It Started with Slime - Part 1

Interlude XIII - Boren, Legends and Escapes

He knew what the problem with him was, the adults wouldn't give him a clear answer but he knew. It was something to do with his negative luck stat, no one had ever seen it and no one could give him any answers as to why his luck was that way when everyone else either had a positive value or didn't have the stat at all. It was frustrating beyond reason knowing the problem was and not having any answers given to him. He had resigned himself to the fact that no one had any answers for him.

He would need to look for them himself.

Frustration had been welling up in Boren, he couldn't grow as a mage, he couldn't fight in melee and he wasn't any good with a ranged weapon. What could he do? A prince had to be both warrior and scholar, didn't he? Can't fight, can't negotiate, rubbish luck was bad news all round, was there any part of life where luck didn't play a role? Boren considered, he was a prince; perhaps that could be considered all the luck he was to be allotted in life. This was it and he had used it all up in getting this noble birth. That was the end of it.

Sneaking out of the palace he had seen some of the common folk, while they had comfortable lives it was not the same as his own. He had had the finest tutors, the most renowned weapons masters and experts in each field to teach him. He should consider himself lucky...but he couldn't. Right there in the bottom of his core stats, staring at him like a cancer was his negative luck. It was greater than ever and he couldn't to a thing about it.

It was all so confusing, all too much. Boren stalked out onto the practice field, melee weapons training was taking place in one section and ranged in another, archers losing arrow after arrow at a row of targets. Big burly men facing off with each other with all manner of weapons, Boren stalked through them all, the cacophony of metal gradually dimmed and then stopped as one and all looked to the young prince who rarely came to this part of the palace. It was well known what had happened here.

"What are you all doing standing around! You think this is break time you sorry lot! Get back to it or I will take this wastage of time out of your hides!" Weapons Master Lori Kvar raised her voice and screamed at the standing men and women around her. She had quite a low voice for a woman, came in handy when she was screaming at them all. "I said GET BACK TO TRAINING, DAMN YOU!" That got them moving. With a start all of the noises of metal and swish of arrow resumed as if it have never stopped. Lori watched on to make sure they all did as told before turning to the fast approaching prince.

The young prince; lost in this own thoughts had not even noticed the reaction of the people around him. He just continued to move forward with only a vague idea of destination. I just want to hit something, he thought. The thought came unbidden and surprised him. He had never been one to hit things to get out his frustration but it was a measure of the day that this was the only thing he could think of that would be of any satisfaction. "Weapon's Master Lori, I need to hit something!" he spoke clearly without a hint of embarrassment or hesitation. This is why his legs had carried him here and now that he was here the words spilled from him like a broken dam.

Weapon Master looked at him and gave him a curt nod. Handing him a small axe she pointed him to a circle of straw dummies that were mounted on wooden stakes, designed to take a beating. There was nothing special about the axe, nothing that would separate it from any other axe that was used in the woods. To Boren it felt like it bore on him the Weight of all his weaknesses, all of his doubts and worries and misery, they were all in the metallic blade of that axe. It was a little too heavy to carry comfortably to he swung it up onto his shoulder. A few trainees turned to watch the small lithe boy with the axe almost the size of his body. Their partners quickly took advantage of the distraction to land a few hits before they came to their senses and retaliated.

The prince continued to plod along axe over his shoulder, eyes filled with determination and focus. Today he would defeat his weaknesses; they would no longer hold power over him. He would rule them and grind them into the dust in his wake.