章 49: Jack - The Killer of Goblins
Amadeus was in his study as he looked at the report within his hand that had just arrived from the fort. A frown plastered his face as he looked over the report twice before looking at the figure in front. The figure was clad fully in back with only their eyes showing. It reminded Amadeus of ninjas from his previous life with the way the figure dressed. Burning the paper into ashes, he picked up a pen and started writing a letter. To the naked eye, what Amadeus was writing was pretty much gibberish. What he wrote was,
- Il vu mbss hslya huk ylwvya ihjr huf johunlz pttlkphalsf. -
What it meant was,
"Be on full alert and report back any changes immediately."
It was a simple utilisation of the Caesar cipher used by Julius Caesar during his time as a general and later dictator. It was a simple shift of letters with a preordained number. It was a simple method of cipher but in a world where the word cryptography didn't exist it was rather unique. Secret messages were usually covered up with magic, but it made people focus on letters that had traces of magic on them.
Amadeus was sure that there would be people that would be attracted by Drakonis Empire's sudden recruitment. Right now, a sophisticated cipher would not be useful as it would be too complicated for a person to understand. So, a simple one would be best right now and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the code. However, it would indeed work for some time until someone figured out its simplicity. For now, he hid the number seven beneath the letters seal and handed it to the figure who disappeared into the shadows.
He wanted to get the idea od cryptic messages rolling for the future so people wont just seal important letters with magic.
Information was key during war and Amadeus wanted to get a clear information network working where even if the information was found out by the enemies, they wouldn't be able to decipher the message. His final goal was to create a cipher complicated enough that it would make the German's Enigma code look simple and have a proper way to transport messages.
After sending off the individual, Amadeus looked at the completed paperwork and the set of instructions for the ministry of agriculture. He needed to create a cycle where there was enough food for the populace. As war was coming there should be a safe supply of food stored in case of emergencies. Plus, with the increase in soldiers, more resources had to be allocated. Looking at the papers, a certain paper attracted his attention. It was hidden beneath a pile but when he looked at it, shock filled his eyes and he immediately left the room.
- South Drakonis Empire -
- Fearwood village -
Fearwood village was a southern major village bordering a section of woods known as Fearwood, hence the name. This was a major village where the highest adventurer was a gold ranked one which was the head. It wasn't the strongest of places, but it was where beginner adventurers chose to travel to start their careers. The woods were filled with, low level monsters. Adventurers wanting to get stronger and start making a name for themselves headed their. Among these adventurers was a man dressed in a set of cheap tattered armour filled with scars everywhere. He carried a cheap sword and dagger that caught the attention of everyone. Some had eyes filled with envy, some with jealousy and some with respect. The others just gave him a glance and forgot about him.
One of the reasons for this was that he was a silver ranked adventurer through pure achievements but didn't have the strength. The other reason was that he was the only male within a group of females. The ones that had respect for him was due to the fact with the way he carried on exterminating goblins.
After bringing in his mission, a cute receptionist greeted him with a bright smile. This earned an annoyed expression from the other males. Everyone could tell that the girl held feeling for the man while the other girls did the same. Indeed, he was living a dream they wanted. A bald adventurer clicked his tongue and got up. Acting as if he didn't see the man, he carried on walking towards him, prepared to create a ruckus when he bumped into him. Some of the adventurers saw this and a slight smile found their lips. Before he could even make contact with the guy, the adventurer guild's door smashed open.
Tora walked in and looked at the guild that could be mistaken as a pub. The guild was three quarter bar and a quarter of it was filled with a reception and a wall full of tasks. Wooden tables littered the place while men and women of all shapes and sizes had their attention drawn to the intruder.
The bald man happened to be the first one Tora laid his eyes upon causing him to tremble. Tora dismissed the man and looked around finding his target. Bringing up a scroll, he looked at the armoured helmet on the scroll and then at the armoured man in front.
Nodding to himself, he then proceeded to walk towards him and noticed the attention he had attracted.
"Let's find a quieter place."
Not waiting for the man's reply he started walking up the stairs into the guild's upper floor.
Outside the guild, the sudden entrance of the army caught the attention of everyone as the mayor also rushed towards the guild. Arriving there he saw the head of the guild sitting on one of the tables. Asking him what had happened, the latter just shrugged his shoulders and pointed at his office that had two more soldiers guarding it.
Inside the head's office, Tora looked at the man in front of him with an appreciative gaze. Just because there weren't any wars, didn't mean that he had never controlled troops in battle, there was always time for small skirmishes. He could tell that the man in front lived only in battle. He then looked at the girl accompanying him. She had black hair and green eyes while wearing the clothes of a priestess. Her red robe was clean with her lining being black and her hat was the same colour. There was a symbol of a dragon on the left side of her chest but with the claws hidden signifying her rank as a trainee. She looked to be around 13 years old, but she had assets of an older age.
Tora wondered the asset to body ratio but quickly rid his mind of these thoughts. He was sent on an important mission and he only felt comfortable doing it himself. Clearing his thoughts, he coughed out slightly and looked at the man,
"Just to make sure, are you Jack, the killer of goblins?"
The man nodded confirming Tora's thoughts.
"And this must be Helena."
Tora had done his research and knew that Jack only had one proper companion.
Helena bowed in return while Jack just nodded rather impatiently. He really wanted to go back and kill goblins, but the man had suddenly appeared in front and was wasting his time. Seeing the impatient vibe leaving the man, Tora once more coughed slightly before taking out a small circular medallion. Each general had a medallion signifying their status and naturally Tora had one. His was a massive shield with two swords crisscrossing behind it. As for the shield, a coiling dragon could be seen roaring into the sky was depicted in the middle.
Helena's eyes widened while Tora continued,
"I'm the commander of the guards or the general of the shields, however you want to put it. I've come to tell that you have been requested in the capital."
"No."
A direct rejection came from the man's helmet as he prepared to leave. Helena, being a clear thinker, she hurriedly stopped him and turned to Tora,
"Who requested it?"
"Seeing that you are a trainee priestess it is easy for you to know. Who can get me to come personally to a major village for a silver ranked adventurer?"
Realisation dawned on Helena's face as her face became slightly pale. Jack was not stupid, but he didn't have a proper knowledge of the statuses within the empire. Seeing Helena's reaction, he knew that it was someone of no ordinary status. Before Helena could think any further Tora continued,
"Its for your knowledge and help in exterminating goblins."
Tora could swear that he had never seen anyone change pages as quickly as the man in front of him when it came to goblins. Jack just turned to Tora and said,
"When do we leave?"
It seemed that he did indeed have an immense hatred against goblins.
"Now if you want."
Tora also didn't want to tarry any longer in case he earned the ire of the Amadeus, so they quickly left.
"You have anyone to bring with you? The capital is a safe place."
As Jack was about to reject, he suddenly thought of some people and nodded.
"I'll need to ask them."
"Ok, we'll wait here"
As Helena and Jack left Tora, Jack turned to Helena,
"Who is requesting me in the capital."
Helena got a serious look on her face as her trembling hand never ceased even when she clenched it.
"His majesty, the Emperor."
- Emerald city -
- Emerald Palace throne room -
The Emperor in question was currently sitting high above on his throne waiting for a certain scientist to be retrieved. What the man had created was something that he hadn't expected. While they were waiting, Eras seemed to have got a message and looked at Amadeus,
"Your Highness, it seems that the Killer of Goblins is on its way to the capital. Also, the Orc Slayer and Ogre Ripper are also on their way."
Amadeus nodded and the door opened to let in a raggedly dressed man. He wore a lab coat over his shabby suit. His white hair was all over the place while he wore large glasses and a sort of monocle at the same time. Dirt covered his face while he carried a box with himself. It was the first time Amadeus saw someone look so unsightly in his presence, but he didn't mind, he could tell that he was devoted to his work. Plus, he had immediately ordered the man to come on such short notice.
"Isaac greets his majesty."
The man immediately kneeled rather heavily signifying his tiredness but the bags underneath his eyes didn't hide away his shining eyes.
"You should know why I've called you."
"Yes, your majesty."
Without further ado, Isaac opened the box and revealed its contents to Amadeus. It was a small, sleek crossbow that could be held with one hand. Signalling Eras, the Blade retrieved the crossbow and handed it to Amadeus. What was special was that, the wielder didnt have to continuously pull the string but the cross bow would pull the string itself. This was a world that was still used cold weaponry so a contraption like this was rather new. Amadeus wasn't interested in this particular one, but the lethality a larger one will hold if used correctly. He also saw the possibility of a certain weapon being recreated in this world, guns. He never knew how they worked but he knew about gunpowder and the use of tiny explosions, but he didn't know how it was created so he could only think of giving out faint ideas.
Maybe he would be in for a surprise.
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