Richard’s excited nod was followed by them all crossing the sparkling bridge. Morlekai and Alice tried to play it cool, but their wide-eyed looks of wonder were the equal of Richard’s own. Jack, Yuki, and Marsha exchanging satisfied smiles, pleased to be back in a place where they had at least an ephemeral head start and weren’t feeling quite so outclassed as they had before, Eric thought.
Yet Eric’s amused grin faded to a strained grimace when Richard’s first stepped upon the massive citadel roof and spun around excitedly, his eyes crinkling with delight. “See, Eric? I told you! eighteen towers! Do you think that means there are eighteen dimensions involving the magical arts? Wow, that would be incredible! Wouldn’t it?”
Eric frowned, glaring at the full dozen towers in clear view. Grand, spiraling edifices shimmering with magic and wonder that, if anything, looked hyper-real in a world where everything else was shades of ephemeral shadow and illusion, so connected with inconceivable potency they were, thrumming with the might of entire worlds.
Entire realities.
He counted them aloud, just to make sure.
“I get twelve.”
Alice furrowed her brow. “Are you shits fucking with me? There are only five towers! And just looking at them too long makes me feel like I’m about to fade away, just a flicker of dream myself!”
Morlekai frowned. “I see six.”
Yuki exchanged looks with her friends. “I get seven. How about you, Jack? Marsha?”
“Five,” Jack said, brows furrowing. “Okay, what the hell am I missing?”
“Marsha?”
Marsha flushed, looking on the verge of tears. “I only see three,” she whispered. “But um… I see two others… almost? Shadowy wisps… if I really, really concentrate?” Her hopeful smile turned to a crestfallen sigh. “No. This is no place for self-delusion, is it? … I only see three towers radiating what feels like the fundament of existence itself.”
Eric exchanged looks with his friends, before turning to glare at Richard. “Fucking absurd.”
Richard’s eyes widened like the wrongly accused overpowered protagonist of every isekai anime ever. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Eric sighed, shaking his head. “Sorry, It’s just…” His eyes widened when he took a good long look at Richard Li.
His features weren’t actually Han Chinese, and maybe he had been thrown off because his heritage was mixed, as much Caucasian as he was Asian. But if Eric had to guess…
Mongolian. Mongolian features that had an awful lot in common with…
He flushed, lowering his gaze. Because he suddenly got it. It all clicked.
18 Towers. 6 Beyond what even those of Royal Bloodlines… or Royal Configurations, might notice. Which meant that Richard Li had a Draconic Configuration.
An imperial bloodline.
No wonder this kid had known just where to strike to knock one of the strongest U18 HEMA practitioners in New York out of the competitions, not that fucking long ago. Even if besting Eric had been so incidental that it didn’t even register in his memory.
Richard’s hurt expression turned to one of odd concern. “Eric?”
Eric swallowed his suddenly dry throat, flashing the youth a wry smile. “You know what every hardworking parent hopes to give their kids after working their asses off every working day of their lives?”
Richard nodded. “Of course. A good head start and a strong work ethic! And if they have the know-how, how to start and run your own business, so they’re offspring gets the benefit of all that hard work, not just their employer.”
Eric grinned. “You got it! Nothing beats a strong head start and a solid mentor or two that can show you the ropes so you don’t get killed before you head out into the real world.” He forced a chuckle and patted the confused-looking youth’s shoulder. “So come on! Let me introduce you to the Headmaster and my sister.”
“Eric?”
Eric gently stroked Bunbun’s head. “I think Richard just might be Evelyn Death’s descendant.”
Bunbun’s eyes grew comically wide. “Ooh… and she’s the Emperor’s partner! That would explain quite a few things. Good thing I could tell you never actually intended to kill him!”
Eric winced. Yeah. Even if it had been a scene right out of an anime… from the moment they met. Of course big bro Eric acts tough, because little bro Rich has nothing but the best of intentions for Eric’s twin! Both of them had instinctively known their roles, as if their karmic resonances had been aligned and fate itself decreed the momentary flow of their story. Which simultaneously made Eric glad even he could feel destiny’s gentle touch, sometimes. And it made him want to flee for the hills that very second. Because whatever storyboard destiny he and Richard sometimes resonated with, Eric did NOT like things fucking with his sense of perfect free will.
"Eric."
Eric blinked, slowly turning towards Morlekai who was looking everywhere but at him directly, even as he used the Blood Mage version of party formation that Eric had first experienced in Junk Town, so many months ago.
"What's up?"
"Grim wanted me to pass along a message: Cut the ties that bind. Some family members are best forgotten. And no, I don't know what that means."
Eric froze only momentarily while Morlekai broke the silent communication. His thoughts raced, realizing that he had absolutely no idea what Grim was getting at. But he was grimly certain that he'd be in a lot of trouble if he didn't figure it out.
Trying to keep his expression cheerful and free of worry, Eric lead them to the centermost tower entrance that seemed in tune with nature, the very one Marsha had led him through before. Morlekai and Alice exchanged awed looks as they found themselves striding across primeval jungles, windswept mountain plains, and blooming deserts in a handful of seconds that might have been hours. Passing in the blink of an eye.
“What the fuck just happened, Boyscout?” Alice was breathless with wonder. “Now I want a smoke so bad, but I don’t. Not really. What I want is to drink down the delicious effervescent taste of magic tingling against my skin!” she declared with a giddy laugh, shivering with awe as she stumbled, caught by her brother who looked just as spell-bound as she, their journey between worlds or a single school entrance ending in them all walking along marble hallways with grand arching ceilings of ancient oak adorned with bass reliefs and exquisite golden filigree.
“Amazing as anything, isn’t it? Almost as wondrous as an entire vault filled with glittering bars of gold bullion.” Eric gave them both a sympathetic smile before he caught sight of other students looking right back at them. All of them were wearing school uniforms, not one of them looked over sixteen, and all of them possessed the jaded eyes of skilled players of powerful crimson courts humbled to find themselves in vessels so precious, so vulnerable. Such that exquisite politeness ruled all their interactions, more than a few flinching visibly upon sensing both Eric’s and Richard’s potency. Clearly, they knew better than to cross words or wits with unknown Contenders who hadn’t yet undergone chrysalis when their own vessels were so fragile.
Or so Eric inferred, his social perks working overtime to bring what felt like sudden flashes of awareness. Yet when Richard met the other students with warm smiles and excited greetings, their jaded demeanors immediately softened into far more innocent countenances, so rapidly that Eric frowned, wondering if paranoia and not brilliant insight was guiding his own social perceptions.
“Hello, are you a new student here at the academy? What do you think of it? My name’s Richard Li, by the way. A pleasure to meet you.”
The uniformed student now before him, with the flawless features of a vibrant young woman in perfect health, not a single pimple to be seen anywhere, blinked underneath silvery-blue bangs at this introduction. Eyes crackling with a dozen cutting put-downs and a condescending smile faded to an odd look of strangely vulnerable confusion, before morphing into a completely genuine smile.
“Senren. I’m a new student myself. Richard, you said your name was?” She grinned, hand reaching as if to cup what were, admittedly, absurdly handsome boyish features before she stiffened and lowered her hand with a chuckle, only then taking in his friends.
She flinched when she took in Eric’s form, though he made sure that his smile was just as innocent and clueless as Richard’s. So why was she flinching?”
“Sorry, no opinions as of yet, but it’s good that you’re joining early. It gives you a few extra weeks to acclimate to what will no doubt be an exceptionally invigorating semester!”
Richard nodded animatedly. “Oh, yes, I can’t wait to attend classes! So, my friends and I are having a bit of a debate regarding the academy. How many towers did you see when you entered?”
Her look of innocence turned into a hooded smile. “An excellent question, isn’t it? A great way to learn an awful lot about a fellow student, no?”
Richard nodded. “five to seven for most of us.” His voice lowered dramatically. “And if one of my friends saw only three, I don’t think that matters nearly as much as being motivated to excel. Don’t you agree?”
Senren’s bemused gaze turned slightly condescending. “Hard work is every bit as important as raw talent, Richard, as I’m sure your masters taught you. But the wise Contender aspires to have both.” She then flashed a bright smile. “Oh, I think we’ll get along famously, once class starts! Now you’re new students, fresh from the towers, right? Don’t let me keep you. The admittance office is at the very end of this corridor.”
With a teasing smile and a strut to her hips, she parted with a final wave.
Richard kept his innocent smile firmly in place until she was out of sight. “That was informative.”
Jack frowned. “Do you really not get it, Rich? You don’t give away secrets to people you just met. Not when they’re the farthest thing from actual high school students. Not when they’re centuries-old classers eager to play at being youths in the most Machiavellian Lord of the Flies way you can fucking imagine.”
Richard nodded. “And now we know that Senren isn’t someone we need to worry about cultivating a serious friendship with.”
Yuki gave Rich a curious look. “Break it down?”
He shrugged. “She wasn’t direct. She fished for free information. And when she thought I had given her something of value, she blew smoke up our asses and left without sharing anything in return. And that was even after I put my Best Foot Forward.”
Eric’s ears picked up on what he was almost certain was a Contender power of one sort or another.
Richard then flashed a knowing smile. “So, we gave her nothing of value in return for knowing she’s not worth trusting in the future.”
Yuki grinned. “Nice. If anything, you encouraged her to underestimate us. Because I notice that you didn’t say anything about you and Eric.”
Richard winked. “Exactly.”
Yuki flushed. “She’s an idiot. If she can’t see how awesome a friend you’d make for anyone…”
The boy gave a sad smile. “Jack’s probably right. She’s a centuries’-old player who’s too lost and jaded by the dark games that forged her to appreciate a genuine soul. Or the fact that if your heart’s true enough, if you sense the possibilities of life’s story unfolding before your eyes… anything is possible!”
Jack’s approving smile turned to a frown. “Okay, I think you got the right attitude with that girl, but your fighting spirit Contender vibe is something that you got going on that most of us don’t. Most of us dreaming big dreams just fall flat on our faces, unless we have a really strong foundation of sweat and hard work that lets us achieve those dreams. Lucky breaks are the province of story books and I guess, well, Contenders.”
Richard Li exchanged a look with Eric and winked. “As if we didn’t work for every advantage we’ve ever earned.”
It was all Eric could do not to burst out laughing. “Sure, Rich. We’ve both worked really hard. Now come on, let’s introduce you to my sister and get you those titles!”
***
“Queen Elonia Silver, it’s an honor to meet you.” Richard said, taking center stage in the headmaster’s luxurious office, his cape that had appeared out of nowhere billowing as he swept a bow, hair blowing before an unseen breeze.
Elonia’s eyes twinkled, even the headmaster cracking a smile.
“Lord Richard Li, I presume? It is a sincere pleasure to meet you,” Elonia said, her voice with the husky yet winsome lilt that had won her so many fans and admirers, once upon a time.
Eric grinned, knowing that she knew exactly what she was doing as she waxed eloquent, filling his idealistic head with heartfelt praise and gentle concern when he regaled them all with the tale of their meeting and the final encounter with the mercenary band that had gone from being a perilous threat to desperate parents grateful to the hero that had united them with their rescued children.
“And you had it within you to unlock their own cultivation potential? Strong enough to thaw even a Bronze champion’s frigid nodes? truly remarkable, Lord Richard! Your status as a hero is beyond question. You have a priceless gift that will make all the difference in the years to come!”
Richard’s cheeks flushed at the praise.
“I’m grateful to walk the hero’s path,” he declared, his voice just as husky as Elonia’s. Only where hers had a tad of good-natured artifice, his words were absolutely heartfelt and sincere. And when he raised his gaze, brimming with idealism, passion, and a Contenders potential to shape the world, Elonia gasped, eyes widening with what Eric sure as fuck hoped wasn’t infatuation, even if he recognized that look all too well.
Elonia swallowed, momentarily breathless, clearing her throat as she fought to compose herself. “That you do, hero. And your gift of Queensland, free of any enticement or boon, shows your virtue and character like no other!” She turned to the headmaster, the pair sharing a nod.
“Did your companions explain the boons they would receive with the completion of their mission?”
Richard nodded. “Both Jack and Yuki were extremely helpful. In fact, everyone was.” He turned back, gazing fondly at the whole gang, including an noplussed Alice, a sardonic Morlekai, and Marsha, who was barely keeping on her feet, she looked so tired.
He gave a satisfied nod. “Boon companions that have made me feel welcome. Like a fellow adventurer welcomed into their ranks. And, perhaps one day, a brother-in-arms that they can count on through thick and thin.”
Elonia’s smile was heartfelt. “It pleases me tremendously to hear you say that, Richard. And let me say as well, before we begin anything so crass as negotiations, that in addition to any treaty we forge, should you choose to be a student here, you will receive the same boon as all your fellows have. For you are all responsible for bringing into our fold five priceless territories that will enhance the glorious gifts that our school can offer all her students, which will earn you the title of Prodigy and five free ranks worth of training in the art most attuned to your soul.”
The young Contender’s eyes widened with awe. “I accept,” he said breathlessly.
Elonia nodded, pulling out a ribboned scroll of enchanted vellum. “Here are the boons we are prepared to offer you, Richard Li—I’m sorry?”
“I accept!” Richard declared. “So long as I’m permitted free reign in Picksonville where my beloved students train to ascend, I will gladly swear fealty to the Sylvan Alliance, as a Lord of your Royal House, in return for the right to attend this academy.”
Elonia blinked, looking a bit at a loss for words, scroll in hand. “You have half a dozen territories, even if only four of them are of direct benefit to the school. You would have earned the title of baron and the right to attend my court,” she said breathlessly. “In addition to a steady income and a manor of your own… yet according to the interface message you sent me… you’re not even contesting the treasure hoard you pulled free of my twin brother’s ascension facility?”
Richard flashed a heartfelt smile. “It was clearly his. Anyone with any sense of fate or destiny could feel your brother’s mark on the wealth within that sacred obsidian pyramid. Ashland’s destiny depends on it. That’s clear even to me, as I’m sure it was to my friends.”
He turned to nod at the others, though Yuki and Jack exchanged bemused looks.
“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” Alice whispered to her brother.
Morlekai snorted. “Hardly. But Eric’s nodding so it clearly makes perfect sense to both Contenders.”
Alice snorted. “Which makes absolutely no sense. But after Boyscout managed to bust open and claim the contents of an entire black book reserve… I’m putting nothing past him.”
Eric winced, not having much he could say to that, though quietly impressed that his surprisingly noble new friend was even more perceptive than Eric had given him credit for. Then, of course, he just had to say stupid shit that ruined Eric’s entire day.
“There’s only one prize I truly desire beyond what I stated, Elonia Silver,” he declared.
She blinked. “And that would be?”
Richard’s smile was absolutely dazzling. “The chance to claim your heart.”
Eric’s bemused smile froze into a killing glare.
Alice whistled. “Talk about poking the dragon!”
“Relax, Eric. He’s just a boy,” Morlekai messaged.
Yuki paled and cursed. Marsha gasped.
Jack twisted around before flinching with a curse.
But all of that was meaningless and consequential as Eric glared at Richard who stiffened and spun around so fast that Eric knew he’d be more than a match for anyone who’s Quickness wasn’t at least 300. And he had the gall to fix Eric with his perfectly guileless stare.
“Eric. Relax. I got this.”
Eric didn’t wince at his sister’s glare. Why should he? He hadn’t done a damn thing, save give Richard absolutely all his attention. Because there was no way in hell that he was going to let any more smooth-talking idiots deceive her sister or mess up her life.
He had already taken care of the last predator to hurt her.
And he had absolutely no problems doing so again.
“Eric!”
The air cracked with a queen’s aura of absolute command.
Eric blinked, surprised to see everyone save himself, Elonia, and the headmaster stumbling to one knee.
Even Richard. And he was a Contender.
“What?”
Eric’s voice was the epitome of innocence.
His sister’s gaze wasn’t having it. But all she said mentally was… “I got this.”
She then turned to Richard, captivating him with a Charisma that might just be a match for Richard’s, even if she didn’t have the boy’s raw world-shaping magnetism.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Nothing would please me more than having a true hero, an idealist who puts ethics before power, righteousness before callous mercantile profit, as my advisor. My confident.” Her smile filled with summer’s effervescence and the promise of so much more. “My friend.”
She sighed, her gaze growing forlorn. “My court is heavy with the burden of countless centuries of wisdom, for which I am truly grateful. But I feel it would be far more balanced with someone who still sees the world with an idealist’s eyes and a hero’s heart.” She tilted her head, emerald green eyes spearing Richard’s heart. “I would be honored to have you play that role within my court, should you be interested, Richard Li.”
Richard trembled, and much to Eric’s dismay, seemed to glow with so much promise and potential. Glow and grow, gaining a full inch and putting on an absurd ten pounds and fifty attribute points worth of muscle before their disbelieving eyes.—It was so unfair!—Even as he bowed his head.
“Queen Elonia Silver, it would be my great and heartfelt honor to accept. May I prove worthy of your empire, and your friendship.” He had the moxie to lift his eyes then, a heartwarming twinkle. “And perhaps one day…”
Elonia’s honeyed laughter filled the chamber as she drew a mithril blade of exquisite craftsmanship that looked very much like a Napoleon-era French infantry saber with a gold alloyed hilt, jeweled pommel, and a blade that could slice open Richard’s neck with the barest flicker.
Even Eric winced, yet Richard’s eyes were filled with nothing but blind trust when his sister, in the heart of her power, gracefully tapped both of Richard’s shoulders with the flat of her blade.
“I hereby dub you Baron Richard Li, Chevalier and Champion of the Sylvan Alliance!”
Richard sobbed with genuine wonder as Elonia continued to list his titles and boons, which were many, and his responsibilities, which were surprisingly few.
Eric scowled. Richard seemed to grow another inch, his ego being stroked so thoroughly by his sister. No doubt his Strength and Vitality had each just ascended another 25 points. At least.
He was sure of it.
“Fucking bullshit,” he muttered to his familiar.
Bunbun winked. “Life is so unfair. Isn’t it, fearless leader? However will you cope with your 850+ Strength and Vitality? I know! Keep using your freeking 1100+ Quickness to dodge all duty and responsibility and just enjoy life to the fullest with your future MASSIVE ARMY of revenants that we’ll be putting together in no time at all!”
Alice’s eyes widened. She turned from the spectacle of Richard literally growing and glowing before their eyes into a true glorious six-foot paladin-like hero of the realm, shivering with destiny’s call, and yes, Elonia was now looking at Rich way too much like a tasty treat she would love to gobble up… but Eric’s friends were now gazing his way. And not Richard’s!
“What exactly are your stats, Boyscout?” Alice whispered in a strained voice, a crimson crow forming on Morlekai’s shoulder also giving him the beady eye.
Eric scowled. “Irrelevant. What is relevant is that Richard Li is literally growing into a noble hero worthy of a kingdom’s regard right before our freekin’ eyes! It’s ridiculous!”
Richard blushed, but didn’t shift his reverent gaze from Elonia’s intent regard.
“Will you serve as my champion, counselor, and companion, Richard Li?”
“Yes!”
And with that one word, Eric sensed the wild emanations of infinite power and potential radiating from Richard snap into being around him. The young man stumbled forward, having grown two inches, gained a massive increase in Strength and Vitality, with features now slightly more chiseled and defined than they had been before. As if he had transformed from sixteen to twenty with those two inches. A twenty he would keep forever, being a prime Contender strumming the cords of destiny just as loudly as Eric.
And he was totally Elonia’s type.
Eric winced, glaring down at his feet. “Fucking bullshit.”
His familiar snorted.
Words of heartfelt congratulations filled the headmaster’s chamber, and Eric just knew there would be a massive feast and celebration the minute they left the school and headed to the palace, which Eric knew was on the agenda. Even Morlekai and Alice, eyes dancing with excitement, could feel the heady promise of magic and a party like no other in their future as Elonia gifted everyone save Eric himself with titles, honors, and praise.
“You have all proven yourselves to be exactly the kind of candidates we seek for our sacred academy,” Headmaster Wyrmwood said at the last, wearing a headmaster’s ivory white robes, a perfect match for his beard, looking like the beloved and secretly uber powerful headmaster of every magical academy movie ever, who was now giving them all a knowing smile. “So by all means, enjoy the festivities and celebration in your honor! For when you next return to our sacred academy, I will personally oversee your chrysalis transformations and you shall each get to start your second lives free of all failing or flaw, that you may nurture and develop however you so which. For so long as you so wish. Seasons or centuries, as you so wish.”
His eyes seemed to swirl with hidden currents of arcane might.
“And for those of you with the dedication and focus, unlocking the secrets of the mightiest of sorcerers, learning to bend entire paradigms of reality to your will, shall be the ultimate prize for the future arch magi among you.” He gave Richard a pointed look. “And for those who seek to specialize in a single element along unorthodox paths… to channel the mightiest of elements as a cultivator… or a healer… that too, is now open to you, with the recovery of Ashland, Dairyland, Queensland, Solaris, and most especially, Picksonville. May you all master your affinities to such a degree than no competing mage, or cultivator, will be your equal!” He then bowed his head to Eric and his friends. “I look forward to great things from all of you.”
With those words, the entire group filtered out of the chamber, Yuki taking the lead and directing the rest to the royal palace, per Elonia’s nod. Eric alone dared to stay behind, willing to risk the headmaster’s displeasure, knowing there were things that needed to be discussed. Yet to his relief, Elonia was all smiles when he pointedly looked her way.
She made no comment regarding his sudden ambivalence to a too charming Richard, showing no irritation with him at all. No. What he saw in her gaze was heartfelt gratitude. So much so that he actually felt the need to apologize.
“Sorry, sis. It’s just that—”
Elonia’s finger gently touched his chin. She solemnly shook her head.
“Thank you, Eric.” She bit her lip, eye welling with unshed tears. “You actually did it. Thanks to you, we’ve locked in every single territory we didn’t even dare hope to claim! With no casualties, no harm to our friends, and now perhaps the most powerful Contender I’ve ever seen, save for you, brother, now sworn to my banner!”
She shook her head with a rueful grin. “If I ever doubted that Contenders really can shape fate and bend reality to their will… I certainly don’t now.”
Eric snorted at that. “Hardly! It was Richard who was literally growing and glowing before our eyes! And how the hell did he go from boyish charm to six feet and chiseled features and looking so much like, well…”
Elonia arched her brow.
Eric winced. “Yeah, never mind. Point is, his powers are absurd!”
Elonia snorted at that. “Really. You certainly would know absurd power progression, wouldn’t you, brother dearest?”
“You’re damn right, I would,” Eric nodded, forcing himself to address an issue that was eating at his conscience. “Elonia, about the gold we found. I really think you deserve—”
Elonia glared at him. “Stop it, Eric.”
“Elonia…”
Elonia turned to Headmaster Wyrmwood. “We agreed that the Ascension Center was his alone, yes?”
Wyrmwood solemnly nodded. “An individual’s domicile is sacred, and the System itself recognizes it as your personal residence. Whatever the transfer of territories, personal residences are rarely targeted, save as a deliberate political slight, and ours was the most peaceful of takeovers. The ascension center is yours and yours alone, young Contender.”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing, brother. As much as I admire Jack and adore Yuki… as much as I think Marsha’s a sweetheart, I know damn well that I would have achieved absolutely nothing, had you not been a part of our diplomatic convoy. Can you honestly say otherwise?”
Eric frowned. “Honestly…” He sighed. “No. In fact, it’s a miracle Richard actually found a backdoor to neutralizing those mercenaries in a way that didn’t require me, well…”
“Doing what you do best, fearless leader?” Bunbun said with a knowing smirk.
Eric flushed. “Yeah, actually. Exactly that.”
Elonia nodded. “Exactly. And now with those territories under my care, I can perfectly sense that we have seven aspiring Bronze-tier classers who are rapidly shooting up the ranks of cultivation. If all goes as I’m just betting it will under Richard’s patronage… those future masters of Wind will be effectively doubling their stat pools in maybe a year’s time? At least the White-tier portion. And that’s seven powerful classers who’ve sworn oaths of fealty to the Sylvan Alliance’s newest addition.”
Eric blinked at this. “Shit. They did call Richard their Sifu! And he has 667 orcs, elves, humans, and faeries all walking the path of warrior monks. And assuming I can actually get Ashland up and running…”
“They’ll be a true army to be feared, running wealthy tier delves no doubt full of fortuitous encounters, at least for a lucky few. Such as Richard’s favored disciples! And they too are sworn to Richard Li’s banner. A sweetheart of a boy who just gave me his sacred oath.” Elonia’s eyes flashed with a Queen’s potency. “In a multidimensional citadel in the heart of my power. And that, dear brother, is not an oath to be taken lightly.”
Eric’s eyes widened, lips curving in a relieved smile. “That’s why we did it here, and not at the palace! Under the pretext of enticing him with all that Mistridge has to offer…”
“We bound him in bonds of honor that not even a Silver would break lightly,” Wyrmwood quietly noted. “Not that I have any doubt as to the boy’s temperament,” he assured. He then flashed a knowing smile. “And not even the brightest shining Contender would blossom as he has, had he not voluntarily bound himself to the strongest of oaths. Oaths that have now irrevocably shaped his fate.”
Eric blinked, then solemnly bowed his head. “I feel so much better knowing that. Thank you.”
Elonia’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Are you grateful enough to attend the gala with me?” She laughed at Eric’s expression. “Relax, bro. I’m teasing. And don’t worry so much. Everyone here is oath-sworn to do neither this territory nor my person deliberate harm. And with my hundred half-step Bronze mithril-clad honor guard, and a connection to this land so strong that not a single Goblin assassin has been able to sneak inside whose malice I haven’t immediately sensed...” She flashed a relieved smile. “Honestly, Eric, I’ve never felt safer than I do now. And I owe it all to you.”
Eric, however, was incensed. “Those fuckers are still coming after you?”
Elonia’s eyes grew momentarily haunted. “Eric, I…” She paled and shuddered, rubbing a neck now free of any scar from a horrific bane-enhanced injury that, during this timeline at least, had never happened, save in barely remembered nightmare. She swallowed.
“It’s not as bad as you think. A trade delegation requested a meeting within the village nearest Freetown. Instead, I arranged for us to meet at the border, and I immediately sensed the handful of ‘extras’ posing as eager sightseers.” She flashed a bleak smile. “And the convoy was also accompanied by an Administrator who immediately stepped in front of the too-innocent-acting goblin merchants before trying to present me with a black-ribboned document that risked warping the fate of my entire territory, declaring that an accord between our factions had already been signed.”
Her smile turned bleak as the Winter Queen. “The document he tried to throw at me was caught up by a convenient gust. As was the Administrator who had tossed it.”
Eric’s grin was all teeth. “What a shame. And the goblins?”
“Were allowed to leave unimpeded.” His sister’s eyes flashed with hidden depths. “I honored the letter and intent of our agreed-upon meeting, however informal. The assassins they tried to smuggle within my domain and the unwanted Administrator attempting to bind me with writs of lawfare were not part of our accord, so were treated just as they deserved.”
Eric nodded. “And now that you know that even the most simpering goblin merchant is just a front for assassins, intrigue, and usurious debt...”
His sister gave him a pointed look. “I know, Eric. I’m not a fool.”
He winced. “I’m sorry, that came off as kind of—”
“My little brother the know-it-all?” She said with a teasing grin.
“Ha. Big brother by a full minute.”
“In your dreams.”
Eric chuckled. “It’s good to see you, sis.”
“You too, Eric.” She favored him with a sad smile. “Why do I feel like you’re not going to be joining the new class at all?”
Eric blinked in surprise. “After learning about the potential Mistridge offers? Are you kidding? I’d be a fool not to attend. My inner power gamer would never forgive me, forgoing any chance to learn how to tap into entire dimensions of magic.”
Elonia positively beamed, her fingers absently combing a loose golden curl behind her ear.
Eric noted that his sister’s upswept style, complimenting her glittering diamond-studded tiara, were now revealing ears normally covered.
He frowned in thoughtful consideration. Did they, in fact, have the tiniest hint of a point? Did his own?
He gulped, quickly feeling his own ears as well.
“Eric? Are you okay, bro?”
“It’s nothing, sorry.”
Elonia snorted. “You’re going to do great things here, Eric, unlocking wondrous arcane potential beyond anything you could have imagined. I’m certain of it!”
Eric flashed a cheeky smile. “That’s my hope.”
“And yet still you hesitate,” Elonia softly noted.
Eric forced a chuckle. “Yeah… it’s true.” He took a deep breath, focusing on his countenance in the silver framed mirror across from him. “After how hard I fought and struggled to achieve what I now have… going from a desperate survivor who’s heart’s racing with anxiety and dread every night, to a Contender who can face down entire armies… before being forced back to that same awkward fragile kid I was a year and a half ago?” He sighed, flashing his sister a sad smile. “We have two weeks, right? Two weeks to brace ourselves.”
Eric took a deep breath, eyes filling with resolve. “Two weeks to make sure absolutely no treacherous serpents are readying themselves to plunge daggers in our back.”
“Eric…”
“Are there any other factions that haven’t signed an accord with the Sylvan Alliance, or at least New Arcadia? Are there any factions without any favored champions or offspring attending our school at all?”
Elonia’s brow furrowed, clearly troubled by the question.
Eric sighed. “Who? Details, Elonia. Please.”
Elonia bit her lip, turning to Headmaster Wyrmwood who, Eric was quietly pleased to see, was acting far more like a counselor than an aloof headmaster.
Exactly what Eric would hope for in his former Dreadlord. Even if they had all informally agreed to pretend that existence had never happened at all.
“What are we permitted to share?”
The headmaster flashed a tight smile. “A very astute question, Elonia. Your brother isn’t sworn to your alliance, but you may bring whichever guest you like to an informal briefing.”
“Then let us assume this is just that.”
“Of course.” With the tiniest of nods Eric’s way, the headmaster then proceeded to ignore him entirely, striding behind his desk to gaze down at the perfect ball of crystal that Eric suspected had once been a Silver-tier monster core. His began weaving an elegant string of gestures with his fingers as the globe began to glow a silvery white before projecting in the center room what to Eric looked like a holographic map of the Northeast corner of the continent that looked nothing like New York or Pennsylvania he remembered, so much territory having been warped and stretched by the massive influx of potency that had stretched reality itself.
Eric felt an icy chill as he looked at a map that would have horrified his geography teacher of a lifetime ago. On one hand knowing that the topography was all wrong, it had to be. New Arcadia was itself well over ten thousand square miles. Yet simultaneously, he understood the original shape of the continent, and was pretty sure that just to their north was Lake Ontario. He then frowned and shook his head. Wasn’t there a plateau to his North? Or… had he gotten turned around in his mad dash from Freetown? He winced, catching his familiar’s jaded smile. When he wasn’t relying on his DI Map, his sense of direction was kind of shit. He could only be grateful that the multiple additional forces and fields of a System-enhanced reality meant that gravity and the laws of space, time, and physics worked much as he expected it would, even if Earth was clearly many times more massive than it had been pre-ascension.
Then Eric was struck by too-visceral memories of a certain flight between the stars by his mother’s side. He swallowed his unexpectedly dry throat, taking a deep breath as his heart pounded. Even if things were nominally stable, it was also exquisitely clear that power and ascendance allowed one to bend or outright shape many previously held inviolate tenants. And yet their new enhanced reality was durable enough not to explode into nothingness, no matter how often ascending monsters—like his mother—warped reality like toffee.
He supposed he should feel grateful.
Yet what he felt instead, when he noted the Orange-Tier territories closest to New York city in sharp contrast to the brilliant red territory adjoining New Arcadia was a growing sense of disquiet, all the more so when he noted more distant red hexes. As opposed to their burnt ochre hue, the territory to their south was a brilliant ember that glowed with intensity.
Headmaster Wyrmwood cleared his throat. “Regrettably, my Queen, our missives have yet to receive any response at all from New York’s ruling faction.”
Elonia frowned, glancing Eric’s way before speaking. “Don’t the gnolls claim New York?”
Wyrmwood dipped his head, also glancing Eric’s way, making it clear they were rehashing old information for his benefit alone. Orienting him in this timeline as best they could, while still playing by the rules. “New York’s logistical situation is actually quite unique. They presently consist of an unexpected alliance between gnolls, goblins, and a surprisingly large contingent of well trained and surprisingly well armed orcs.”
Eric’s eyes widened at this, but before he could speak, the headmaster spoke on.
“In addition to the considerable information freely granted by the handful of young adventurers and heroes who have joined our faction and now call New Arcadia their home, several have also reported seeing massive galleons manned by orcs in the New York harbor, each sporting triple gun decks with dozens of cannons.”
Eric’s eyes widened, too much of a history buff not to know what it meant. “Wait, did you say triple gun decks? Those aren’t galleons. Those bastards are now using first-rate ships of the line! That’s eighteenth century tech, not sixteenth or seventeenth! The HMS Victory had over a hundred cannons! If those ships are anything like Britain's… fuck! How many of those cannons will they be able to bring to shore? How many fucking treaties is this violating? Which asshole administrator signed off on another bloody backdoor that let’s them stack the odds in their favor?”
Wyrmwood flashed a tight smile but didn’t respond to Eric’s dismayed cursing, instead using a crystal rod to draw Elonia’s attention to the orange territories themselves. “And I know I don’t have to explain to you what the absence of red flares here means.”
Elonia’s lips tightened together. “Fortunately, my brother clearing Ashland and securing those delves now allows us to triangulate the location of every delve within our sector.”
Eric’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? That’s incredible!” Because even if his Dominion Interface Map let him sense the general location of delves when he entered a given territory, his gift didn’t extend to any adjoining territory’s hot-spots. Then he glared, instantly understanding what the pair were getting at. Even if his attention had been thrown off by finding out that the orcs, if Eric’s worst fears were on point, were about to enter what for British Empire had been the golden Age of Sail.
But that wasn’t the major source of Eric’s dismay.
It was that some other asshole besides him was getting a jump on multiple first-clears of all the delves in New Yorks’ orange territories!
Eric groaned, finding himself slumping back in the same leather recliner he had claimed during his first visit, a cold glass of milk and consoling plate of cream puff pastries manifesting just when he needed them the most.
“So, it’s as we feared. A Contender friendly to the orc faction is taking a quick route to power, in direct conflict with the precedent that we are establishing with all those who will be attending within two weeks,” Elonia noted.
Wyrmwood nodded. “Exactly so, Your Grace. And the deliberate buildup of naval forces, battleships armed with scores of cannon, will not sit well with any elite with coastal territories that would otherwise be content to study here for seasons, if not years.”
Eric’s jaw clenched. “Goblin fuckers are doing this deliberately to sow conflict and discord. Because the more stable and developed this region becomes, the lest they can profit like the vultures they are.”
The headmaster flashed a mirthless smile, dipping his head, though deliberately not looking Eric’s way. “And you’ll note that they’re not using their forces to cleanse the thousands of square miles that comprise the half dozen Orange-Tier regions whose delves they’ve just cleared.”
“Which means that they’re saving their forces not for any sort of peaceful expansion… but for conquest.” Elonia cursed, glaring at the map. “They’re readying themselves to take out Boston. That must be their objective!” Her fists clenched in helpless frustration, and Eric just knew who she must have been thinking of.
“Did Brittany get an invite?”
Elonia’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded. “I sent a formal invite to both her and her sister.” Her lips pressed in a firm line. “Her parents rebuffed the offer. Politely, gracefully… but they’re certain that the moment that both girls leave, their clan’s sympathetic resonance to New England ends, and any hope of forging an empire of their own dies with the girls’ exit.”
Eric scowled. “I see.”
Elonia groaned, rubbing her eyes. “And now with the New York faction now having the means to clear over half a dozen delves in just a handful of days? With orcs having access to ships with scores of cannons which we know damn well will be used to bombard coastal targets before they bring their weapons inland…”
Eric flashed a mirthless smile. “It’s not even safe to use a high speed levimobile to slip past our foes. Because I can think of only a couple things that would be able to clear all those delves in just a handful of days. And that means that the area’s gotten way too hot to try any emergency convoys. Even if you had a skilled driver able to dodge mutated beasts, dinosaurs, and flying terror birds…”
“None of that stops canister shot or blaster fire.”
Eric nodded at his sister. “Exactly.” He forced a laugh. “This is why we’re having this conversation.”
Elonia sighed, rubbing her eyes. “It’s bullshit, Eric. This is crap I only found out within an hour of you claiming Ashland, for which I’ll always be grateful. I’ve reached out to Blue. Caliban's helped me sign retainers with several mercenary companies already, which basically assures I’ll be on their ‘nice list’ in perpetuity for a fee that’s not even absurd. I get the feeling this is how a lot of companies make their bread and butter. It’s only the orcs we need to worry about, and now I’m the farthest thing from a girl whose forces were winnowed down to…” She shuddered, shaking away memories that were clearly no longer her own.
“And if they dared move against us, they’d face a force beyond their ken.”
“A force that by destiny and treaty is consigned to territories that fly your banner alone,” Eric solemnly noted, glaring at the map. Most especially the orange territories free of any blinking lights at all.
Which mean that there was absolutely no way he could ever claim the first clear for those regions at all.
Then his lips curved in a sudden fierce smile, appreciating the other possibility now opening up for him. “But that also means…”
Elonia furrowed her brow, emerald green eyes meeting his own. “Eric?”
“So. I just occurred to me. New York is now utterly free of any portals or mazes or rifts that might take days or weeks to clear, especially for lone wolfs with zero sense of direction.”
Elonia chuckled. “You definitely need a dungeoneer on your team, Eric.”
“He has me!” Bunbun quipped. “Cavern Killer Queen and Exile’s Path league champion.”
Eric grinned, gently scratching his bunny’s ears with one hand while devouring scrumptious pastries with the other.
He flashed his familiar a hungry smile. “So, what do you think, Lilly? Is it about that time?”
His bunny chuckled evilly, snagging herself a pastry with a surprisingly prehensile ear. “I don’t know about you, fearless leader. But I, for one, would LOVE to get some exercise before starting school.”
Eric nodded at that. “Nothing like jogging for fitness,” he quipped.
His sister’s smile grew worried. “Eric. I know you’re strong, but it seems clear that there are at least a couple of powerhouses in New York, and they’re deadly. And if they also have cannons…” She gazed pointedly at her brother happily stuffing pastries in his mouth. “Eric, it’s one thing to trade jokes with friends. Quite another to risk your life against heavy artillery.”
“Agreed,” Said Headmaster Wyrmwood. “Though it occurs to me that there is one party in particular that benefits from the growing conflict a second orc resurgence would cause, especially if backed by mercenaries.”
“Goblins,” Elonia hissed.
This earned a chuckle. “And knowing their penchant for both assassination and lawfare… perhaps there is a reason why we never received any response from the ruling faction of New York City.”
Eric blinked in bemusement when the older man pulled out a wax-sealed vellum letter from the desk he was now seated behind, favoring Eric with a curious smile.
“If you’re truly determined to make the most of your time before semester starts, how would you like to earn some additional honors, Eric Silver?”