The very next day as dawn's gray light pierced the forest, the caravan stirring under a shroud of mist, Keane woke, his new and improved constitution shrugging off the damp chill of his bedding. 'Another day in this world. It certainly isn't a dream now,' he thought, green eyes narrowing. The camp hummed, the old man sharpening his sword, a female guard securing their belongings, the wounded swordsman moving stiffly, and everyone preparing for departure.
Lady Elara emerged from her wagon, her midnight gown replaced by traveling clothes, practical leather boots and a sleek dress that hugged her curves, and a blue coat over her. She surveyed the camp, noting how the men moved with renewed purpose after yesterday's violence. 'He changed the dynamic completely,' she mused, watching Keane stretch near the dying embers of their fire. 'One night, and already they look to him before me.'
The realization should have troubled her, after all, power was a currency she hoarded jealously, but instead, she found herself intrigued. Men like Keane were rare.
Keane caught her gaze, but didn't think much of it, there was no hostility in them, somehow, he could tell.
He summoned his system, the interface flaring like an otaku's dream.
…
[SYSTEM]
Name: Keane
Level: 2
Class: None
EXP: [██████████]
[STATS]
Strength (STR): 99
Dexterity (DEX): 99
Constitution (CON): 99
Intelligence (INT): 99
Wisdom (WIS): 99
Charisma (CHA): 99
HP: [9902 / 9902]
MP: [9902 / 9902]
Resistances: []
[Skills]
None
[Sub Skills]
Charm (Level 0)
Seduction (Level 0)
[Distributable Points]
Stat Points: 10
Skill Points: 10
Mastery Points: 10
…
'Time to stack the deck,' he thought, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. If Valewind was a city of nobles, knights, and schemes. His 99 Charisma would be akin to raw power. That was certainly good, but not enough, especially so now that he had tools to fine tune it. Charm and Seduction could make him untouchable.
Thinking about it, it was as though the sub-skills had been specially selected and handed to him by a higher power. Without wasting much time, he started dumping mastery points into Charm until he had maxed it to Level 10, then he did the same for Seduction.
The system pulsed… [Sub-Skills Enhanced: Charm (Level 10), Seduction (Level 10)]
Looking at it, Keane was satisfied and still a little amazed. 'A hundred points' worth in seconds,' he thought, smirking. 'Infinite points break the rules for sure.'
Keane didn't feel any shift in himself or his surroundings, leveling the sub-skills hadn't brought with it similar effects like when he raised his stats. Even though nothing happened, he felt as though the air around him had adopted a subtle magnetism that pulled at the edges of perception. Certainly, now his smile would have become even more disarming, his posture more commanding without conscious effort, even the way the morning light would catch his features would seem calculated to draw attention…
Keane laughed it off with a smile as the thoughts passed through his mind, remembering a clip from a Bollywood movie he saw on the internet… he already knew no such effects on him or around him, but it was funny to imagine.
'This is what Eros must feels like,' he thought, watching a female guard stumble slightly as she passed, her eyes lingering on him before she caught herself and hurried away.
'Sexiness is off the charts.' He joked to himself.
"Ready to depart?" Lady Elara's voice cut through his satisfaction, as she approached with measured steps.
"More than ready," he replied, his voice carrying a warmth that made her pulse quicken despite herself.
Elara felt a shift in herself, something about Keane's presence had intensified overnight, though she couldn't place exactly what. The way he moved, spoke… even breathed, seemed to draw her attention with magnetic force. She'd dealt with charming men before, manipulated them, discarded them when convenient even, but this, this felt…
"We'll be departing in a few minutes then." She said, before taking her leave, almost hurriedly.
Not minding the interaction or reading too much into it, more because he didn't need to, Keane rinsed his mouth with water from a skin sack handed to him by the old man, after all, there was no toothbrush in this world as far as he knew, or at least expected, and a modern man like him wouldn't know of chewing sticks either.
The caravan packed swiftly, wagons creaking as they prepared to move. Lady Elara emerged again, her golden hair catching the brief light of dawn now as little rays made their way through the covering. Her blue eyes locked onto Keane almost immediately, and she beckoned. "Keane, ride with me," she said, her voice smooth, commanding. though Keane wasn't a fan of it, he had long learned to tolerate it, commands to him as though he was lesser. That was something that would change in this new world though.
"Of course," he replied, his words warm and disarming. Elara's lips twitched for a second before going back in, and he followed into her wagon, a silk-draped oak box smelling of scented spices rather than cooking ones. Inside, two women waited. The older, mid-thirties looking, had auburn hair and brown eyes, her gown hinting at a comely figure. "Mara, my escort," Elara said. Keane immediately recognised her as the one who had brought water for him the previous night. Mara nodded, and Keane did the same, her eyes averting as though not to catch his. The younger one who looked to be in her early twenties, had raven hair and gray eyes, her plain robe hiding a lithe frame, though Keane could spot a contradictory pair of melons on her. "Sylvi," Elara added.
Keane flashed a smile, his charm easing the air. "Lucky escorts," he said, but Sylvi's gaze was cold, distant, like he was a ghost. 'She's not biting?' he thought, noting her unusual detachment. Mara on the other hand, may have been biting a little too hard.
The wagon soon rolled.
Elara leaned back, her robe shifting to tease cleavage. 'She knows what she's doing,' he thought, a subtle smirk on his lips, but not moved, this wasn't his first rodeo.
"Why don't you tell me about this place we are headed to, Valewind." Keane said, sitting in a more relaxed posture.
"Very well. Valewind's a trade hub," she began, her tone crisp. "The Viscount, Lord Torren, rules under the ruler of this kingdom, King Aldric. He's strong, but barons nip at his heels, and knights vie for favor. The king holds the throne, but nobles scheme, as you would expect," she said, her blue eyes studying him. "Ever seen a city like that?"
'Typical feudal chaos,' he thought, medieval politics, but with magic. "Sounds like a mess," he said. "Who's got the real muscle? These nobles or the king?"
"The king holds the power by right, but power takes many forms," Elara replied, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the silk cushion beside her. "Magic, wealth, soldiers, information… each noble family cultivates their particular strength. There's a delicate balance."
Keane absorbed this, mentally organizing the political landscape. Feudal systems were predictable in their unpredictability… backstabbing, alliances of convenience, marriages as contracts, the likes. The only difference here would be the magic element.
"And where do you fit in this hierarchy?" he asked, studying her reaction carefully.
A smile played at the corners of Elara's mouth as she opened them to answer. "I am merely a merchant with valuable connections." She said.
It was an obvious lie, or at least a partial truth, and they both knew it. Elara was playing her own game.
While they discussed, Mara had also chipped in at some point, but Sylvi stayed silent, her gray eyes fixed elsewhere, like the world was beneath her.
'What's her deal?' Keane thought, as he could not help but notice.
At noon, the caravan stopped by a stream, hills rising beyond the forest. The group ate bread and jerky, their mood lifted by his presence it appeared.
Elara joined him, her robe catching the sun, her curves a distraction.
"You fought that beast like no man I've seen," she said, her tone probing. "What realm are you, Keane?"
He remained calm and composed under the question, those who couldn't help but eavesdrop waiting for his answer.
"What's a realm?" he asked, feigning ignorance. "Never heard that before."
Elara's eyebrow arched slightly, a flicker of shock. "You don't know?" she said, her voice soft, curious. Keane shook his head, effortlessly selling the lie. Elara couldn't help but think that his family traditions must have been particularly isolating if he didn't know the basic power structure of the world.
"Then you're in for a surprise," she said, her eyes gleaming.