042. Crucible - 19

042. Crucible - 19

I took the challenge of dressing seriously, with an intense hurry. The river monster let out a shout of rage as it lingered on the surface, which, luckily, didn't last long enough to bring the attention of the camp, which was still occupied by the great battle that was occurring on the other side.

The flying ship was still lingering at the spot, and to my surprise, the battle against the tiger was still going on my Perception allowing me to see it clearly, even enough to catch some of the details. Six armored figures attacked the tiger, which was doing its best to retreat to the other side of the water, only to be stopped by the flying carriage. Failing that, the tiger started to pull away.

That was not the extent of the reaction. I had noticed a large squad moving towards the tiger, each armed with ranged weapons, a silver-armored figure with them. They were running, but five minutes that passed wasn't enough to cover most of the distance.

Interestingly, the angle suggested they were coming from one of the inner camps, while I didn't see any forces from our camp. Of course, that didn't mean our camp was not reacting. The number of patrols around my side had dropped significantly, and even the remaining ones were looking towards the battle that was going in the distance whenever there was no group.

Interestingly, none of the patrolshad a band around their arms, suggesting that they were the unaffiliated ones, bullied to the task while the others stayed on the more important side.

That arrangement helped me immensely. As I moved forward, talking down the occasional beast that decided to attack me despite the closeness of the camp, no one paid attention to me. Combined with the hat, I expected to reach at the camp without a problem.Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

"Get your weapons and gather around, you lazy peasants, all of you," I heard a shout as I was about to pass the first patrol, a shout that came from the other end of the camp. I recognized the young voice, but even if I failed that, I wouldn't have missed the pull of the Charisma, trying to pressure me into following that order.

Ignoring the order was trivial. Even without Resilience, I could have easily ignored that weak pressure. I wondered whether it was the distance that reduced the weight of the order or the fact that he was targeting the whole camp.

Either way, it didn't matter. The rest of the people followed that order immediately, though their faces didn't have the daze of someone who was being forced by the magical weight of the order, just the ordinary fear from an emergency order, with the awareness that it wouldn't lead to anything worthwhile.

Interesting, I thought, as I followed the crowd, careful to pick my place as I moved. Not right at the back, but close enough that most of the three thousand people who were a part of our camp stood between me and the young noble.

"Everyone, follow me. We will be the ones that take down the great monster" the young man said, who was not even wearing his armor correctly. I shook my head at the silly order and instead focused on the impact of the Charisma, which was definitely stronger now that we were close.

Yet, this time, it was just the weight of an order, overwhelming and demanding for obedience, but a tendril of lasting connection, one that brought in suggestions. An invisible string that I could have easily snapped even without Resilience.

Not that I did so. The last thing I wanted to do in such a crowd was to stand out Luckily, before the crowd started to move under the orders of a teenager, one of his knights, the older one, leaned and whispered into his ear. "Not everyone, just the ones with Archery," he corrected, and I felt the connection dissolve. "Anyone who can. Move!" he ordered.

Technically, that also included me, as I had a skill of Archery one that I didn't dare to touch due to its complicated nature and its link with that red energy but I certainly wasn't stupid enough to volunteer. Resilience gave me the chance to ignore that order easily.

I stayed behind as archers stepped forward, following the young lord into the battle.

Karak was included in that, but that didn't bother me. First, I wasn't close enough with them to risk myself in a stupid pointless gesture. I did my best to protect my people, but never recklessly or without a thought.

And, more importantly, I didn't expect such a thing to be necessary under the circumstances. The other camps were already sending archers only, and doing so in overwhelming numbers. Since I hadn't seen any sign of altruism between the camps, assuming that that huge tiger was less of a risk and more of a huge reward was not a stretch.

I tried to reflect that sensation without saying anything. After all, it was something magical, and there was no reason to have words necessary, but the only thing I had was a failed attempt. Either impossible or needed more practice.

Either case, I moved to the next part of the plan, but not without a little test. I tapped the cart three times, rhythmic enough not to be mistaken for ambient sound and would have earned some reaction, yet soft enough that only someone with significant Perception would hear.

The owner of the feet I could see didn't react to it. Excellent. "Stop!" I whispered one that carried a lifetime habit of giving an order despite the softness. Since he hadn't heard the earlier knock, that would go unnoticed as well.

Yet, he froze.

At the same time I felt a sense of connection establishing between us, somewhat similar to being ordered by someone with Charisma but also different. The difference was like being punched, and punching. The force was technically the same but felt much different.

Terminating the sensation of weight was much easier than trying to copy it. I stayed in my spot, watching his reaction. He circled, his panic apparent in his speed. "I must be imagining it" he muttered, only to be interrupted.

"Stop!" I ordered again, still using the same cadence, but this time, I tried to interrupt the connection before it formed.

I did not succeed, and the connection formed, and I interrupted it halfway again But at least, I managed to do it faster.

"Yeah, definitely imagining it," he muttered a long while later. "Those creepy nobles," he muttered as he left, though this time, whispering even softer, trying to make sure no one could hear him.

As much as his silent resentment towards nobles was interesting, I ignored that, instead focusing on the sensation of the order, the connection, and the uncontrollable weight that came with it. Developing control, even a rudimentary one, would take a while.

I was certainly glad that I hadn't assigned any more points to it, which would have made the challenge even more significant.

I stayed under those carts for almost an hour, targeting many passersby with such orders, trying to contain my orders and abandoned the place when I started hearing whispers about mysterious sensations.

Fascinating, but the achievement was not for free.

[-8 Health]

For all its advantages, the impact of Charisma was not for free. It exhausted me more than I expected, forcing me to use Health to recover repeatedly. Still, a good deal considering the impact.

I didn't return to the Red section immediately, and instead left my hiding spot without being noticed, and found another hiding spot to remove the hat and the cloak. Even burned both just to be on the safe side.

Still, I had a smile on my face as I returned to the Red section. My tests had been successful, and I had a rudimentary control over the mysterious Charisma