Godfather's System

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.

"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.

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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 only had a long-distance observation to compare the capabilities of our camp with the others, but the gap between them was clear. There was very little chance that they would even join the battle in time, let alone snatch a critical role.

It might have been different if the young noble could browbeat the others but considering he had been assigned to the outer camp, I doubted that was an option as well.

No, our camp was just going to join as spectators. Still, I sighed as I watched the group follow the young lord as a chaotic, messy group, the lack of discipline obvious. Apparently, Skills and Charisma only helped to a degree.

I was clearly not the only one who noticed that, as the young lord also looked back from his horse. "Line up, squad formation," he ordered.

The order was once again accompanied by Charisma, but it felt different than the simple pressure.

Part of the difference was the distance, as it was much harder to detect the Charisma being used on others. Yet, the greater difference was the shape of the weight. Once again it was not a heavy command, but some kind of string, trying to connect the squad, similar to what I felt earlier. However, since it wasn't spreading to target thousands of people in the camp, but instead settled on about a hundred people, it was ... more solid, for lack of a better term.

And, it worked much better as a tactical assistance, and the group gathered into a formation, one that they clearly lacked the ability to achieve of that, I was sure after watching them for a full day.

Another use of a Skill. I was sure. And, like every Skill I observed since I arrived, it was not perfect. As they started running, I could see the edge of their formation starting to fry already. Some of the archers lacked the speed to follow, forcing themselves to keep up.

Probably by burning Health for endurance, an expensive affair. I would be surprised if more than half could reach the target but I didn't care about that, other than a momentary distraction.

I was much more interested in the opportunity in front of me. The young commander was gone, and along with him, all of his knights left the camp empty.

Finally, a chance to test Charisma.

Just because I decided to test Charisma while using the short window where the young noble and his knights were absent didn't mean that I started to do it immediately.

Instead, I walked around the camp, trying to find the ideal target though it was more about the location than the target itself. I stayed away from the sections that were for the gangs only. Not only there were many armed people there some with high Perception but also an unknown figure around their section would grab attention due to the conflict between the three groups.

Instead, I drifted towards the outer line of the camp, away from the crowd and all the commotion that was going on. My destination was several carts piled in the corner, piled with wood, low-quality fabric, and other cheap items. They were mostly safe because they were large enough that stealing them would be a chore.

Which meant, I could easily use them as a cover and disappear.

I was still afraid after my failed attempt against the servant back in the castle.

With most people on the other side, it wasn't difficult for me to sneak under one of the carts, and wait for someone to walk near me, ready for my first attempt.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the heavy sensation that followed my words when I tried to give my only Charisma-backed order. I opened my eyes only when the footsteps got closer, still hidden under the cart.

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