TCOB: CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Departure

The next morning…

Clyde stood in a queue with his fellow Yeomen as equipment and supplies were dispensed by a squire in front. He did not partake in his usual workout routine today.

Doing so would have been stupid as Sir Justin had warned the entire platoon of the long march that lay ahead of them today. The knight had also clearly instructed them to stay properly rested until the journey to their next destination commenced. He mentioned tolerating no slackers during the expedition today.

Diligent as always in maintaining an illusion of complete obedience and loyalty―as well as being considerate of his well-being―Clyde strictly followed the supervisor's instructions. Given he went to sleep an hour earlier than usual and immediately returned to his tent after his bath this morning, Clyde's usually aching body felt quite refreshed.

He soon arrived in front of the queue where he was handed a few items by the squire in charge. An iron helmet, a sheathed shortsword, a small leather bag, and a well-made gambeson.

Quietly, Clyde received his items before walking off to the side. With deft movements, he strapped the leather armour over his torso, adjusting it until it felt comfortable around his body. The gambeson was, in essence, a plain overall coat made of thick, alchemically treated leather. It had long sleeves that protected the arms up to the wrist, four woven straps that kept it firmly shut at the chest, and a leather belt that wound around the waist.

The armour was somewhat heavy for something so rudimentary, and while Clyde was certain it couldn't resist a determined attack, he still appreciated the extra protection. After all, little protection was better than no protection at all.

Mildly pleased with his new protective garment, Clyde turned his attention to the weapon he received. He hefted the sword in one hand as he tried to familiarise himself with its weight. Unsheathing the sword from its scabbard, Clyde examined the simple iron blade.

The weapon had no embellishes or marking, looking as generic and minimalistic as swords went. The polished grey metal gleamed in the morning light as Clyde gave it a few test swings. It was his first time wielding a real sword, hence he was somewhat excited.

Feeling his balance was slightly off, Clyde took a proper two-handed stance with his feet slightly apart. He swung the weapon again as he tried to sense its balance and, after a few tries, felt something click within his mind.

[You have gained experience]

A notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

"Oh," Clyde made a sound of pleasant surprise as he quickly opened his status to realise he gained a small increase of experience in his [Yeoman] class. It jumped from ninety-one to ninety-three.

Clyde swung a few more times but didn't receive another prompt. He wasn't too disappointed, though. This was a good sign. At least it confirmed his rather simple hunch about needing to gain practical experience to gain XP.

Feeling his odds, in regards to surviving for a bit longer, increase, Clyde smiled slightly as he opened the leather bag he was given. Inside was a small collection of items, ranging from a bundle of meat jerky and other dry rations to a small porcelain vial filled with possibly alchemical products. There was even a seemingly ornamental necklace inside, lying at the bottom of the bag. What was that for? He didn't have the faintest idea.

Seeing as the rest of his platoon had already been tidying up, Clyde shelved his curiosity as he immediately strapped his scabbard to his waist before wearing the leather bag across his chest like a fanny pack.

'There was no harm in having extra protection around my chest area for free.' With this thought, he bent over to pick his helmet from the floor by his feet and wore it just as Sir Justin and two others arrived.

"Good to see you are all settled!" the knight said smilingly as he cast his gaze across the men gathered. To his left stood another knight, similarly dressed as himself, while the woman at his right was decked in a dark, hooded cloak with a strange wooden staff in her hand.

"We will be departing in an hour alongside the platoon from Riverside Village," Sir Justin said before gesturing to the newcomers. "This here is Sir Dunice, the supervisor of the other platoon, while this lovely miss to my right is our accompanying mage, Miss Nai of Arundel."

The two just nodded slightly without their expression changing much. However, for some reason, Clyde felt the mage's deeply scrutinising gaze on his form. The way she looked at him made him feel exposed. Glancing at the offending woman, Clyde's cold stare met hers, and their gazes remained locked for a few moments before the woman suddenly looked away.

Clyde was confused. 'Why was she staring at me like that?' he wondered. He quickly dismissed the thought, however, as he turned his attention back to Sir Justin.

"Inside your bags is a small metal necklace," Sir Justin said. "Put it on."

The platoon, Clyde included, was confused, but nobody showed much resistance as they all wore the necklaces offered.

After confirming that everyone had their necklace on, Sir Justin turned to the mage before giving a faint nod. The woman, seemingly understanding him, raised her staff slightly as she began to chant some inaudible words. The air around her staff began twisting and swirling visibly for a moment before the bulbous end of the staff shone brightly.

With the light, Clyde suddenly felt his necklace move before contracting around his neck. The object didn't choke him, just slightly hugged his skin, so he wasn't too worried. If the knights wanted them dead without any real reason, they wouldn't have invested so much in them. Still, that didn't mean Clyde felt comfortable having squirming jewellery around his neck.

Not everyone was as calm as Clyde, though, with a large majority of the platoon falling into full-blown panic. As Clyde looked around, seeing his 'comrades in arms' flailing around as they tried to pry the necklaces off, he sighed. With a simple glance, he could see a faint amusement in the eyes of the knights and mage in front.

"Calm down, Maggots," Sir Justin drawled as his gaze panned over the men who had overreacted. Looking around, he easily spotted Clyde, who stood out like a sore thumb with his bland expression and calm eyes. Immediately, the knight shared a glance with his companions.

"Sir!" Baffled, Clyde called out, calmly raising one hand.

"Yes, Clyde?"

"What are these for?" Clyde asked as he tugged gently at the necklace on his neck.

Sir Justin paused in thought for a moment before replying. "You can think of it as a warning…"

The knight said before pulling out another necklace from his pocket. "Seize." Clyde heard him say, observing with an intrigued gaze as the metal rope shrunk until it resembled a ring around Sir Justin’s finger. More than a few men turned pale at the sight.

"Oh," Clyde nodded blandly, gently removing his hand from the object around his neck and flashing the most amicable smile he could muster at the supervisors present.

"I understand, sir…"

"I hope you all do," Sir Justin replied as he turned to leave.

…

An hour later, Clyde and over seventy other yeomen and squires departed from Neverna. The entire procession marched along behind the horses that carried the supervisors and supplies for the expedition with not a single man out of place.

Clyde glanced back at the barracks in the distance and could not help but feel uneasy.

Why?... he asked himself as he marched forward to confront his fate.