Hard to Be a God Preview
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The Demo Flushed with anxiety, I rushed into the small fort on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. Don Mayshi had summoned me post haste. With the hints my language master had been dropping, I felt assured this was it. My final exam! Finally my days of beating straw men with clubs and sleeping in on droning, annoying classes on the value of diplomacy would be at an end.
(Ah, Vasilii, good of you to come.) Don Mayshi intoned, clearly displeased with my tardiness. They do not call me Vasilii the Unlucky for nothing. (It is time for your final exam. A few of the robbers here got cheeky, Bald Magoo's men. They broke the thieves' rules by stealing from the city. Normally we would let the thieves handle this themselves, but the robbers stole from one of the higher nobles, and he's been haunting me ever since to recover his priceless necklace. Before I tell you more, I want to see if you really studied your lessons. Go and pick up some equipment from storage, show me you can run the routes and then we'll talk.)
Oh, Holy Mickey, is this really necessary? Fine. Pick up sword and gear. Go to straw men, slash slash slash, victory over straw men, mount horse, trample straw man. This is what I had been doing for years now, I was hoping I had finished.
(Well done.)
Why thank you.
(Here's what you must do. Go to the Barefooted Irukan tavern, you will find a man waiting for you, known as Red Chuba. He knows where Bald Magoo's men are holed up. We have paid him good silver to get him to co-operate, so don't take any lip. And don't mess up.)
(But how will I know who it is? The tavern is bound to be full,) I swaggered, to show off my worldly knowledge.
(Ha-ha, novinki. Do not worry about that, Vasilii, he will know you when he sees you. Anyone could pick out who you are if he keeps his eyes open.)
I didn't understand what he meant, but accepted his instructions to choose a horse and ride to the tavern. In the corner of my eye I could see Mayshi's assistant, the chief of Imperial Reconaissance, beckoning me. Oh, Faith, I hate that man. He demands all to grovel before him. Never you mind, best put on a brave face.
(Noble don?)
(Vasilii, I have an assignment that needs urgent handling. Are you interested?)
(Yes, I'm very interested,) I could already see myself scaling the career ladder. (What would you have me do, noble don?)
(The miller who lives directly to the north of here is having some problems with periodic raids from robbers who are hiding in the swamp. We can't use this kind of unrest, go there and deal with it. However, I warn you up ahead that I know these men, and I don't think you'll be able to force them out by violence. Here, take this get-up we took off one of the robbers. You may be able to pass as one of them, with luck. Try to work it out with diplomacy.) And he turned on his heel and walked away. Typical.
The (stables) only had two horses on offer. A well-bred, sleek horse, meant for fast riding but not very durable if I ran into a bit of trouble. And a cart horse, stocky, slower, but sturdy. While I was sure to be in for an uncomfortable ride, I mounted the cart horse, and patted his ears.
(I will call you.Carthago. Sounds like a good name to me. Hi-yah!)
Hah, what freedom, what responsibility! I was given a practical carte blanche to act. Armed with the empire's finest weapons to fit the finest training, nothing would stop me or my trusty steed. I was like unto the Go
(Damn blast your eyes, man, where did you pop up from, you lout?)
The peasant, having barely escaped being run down by Carthago, slowly unfroze from his cold terror, took of his cap and spoke, (oh woe is me, for I have lost my cows!)
(Fine. How can I help?)
(I was tending the cows and now they're all gone! It happens all the time these days, these forests are thick with bandits. But my master won't understand, will never forgive me, he will kill me or sell me into slavery. Oh woe is me!)
(Nonsense. Just stay here, I will find your cows.) As if I didn't have enough to do. What am I, a herder's errant boy?
