Chapter 3

Flint was surprised when he woke up in the healer’s tent. Ordinary, low-level troops like him never got to enjoy such luxuries. Even captains needed to get lucky or have connections to get treatment. Yet Flint found himself lying on a real mattress with fresh bandages wrapped around his left arm and torso. If that weren’t enough, someone had cleaned him and changed his trousers. Did they not know he was a Woodson?

“Easy,” a matronly woman said from across the tent as he sat up. She wore the Medical Division’s colours. “You might feel like a hundred gold coins right now, but those ribs are still on the mend.”

“Why aren’t I in the normal tents, ma’am?” Flint asked, running a finger over the bandages. He didn’t feel any soreness.

“No one tells me anything.” She shrugged, returning her attention to her current patient. It was Captain Ironheart. He had his eyes closed and head leaning to the side. The healer woman smacked his shoulder. “Stop pretend to sleep!” Captain Ironheart’s eyes shot open, but he didn’t look at Flint. “It’s bad enough you’ve convinced the brass that you’re hurt. Now stop wasting my time.”

Flint looked around the tent, spotting two free cots. Much to his surprise, the novice builder boy sat on a chair next to him, fast asleep. Drool dripped from the corner of his lip, and his right hand clutched a rag.

“The boy hasn’t left your side for a moment,” the healer woman said. “He helped me undress you and held you down while I used my spells.” She raised her voice. “Wake up, boy!”

The healer woman’s volume and pitch made him jump out of his chair. The boy landed on his bottom and bumped his head on the nearby table. He looked around alarmed, hand jumping to the dagger on his belt. He sat on the ground for a moment, rubbing his head and scowling at the healer woman before his grey eyes met Flint’s.

“You’re awake, sir!” The boy exclaimed, hopping onto his feet. He rushed to a nearby table, filled a cup with water and ran it back to Flint.

“What’s your name, boy?” Flint asked.

“Edgar, sir, but people just call Ed.”

“Where’s my dog, Ed?”

“I had him tie her up outside,” the healer woman answered in Ed’s stead. “No matter how much I threatened the mutt, she wouldn’t keep out of the tent.”

“Thank the heavens.” Flint sighed, his shoulders relaxing. He took the cup from Ed and drained it. Flint expected his throat to be dryer. Every time he had woken up in a healer’s tent, it felt like he hadn’t had a drink in days. He guessed Ed and the healer had kept him hydrated while he was unconscious. “More specifically, thank you for taking care of me and Maya, Ed.”

“Not at all, sir—”

“It’s Flint. I’m neither knighted nor a sergeant. Don’t go calling me, sir. Captain Ironheart and people like him will make our lives miserable for it.”

“It’s the least I could do, Flint,” Ed said, his cheeks reddening. “Lieutenant Colonel Orwell asked me to bring you over as soon as you woke up.”

“That’s right!” The healer woman exclaimed. “He’s the one that asked me to fix you up. You must’ve done something great, son.”

“Maybe he wants to make an example of you for assaulting a superior officer, Woodson,” Captain Ironheart said.

“Get your head out of your arse, boy.” The healer woman forced a spoonful of gruel into his mouth. It was likely she ranked far below Captain Ironheart. However, the rarity of healing skill stones and ability users made her invaluable. She could get away with a lot more than him. The healer turned her attention to Ed. “Why don’t you take our hero-lad to Orwell. The sooner I empty my tent, the sooner I can go help in the other ones.”

“My uniform didn’t survive, did it, Ed?” Flint asked.

Ed shook his head. “We couldn’t find your pack, so the builders all offered up whatever they had lying around.”

Warmth blossomed in Flint’s heart, making him smile from ear to ear as he looked at the untidy bundle. He recalled feeling the sensation only when swarmed by the local strays. They’d jump all over him, trying to lick his face, making his heart melt. Builders got hurt or died all the time. He didn’t expect the men—most of whom he’d met after getting transferred to the sight a year ago—to make such a gesture.

There were no socks or underwear, of course, but he found everything else he needed. The shirt and trousers were a touch baggy, but the latter comfortably fit into the leather boots. Someone had stitched new sleeves onto an old, patched, leather coat too. It sat comfortably on his shoulders and was a better fit than he expected. Flint thanked the healer woman one last time before leaving the tent.

Maya barked and whined at him as soon as he stepped into the open. Her ears lay flat on her head, and her tail moved so quickly it was almost a blur. Despite the healer’s orders to not push himself, Flint sprinted to meet her. The sheepdog jumped into his arms, and the sudden discomfort in his hips forced him onto his knees. She lathered his face with kisses, and he held her tightly. If not for Maya’s unwillingness to leave him, Flint would’ve given into the pain and not hobbled towards the stronghold. Puck arrows or falling rubble would’ve claimed his life. He pecked her on the head and untied her from the post.

Tents had filled the untouched green fields within the inner walls. The still incomplete stronghold was supposed to function as barracks and a command centre, while the surrounding open space served as training grounds. Now, members from all divisions of the Iron Army sat together exchanging tales, drinking, and mourning their fallen brethren. Flint clenched his jaw thinking about how many builders died because of the watch’s late reaction and Captain Ironheart’s incompetence. Too many of them had gotten stuck outside the walls, and more had fallen after his panic.

Flint blamed himself, too, for not taking charge and ordering a retreat. He decided then that he wasn’t going to sign up for another term. Even though a third skill stone for his [Mind Node] or [Aura Node] would prove invaluable, he didn’t have another five to six years of service in him.

It took a quarter of an hour to weave through the tents and enter the stronghold. Flint recognised many of the soldiers within. They smiled and nodded at him, and he returned the gesture. Poorly drawn signs hung along the corridors, and Ed followed the ones pointing towards command. When they arrived at the marked door, Flint’s heartrate picked up. It had been years since he interacted with someone high in command. He wasn’t sure of the rankings but was sure a Lieutenant Colonel stood high above captain.

Ed knocked.

“Come in,” A stern voice called from within. Ed opened the door, and Flint walked in. His heartbeat faster when he found himself facing not one but three men with more badges on their lapel than he cared to count. The door closed behind him. While Ed stayed outside, Maya followed him in. She sat on his feet, and her calming presence urged Flint to breathe deeply and calm down.

A stone pillar hummed behind the three men. The runs covering it glowed with every colour of the rainbow, brightening and fading every couple of seconds. It was a Heartstone. There were a couple of others in the outpost. It was why the Iron Army had insisted on building an outpost in the middle of nowhere. The cylindrical monoliths were vital for humans to interact with their nodes, absorb skill stones, and track their growth. The brass had insisted that the Building Division construct the stronghold around the biggest one in the area. It was taller and thicker than the others and extended through the structure’s mess hall and command centre.

One of the senior officers picked a box off the table, marched over to Flint, and pressed it into his hands. “The men who found this could’ve sold this and made enough money to buy a farm in the Iron Land’s outskirts,” he said. “However, they decided it belongs to you. It’s rare for a Woodson to earn such respect.”

“Thank you, sir,” Flint said, opening the box. His breath caught in his throat as he took in its contents. It was a skill stone. “I’m not sure what to say or why—”

“You kept things together, Flint.” The only seated officer of the three said. He was much older than the others and the best decorated. Flint wasn’t sure which of them was Orwell but considered it rude to ask. “We heard that you used your [Architecture] passive ability to improve the inner walls and the stronghold’s design.” The man smiled. “We usually put men in chains for assaulting superior officers, but one of your men just told me that if not for you, the defences would’ve fallen. You set out to buy time, and that’s precisely what you did.”

“Even the surviving archers off the wall sang your praises,” said the officer that had handed him the box. “Thanks to you, the builders hung around and continued to use [Reinforce] while the war beasts battered the walls.” He looked back at the others. “A couple of them claim you used a skill and forced the puck shield-caster to retreat.”

“And all of this after your second term officially ended,” added the older man. “We need more men like you—” He chuckled. “I can see you eyeing the Heartstone flint. Why don’t you go ahead and use it?”

“Thank you, sirs,” Flint said, rushing to the stone. Maya stayed at his heel, tail wagging. The officers smiled and clicked at her, but she didn’t leave Flint’s side. He pressed his hands to the pillar and closed his eyes.

A sucking feeling drew Flint’s mind into a sea of nothingness. Only a familiar compass-like shape floated in the endless white. It was a circular tablet with five smaller circles within. In north’s position sat [Power]. The stone floating within was a dark red and carried a brick wall like pattern. [Control] floated over where East should’ve been. The residing stone looked like an eye with an arrow embossed across the iris. Meanwhile, ethereal letters hovered next to the empty holes. [Mind] marked South, and [Aura] occupied the East.

The circle in the middle sat empty. It was the [Class Node]. Flint had no expectations of ever filling it. He doubted whether all of the three men sitting in front of him had one. From what Flint had heard, a class was a necessity to become a general. He didn’t know why anyone with a class would bother joining the army, though. The [Life Quests] which granted the near-mythical stones rarely showed for people like him. As a result, Flint had never bothered to study up on them.

Flint focused on the [Power Node]

[Building V]
—[Builder’s Brawn IV] > [Builder’s Brawn V]
—[Shape III]
—[Reinforce III] > [Reinforce IV]
—[Architecture II]
—[Bind II]

Two of his [Building] abilities had gained rank. When he joined the Iron Army twelve years ago, he had received the skill stone at the tender age of sixteen. After finishing his first term, Flint had considered going his own way and living the fabled life of a Builder Mage by moving the stone into the [Mind Node]. He was twenty-two and didn’t know the first thing about what he wanted from life or about using magic. As a result, he had accepted the [Marksmanship] as a signing bonus for his second term and left it as is.

Now, after levelling the [Building] skill stone to the fifth rank, he didn’t want to remove it from the [Power Node] and lose all his progress.

Next, he checked the [Control Node]’s progress.

[Marksmanship III] > [Marksmanship IV]
—[Steady Hand IV]
—[Keen Eye II]
—[Focused Shot I]
—New Ability available.

Flint’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected to [Marksmanship] to level up. It had taken him eight years to get [Building] to the eighth rank. [Marksmanship] had done the same in six. He excitedly checked the available options.

[Trigger Finger]

Triggered weapons become second nature to you. They’re less likely to fail in your hands, and reloading becomes a breeze thanks to added muscle memory.
While your abilities with triggered weapons are improved, skills with all other ranged weapons regress.

[Take Cover]

Cover is vital to all ranged fighters. [Take Cover] will reinforce your hiding space and reduce wind and rain effects on your projectiles.

Flint picked [Trigger Finger] without hesitation. He didn’t want to waste energy during battle on an active ability like [Take Cover]. [Reinforce] could strengthen whatever cover he used, and skill was sufficient to overcome the elements.

Finally, Flint turned his attention to the new skill stone. The Heartstone revealed the crystal abilities.

[Canine Friend]

It finally made sense why the builders and officers were willing to give up the stone. It was too specialised a skill for most to use. [Beast Friend] was in high demand, but it required a particular affinity for beastmasters to limit themselves to one genus of beasts. More importantly, a stone of its kind could only fit in one of two nodes: [Mind] or [Aura]. Putting a stone with the word ‘friend’ in it would be wasted in the [Power Node] and more so in the [Control Node].

Flint believed it was a perfect fit for him. He wasn’t sure how [Canine Friend] would interact with the [Mind Node]. Most beastmasters showed off skills or spells which empowered their animal companions. A few of them broke into the summoner archetype by calling forth beasts from the nether too. Flint wasn’t sure how any of that worked, though. [Reinforce] and [Focused Shot] already tired him out plenty.

The [Aura Node] was known to primarily grant passive effects which benefited the user and the people around them. It felt like the perfect fit for Flint. If it gave him an aura that slowed his four-legged friends’ ageing, he’d be over the moon. He socketed the stone into the node and held his breath as the Heartstone absorbed it and offered him corresponding abilities.

[Pack Mind]
Communication is essential in any pack. [Canine Friend] forms an empathic bond between all members of the pack. Canines can already sense their master’s information. As the leader of the pack, you must learn what they’re feeling too.

The ability felt redundant to Flint. He and Maya already had excellent understanding without an ability’s help. It was a part of who he was as a person. The second option felt like a better pick.

[Aura of Entangling Fur]
When in your vicinity, your canine friends’ fur strengthens and thickens. They suffer less damage from blunt force. Slashing and piercing attacks are deterred, too, due to the reinforced layers.

It didn’t give him any direct benefits or tell him the aura’s range. However, it would reduce Maya’s chances of getting hurt. Flint locked in his choice and released the Heartstone. Despite the superior offices in front of him, Flint turned to Maya first. Her coat had a new sheen to it, and she looked bulkier than before.

“We’d like to talk, if you’re done, Flint,” the senior-most officer said. “We’d like to discuss your future.”