During those few precious weeks leading up to his departure, Cypher trained with Jelroy and Eiden harder than he ever had before. Of course, he was still holding himself back on account of Eiden’s ego, but each day after Eiden returned to the manor to attend to other things, Cypher would stay behind and continue with Jelroy.
The training between the two of them was somehow different than when Eiden was present. Perhaps it was because Jelroy saw in Cypher an actual drive and passion for learning what he had to teach. Perhaps it was simply that the pressure of nobility was gone. Whatever the case, Cypher made sure to sharpen his skills to their utmost limit with what time he did have.
Then, the day came. Cypher could train no more. He needed to rest his body and prepare for his inevitable departure from the manor for the first time. There was much to attend to. He needed proper arming, to pack any supplies he might need for the trip, and to ready himself mentally for what was to come.
For the arming he found himself standing before the guard’s barracks with a signed note from Galex himself. Cypher hesitantly approached and offered the slip of paper to the head guard, Delmond. He was a stout man, but nothing that was out of the ordinary. A neatly cut beard, broad shoulders, a somewhat imposing presence; All of these were things that one would expect to see from one who held such a title.
Delmond looked over the slip with an amused grin on his face and then beckoned Cypher to follow him. Cypher was led into the barracks for the first time and towards a back room. Inside he found all sorts of equipment in various conditions. Some were rusted and old, others though, in fact, most of them, were in fairly good condition. Some were even polished so thoroughly that they reflected the room around them.
It only took a matter of moments for Delmond to scan the items with his eyes and pick out something suitable for Cypher. The man handed him a small, but thick bundle wrapped in cloth. Running his hand across the top of Cypher’s head, Delmond chuckled and said, “I was informed of this ahead of time and so I took the liberty of preparing a few things for you. Go on, see if it fits. I could only guess at your measurements, but this should suffice.”
Cypher was a bit taken aback but shook it off. He hadn’t expected something so thorough from Galex. Then again, this was a somewhat important task he was about to embark on. Sure, it was a simple security mission. There would be no honor or glory to be found in doing something like this. In the end, it was just a lord protecting his lands during a time of need.
Still, it was surprising that Cypher was being given such a boon. After all, he was only a servant boy, and although he was training with the heir of such a powerful lord, it didn’t do much to raise his standing in society. Pushing these thoughts out of his mind he knelt down and unwrapped the small bundle.
Inside was a set of thick, brown leather armor. It smelled mildly earthy, and it was clear that this had been made only recently, and with great care at that. The cuirass was tough and sturdy but it was also quite flexible and would be easy to move in. Although, it did have a bit more weight to it than Cypher’s normal wool tunic. That, as it seemed, would take some getting used to.
It was adorned with the symbol of the Galvan household; A noble brown stag standing proudly against a snow-covered tree reaching for the sky. It was a crest that Cypher was all too familiar with, as it was displayed on banners all around the mansion. Cypher ran his fingers across it and felt a strange sense of pride welling up inside him as he stared on.
Setting that aside, he also found two leather arm guards, a pair of leather greaves, sturdy boots, and a cap to go along with the rest of the ensemble. Cypher fumbled a bit as he put on the armor but after a few moments, he found himself secure in its embrace. It was somewhat more cumbersome to move in than he had imagined, and he had needed some help tying the thick wool strings that held it in place, but it still offered fantastic mobility overall.
“Looking good, here try this as well,” Delmond said as he offered Cypher an iron sword.
It was a few centimeters longer than the wooden ones he had been training with. As he pulled it from its sheath he noticed that it was wider as well, and the weight of it was vastly different. Jelroy hadn’t had them training with improper tools, but the weight of an actual sword was very differently distributed than with a wooden one.
Cypher could only guess that it had something to do with the density of the two materials, although he wasn’t quite sure. Still, as he stood in the room he could see himself reflected in one of the shields pinned against a wall and his appearance took him by surprise. He could hardly even recognize himself.
Gone were the weak lanky limbs of an untrained child.
In their place was the powerful body of a well-trained young soldier.
Gone was the young boy who would slouch and avoid attention from those not of the servant class.
In his place stood a confident-looking young man with a determined look in his eye.
Cypher gripped his new weapon and gave it a test swing. The blade sailed through the air like butter and something about this just felt “right.”
Cypher adjusted his leather cap and sheathed the sword back in its scabbard before securing it to his waist on the right side. At this Delmond raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“I was told you were a left-handed swordsman but seeing you like this really solidifies that idea in my mind. You truly have come a long way, haven’t you?”
Cypher looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Nevermind,” Delmond said shaking his head and hiding his sly smile. “In any event, you are just about ready to go. Do keep in mind though that while you’ve been given these things, they still belong to the Galvan household. You should do your best to keep them in good condition and uphold yourself properly. Maintaining the proper image of a noble house like ours is expected of anyone who would serve lord Galvan.”
Cypher nodded and doffed the armor before wrapping it back up in the bundle of cloth it had come in. It was somewhat heavy, but nothing that he couldn’t handle. With that, Delmond began guiding him out, however, they were stopped by a rather large man with a long black scraggly beard.
“Just what do we have here?” asked the man in a rich, thick accent as he scratched at his beard. A light sprinkling of skin floated down as his thick fingers scratched and Cypher stepped back a bit in disgust.
“Agnad please, not now okay? This is the boy that will be joining you on your mission to Gett,” replied Delmond with an exasperated sigh.
“Oh is he now? And just what is a little shrimp like him set to do to help us eh? If you ask me I say we’d be better off bringin’ the dogs along. At least they can smell a crook a mile away, and never you mind the fact that they can rip a man’s throat out faster than you can say get ‘em!” replied Agnad.
Agnad scoffed and picked his nose with one of his meaty fingers before he flicked the gooey prize off into the distance. Cypher grimaced. Agnad was much larger than any of the other guards. He easily stood over two meters tall and had a rather large gut to go along with his impressive height. His arms were thick and flabby but the unmistakable signs of muscle were still clear to anyone who took more than a glance.
A scent of alcohol mixed with body odor wafted around him and stung Cypher’s nostrils. His dingy shirt and wool pants were covered in a few random stains. Some, Cypher could guess were beer but others were impossible to determine. Overall, this wasn’t someone Cypher could imagine being of any use at all to the Galvans aside from being a wall of human flesh and bone.
Surely he was imposing but how had a man like this become one of Galex’s guards in the first place? Cypher wondered about this and other things as Delmond and Agnad argued back and forth.
“Look Agnad, the fact of the matter is that Cypher here will be tagging along. It isn’t my call. So if you have an issue with it take it up with Lord Galvan, but I assure you, the lord wouldn’t have cleared this boy for a task like this if he wasn’t up to it,” finished Delmond as he let out a flustered sigh.
“Alright, alright no need to get yer panties in a twist. Right then, I’m Agnad,” said the man as he knelt down to meet Cypher’s eye line. The smell of his dank breath mixed with meat, alcohol, and tobacco seemed to drag itself through the air and up into Cypher’s nose making him want to recoil away even further from the man, but he held his ground.
“Who might you be? Can’t go wandering out into the wilderness with some kid without even knowin’ who you are after all,” he continued.
“I’m Cypher. It’s nice to meet you, uh Agnad sir.” Cypher said hesitantly.
“BAHAHAHA! There ain’t no need for bein’ so formal with the likes of me,” bellowed Agnad as his raucous laughter boomed throughout the room.
“You an’ me, as well as Richmond and Tym over there, will be headin’ out to Gett in a few days,” continued Agnad as he pointed to two other guards playing cards at a nearby table. “Delmond here tells me lord Galvan wants you to come along with us, but I don’t really see the need to bring along some kid.”
“Mind you, I’ve never been one to question the lord so if he thinks you can help then who am I to say otherwise? That said, I do expect you to pull your own weight just as I would any other man, understand? I won’t be coddling you if you take a tumble and scrape your knee or something.”
Cypher nodded and let out a small anxious laugh before Agnad patted him on the shoulder firmly.
“Good lad, now off with you and make sure you get everything packed, we won’t be turning around because you forgot to bring your nappy with you, BAHAHAHA!” laughed Agnad again. This time Tym and Richmond joined him in laughter and as Agnad returned to join them, he downed an entire flagon of beer. His big meaty hands grabbed at the small cards and the group returned to their game.
“Don’t mind him Cypher,” began Delmond. “He might seem like a rough one, but he’s really a softie at heart. Follow his instructions and you should do just fine.”
Cypher nodded and continued out of the barracks with Delmond by his side. The sunlight shined down on him as he exited the shade of the building and he raised a hand to block the harsh light from his eyes. Delmond let out a sigh and stretched before pointing a finger towards the mansion and handing Cypher Galex’s note. Delmond’s signature had been scribbled hastily on one of the lines, but it was still quite legible as far as Cypher could tell.
“Take this up to the head chef and show it to him just as you showed me. He’ll make sure you get the supplies you’ll need for the trip. Although, you should probably drop that off at your room first,” Delmond said pointing to the armor in Cypher’s arms. “No need to carry every single thing around all day. Right?”
Cypher nodded and thanked the head guard. With a smile and a tilt of his head, Delmond bid him farewell.
It didn’t take long for Cypher to return to his room, pack away his armor and find his way toward the kitchen. Within a few minutes, the head chef had looked over the note Galex had given him, prepared a few road rations, and sent him on his way. After that, Cypher made his way to one of the storage closets as instructed, and procured one of the medium-sized bags to carry his supplies in.
With all his preparations in order, the only thing left for Cypher to do now was to wait and be ready to leave once the day came. He returned to his room ready to collapse on the bed and relax, but to his surprise he found Molly waiting for him with a hot lunch and a smile.
