His body twisted and turned in the small bed, he was uncomfortable. Whenever he closed his eyes he felt as if someone was watching him, and if he kept them closed for too long his breathing became rough.
It was hard for him to sleep.
In a foreign body, in a foreign land with a threat hanging over your shoulder. He did not know when or who, but he knew they would eventually arrive. And when they did, blood would be shed.
He was a developer, not a hardened warrior. No matter how much of a front he put up, it wouldn't change that fact.
The body he was in was lacking in any strength as it has been on the streets eating whatever little scrapes it could for survival. Survived it did but weakened it was.
Jacob's eyes opened as he laid staring at the white ceiling. Holding his fist up high, he continued to clench it.
The only way out was to become stronger. At least powerful enough he would be able to protect himself. The option was already there, once dawn broke he would visit the barracks again to receive proper training.
How long would it take him? He did not know, in game it would take him a few hours of grinding but this was not the game. He could not grind for days without rest, his body had its limits and Jacob needed to break through them one by one.
Getting up, he walked towards his room door. The room itself was nothing to grin about, it had the most basic setup. A bed, a chair, and a desk.
'I need some water…'
Jacob told himself as he left the room and began to walk towards the kitchen. His footsteps were light as usual. He's never made much noise to begin with allowing him to have a lower presence than others.
It was safe to say that things were pretty dead around here at this time. The maids and butlers were all asleep, so the mansion was quiet. It was dark inside, but due to the numerous windows, the light from the moon allowed Jacob to see where he was going.
This was not modern day, he would not be able to get water from a faucet. Jacob needed to go outside to the well if he wanted something to drink. For that, he had to walk through the kitchen and take the door that led outside.
It was slightly cold, but not cold enough Jacob would freeze. Once the seasons began to change the nights would only get colder.
His ears twitched as he heard footsteps coming closer with some light mummers. His mind was telling him there was nothing to be afraid of as it was the guards patrolling the estate. Yet, his body moved ignoring the thoughts he kept telling himself.
Jacob's body was already small, so ducking down far enough the walls of the well were able to hide him.
It was strange, his heartbeat sped up as he felt his senses heighten.
"Fucking hell, why'd we get strapped with patrolling? Should have had the new guys do it, give us old-timers a break."
One of the guards complained as he paused, taking a break from patrolling the grounds. It was not like there would be an attack, there was rarely an attack on a nobleman's life. Guards were mostly just for show.
"Oh shut your mouth and keep it moving. You want to rest, then do it when your shift is over."
Another voice sounded out, telling his companion off.
"Fuck you! You keep talking, but your feet stopped moving before mine did you lazy bum. We working for nothing, makes me feel like a slave that can't escape its master. Ten silver a week, what the hell am I going to spend that on?"
The voice belonging to the first man responded quickly as if he already had something prepared in his head. His partner was giving him shit when he was the first one to stop moving. Yet, he was the one being told off.
"Ten silver is better than no silver. You trying to bite the hand that feeds you?"
It was true, ten silver was not a lot but it was better than nothing at all. With ten silver, you could stay in a cheap inn for five days. You could buy yourself a nice hot meal at a mediocre restaurant.
Might sound back, but for the guards, it truly was not bad. They got free lodging, food, and equipment. Therefore, as long as they did not spend their money on useless things they would have a decent sum of money to spend once they retired.
Retirement was whenever they wanted it to be, be it one day from or ten years. The ideal goal for any man was to work until they saved up a thousand silver, then buy some land in a village. That way they could build a house, start a family and eventually sell crops they farmed for extra money.
"All I'm saying is we should be paid properly for our services. It's no secret that the lord's father owned two enterprises, so the lord is rolling in silver. It is not like he is spending it, so why not increase our wages? I mean, look at this armor, all beat up and handed down! I need proper equipment, not this horseshit."
The man pointed at spots on his armor to show how worn out it was. Dents and cracks went around it, while one could see bits of rust starting to show.
"And I need a wife that doesn't want all my money! But neither of us are getting that, now are we?"
Jokingly, he responded back towards his companion who continued to complain.
"You know if that loyal dog Renold was not in charge, our pay would increase and we would be living in better barracks. He's old, his mind is not the same as it used to be, it is time he lets someone else take over and he retires."
"Finally! Something we can agree on. I haven't seen him lift a sword in who knows how long. When was the last time he actually drank a beer with us? Oswald is not only strong, but he also is pretty smart too. You ask me, he's the real leader around here."
He had to agree with his partner's words, even if he did complain most of the time. When was the last time he had a chat with Renold? Heck, the only thing he could recall was Renold giving Oswald orders to take charge of their training. And that was a year ago!
"When Oswald takes Renold's place, he already said he would confront the lord about our pay and equipment. Either increase it to twenty silver a week, along with brand new armor and weapons for each of us or stay here unprotected."
The man who continued to complain whispered in a low tone, as if he were afraid someone would hear what he had to say. It was low, but Jacob could still hear what they were saying due to him not being that far of a distance away.
"When did he say that?"
The other one asked in a whisper like voice as well. He could sense his partner wanted to keep this a secret.
"I don't know, I just heard it not too long ago from one of the guys. Told me that Renold's days were numbered, just needed to keep low until the time was right."
Jacob gulped as he listened to the two guards talk. He figured it was a bunch of guards bullshitting around while taking a short break, but who knew it would lead to something else.
This was a big deal and something that the guards wanted to be kept quiet.
Would Oswald confront Renold, Jacob was never one to believe in rumors at first glance. However, if the lord could plot his own plans, why could a guard not do the same?
One wanted to be safe from harm, the other one wanted a higher position and pay. Both were taking steps they felt needed to be done in order to achieve their goals.
The two guards started to patrol again allowing Jacob's body to relax as he fell butt first on the ground.
After a minute, Jacob finally calmed down a little and headed back into the kitchen through the door. Forget the water, his mind was focused on something else.
"What are you doing?"
Diana's voice vibrated in Jacob's ear as he saw here with a clear glass in her hand. A white nightdress that was almost transparent wrapped around her body.
Jacob looked into her black eyes while giving her a soft smile.
"Nothing just went out for some water."
Diana just looked at him as she brought the glass up to her lips and took a sip of whatever she had inside. Something felt different.
Vulcan was different. She could not put her finger on it, but she could tell. She just knew people, and her feelings were rarely wrong.
The way his voice sounded out, the way he looked at her and the way he presented himself. She felt as if he had aged, no longer perving at her body or speaking in a light tone.
Jacob seeing as Diana did not say anything else, walked past her and headed back to his room. As he did, Diana's eyes followed him.
He was hiding something, and she wanted to know what it was.