Jacob could not recall the last time he felt this much pain from working out. Might have been back in middle school when he was trying out for a position on the basketball team. There was a lot more work he had to put in than he originally thought was necessary.
As they say, no pain, no gain. His body would surely benefit all the work he was putting in.
The sun was beginning to lower, and he was finally done for the day.
In total, he managed to nab himself five hundred experience points, and thirty one-handed proficiency points.
For a day's work, it was not bad at all.
Jacob had no thoughts about wasting the three hundred proficiency points he had already on upgrading his one-handed expertise. It was wasteful, as he could only get twenty points per level up. While it may look like a lot on paper, it really was not.
After reaching a certain amount of mastery in one weapon type, or element the amount of points needed to level it up by one increased.
Besides, with a weapon mastery proficiency of six, he would increase his skill faster than others. Therefore, it was pointless for him to waste those points right now.
Instead, Jacob was more proud of the experience he earned.
The amount he received was a percentage of Oswald's total experience. So if Oswald had a greater level than Jacob he could continue to get a set amount of experience. Naturally, as the distance in level between the two got closer the experience gained was less.
Which is why it was key Jacob did not level up. Instead, he could farm valuable experience points for a while.
In Pathfinder the players rarely had a chance to take advantage of this kind of perk, due to them competing with others for resources. It put them in a constant state of wanting to level up to overcome their rivals.
That and a low-level player in Pathfinder could not do much. Stay low level for too long and before you know it everyone would have surpassed you. Not only in levels but gear as well.
The reason being was while you were training netting yourself a fixed amount of experience daily, everyone else was exploring the world making a name for themselves and earning money. The more they explored and fought, the greater the experience they gained.
Having just finished the last of Oswald's training, Jacob was released for the day. He already ate lunch, but it felt as if his stomach was empty.
Just as he took in food to give his body the energy it needed, Oswald made him work so hard it put his body into overdrive. Producing more energy for him to burn away while cleaning him of all the food he ate.
What he needed now was a bath.
It was hard at first, but soon he found himself able to walk albeit slowly. With every step he took, his body roared in pain. Yelling at Jacob to stop his senseless movement and relax.
Although he would like that, he had to get out of these damp clothes and get himself something to eat. He started to wonder if Rolf began preparing food for dinner. Jacob has not been here that long, but he was already starting to fall in love with Rolf's cooking.
He was like an addict who has just been introduced to a new drug.
When his small body managed to make it over to Rolf, Rolf gave him a look of surprise. The little guy could barely walk. Each step he saw Jacob take seemed as if he was carrying a thousand pounds.
The walk from the barracks to Rolf took around two or three minutes at most, but for the current Jacob, it took him more than ten minutes.
"Little one, what happened to you?"
Rolf was worried about Jacob's condition as it clearly was not normal.
Did he get beat up again but the doctor refused to treat him? If so, Rolf would have a word with Drake.
In response to Rolf, Jacob smiled.
His entire body felt heavy, he did not want to speak too much. Still, he had to find out if Rolf was fixing up anything tasty.
"Nothing, just a bit of training. Are you cooking dinner tonight or are the maids?"
Jacob's words came out slow due to the wave of exhaustion he felt. Somehow he managed to finish his sentence without much of a hassle.
Rolf nodded his head.
A sense of relief emerged in his heart as Jacob's condition was nothing serious. He's been in the same shape as him before, so Rolf knew the feeling. It was best he not keep Jacob here for too long and let him get some rest.
"I know just what you need. Rest up, I'll have someone send it to you in a bit."
Those were the exact words Jacob wanted to hear from Rolf. Maybe not the precise answer he was hoping for, but better.
Not staying around for much longer, Jacob went through the door and entered the kitchen. He managed to spot the older maid he was speaking to earlier sitting at the table chatting with two others.
Her eyes caught him causing her expression to change. The maids at the table looked in the direction her eyes were. Did not take long for them to spot the slow walking Jacob whose body was covered in dirt.
"You can take the boy out of the streets, but you can not take the streets out of the boy. Look at that, cleaned him up all nice and within a day he has managed to ruin his clothing. Best just give him that tattered shirt he wore and be done with it!"
One of the maids frowned as she spoke about Jacob. She was annoyed by his repulsive appearance. Showing no respect whatsoever for the free clothing he has been presented with. Instead, he ruined them.
"Look at him, barely able to stand. Guess he got beat up again, except Drake seems to be teaching him a lesson this time. Should serve him well to learn not to pick fights he cannot win."
The other maid who sat across from her chimed in.
As for the maid who spoke with Jacob earlier, she said nothing about him. She only gave Jacob a slight smile, and in response, Jacob gave her a small tilt with his head.
While she may not be sure of what happened, she had a feeling there was more to the story than the other two maids were making it out to be. When she talked to him earlier he appeared to be more mature for his age. Not naive enough to go do something that would cause others to judge him.
Jacob himself could not hear what the maids were saying, all he saw was the slight movements of their lips.
It took him a while, but he finally got out of the kitchen and began to work his way to the bath.
"What in Nessa's name happened to you?"
Diana who was walking down the stairs from the second floor spotted him.
She might not care for Jacob, but with what she knew, she knew he was a special person to the lord. Might not be related, but still special in a way she did not know.
The thought of Lezhalt using Jacob as a double never crossed her mind so far.
Jacob coughed three times before he managed to respond to her.
"I was training with the guards. There happen to be another set of clothes for me to wear? These are wet, would hate to wear them again."
Diana was shocked at the words he just said. She knew how hard the guards trained, and Jacob was all skin and bones! How could he survive that sort of training?
What was going on in that little brain of his to cause him to do such a thing? It was foolish and would only cause him harm.
Diana rubbed her temple and sighed. Whatever, it was his life. If he wanted to destroy his body then so be it.
"Yes, on the shelf in the cabinet you should find some clothing similar to your own. It is in the short hall by the baths entrance. When you take off your clothing, be sure to throw it in the laundry basket. It's one of the ones by the wall with the other clothes in it. Don't forget to wash yourself properly."
Diana made sure the words properly were stated loud and clear for Jacob to understand.
Jacob wanted to laugh but he couldn't.
He knew how to wash, she did not need to speak to him like an uneducated child. But, he was not too upset about it as the person she spent time with before was exactly that.
"Thanks."
Jacob told her before he walked off headed towards the bath.
Diana was glad to hear those words as she smiled and nodded her head in approval. However, it hit her soon after Jacob left. He was a nobody picked up off the streets, how did he know manners?