughter as his wife and sons watch. "Hahaha! You think the royalty would even hear what some peasants have to say? We've sent people to request help at the capital, but they refer us back to Count Mott as he oversees this land."
"Shouldn't there be someone to hear your problems?" Michael asks, certain there was another way to get around the Count, if not, corruption would've overwhelmed this Kingdom by now.
Ronald sighs, "There's that Councillor Bastien le Gras, but he's too busy stuffin' his face with custard cakes than doin' his job. He's supposed to represent us, but I've never even heard of him helping us out!" he irritatedly states, clearly upset by the situation the village had found itself in.
Michael lowers his head at Ronald's outburst, scooping some of the rather bland porridge into his mouth. "I thought Tristain dealt with its people far better than this..." he mutters, having always got the impression that this place was the most 'just' in the anime... The anime was probably just bias though due to Louise being nobility and the heroine.
Aubrey smiles at him, "Don't mind it. We'll manage, we always have." she says, picking up her empty bowls and putting it at the side. "Now, boys, you should finish quickly and head to the field, your father will be teaching Mike here how to ride properly." she states, the teenagers nodding and running out after handing her their own bowels.
With that, Michael was left at Ronald's mercy, the man immediately leading him to a field where the single mare was grazing. It had dull white hair with brown speckles all across it, he was slightly intimidated by its height, but he slowly got over it after brushing it for a couple minutes.
Ronald eventually returns while carrying a bunch of equipment with him, all the stuff you'd need to ride a horse... It looked a bit old and rusty with misuse, but it was still functional 'enough', at least, that's what Ronald says.
The man begins teaching Michael about everything he'd need to know concerning horses, what they can eat, maintenance on their hooves, how to use the riding equipment, and even what knots to use when tying the horse to something.
Of course, all of this was the easy part... It was when it came to riding that Michael really struggled... Just balancing atop the saddle when stationary was difficult enough, let alone when the horse was trotting.
He tumbled off the back of it a couple times when the horse went up a steep incline, covering him with bruises as he slowly learned what he needed.
Fortunately, he found a 'cheat' when it came to his focus and concentration... While riding, he could grip the handle of his dagger in its holster to activate the Gandalfr runes, which allowed his stats to double. This allowed him far better control when in the saddle, as well as reaction times when something inevitably went wrong.
Once he figured this out, he slowly went from being thrown out of the saddle whenever he got on, to managing a slow trot, to having no trouble trotting up small hills. Eventually, his familiarity allowed him to ride without the assistance of the Gandalfr runes... His quick improvements surprised Ronald a bit, but as it wasn't unheard of for someone to just naturally be able to ride, it wasn't an issue.
Eventually, lunch rolled around and the two let the horse, Milky, to rest in preparation for his departure later on. Michael ate another meal with Ronald and his family, and after that he spent the rest of his time in Redfield with Milky, brushing up on taking care of the horse before he was forced to do it alone.
During this though, Michael took the chance to take a look at the Book of Commoners. He imagined he'd gathered a bit of experience after fighting off those three thieves, not to mention knocking out Mrs Chevreuse... Though he wasn't sure if knocking someone unconscious gave EXP, he thought it was likely.
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Name : Michael Hunt
Rank : Common
Stats :
Strength : 5 > 6
Agility : 7 > 8
Intelligence : 8
Abilities :
[Gandalfr] : Enables user to utilise any weapon at two ranks above their current proficiency while granting them to knowledge necessary to use them. While wielding a weapon, temporarily gain +100% in all stats.
[Language Comprehension] : Enables user to understand all spoken tongues, and increase the rate of which they learn reading and writing.
[Curse of Silence - (Origin: Matilda)] : Prevents user from speaking, scribing, or making any attempts to reveal restricted information.
Spirits :
Shadow Shaman : Lvl 2+
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Michael was surprised to find that his Strength and Agility had levelled up. This was probably due to his fight with the thieves... Though, his attempts at riding a horse may have also contributed to it. Fortunately, this also confirmed his speculation that his stats could be trained.
He'd be hoping he wouldn't have to upgrade his stats like you do in Dota 2, levelling them up along with your abilities.
His Shadow Shaman had also levelled up, pushing it from level 2 to level 4 in one go. Surprisingly easy considering he'd only killed, what, four people?... Guiche might've counted for more considering he was a Mage. But maybe those thieves were worth more due to how dangerous they were?
Regardless, he taps the level up and accesses the Shadow Shaman page.
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Spirit : Shadow Shaman
Level : 4
Abilities :
Carnival Tricks (Rank 1) : Allows user to form ephemeral shapes, creatures, and patterns to amuse, distract, or frighten.
Ether Shock (Rank 1) : Casts a cone of ethereal energy that strikes multiple enemies.
Hex (Rank 1) : Temporarily transforms the target into a harmless chicken.
Shackle (Rank 1) : Magically binds an enemy in ethereal threads while also dealing damage throughout the duration
Serpent Wards (Rank 0) : Summons multiple Serpent Wards to attack any nearby enemies.
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Only two more levels until he hit level 6, but for now, he decided to just level up both Carnival Tricks and Shackle. He didn't really need better firepower right now, so testing out and getting familiar with his new spells would probably be far better for now.
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