The sun was rising as they stumbled down the dusty Clod road and Konrad could see a crowd had gathered to greet them.

“Konrad,” his mother shrieked as she hurtled forwards.

“Now Hera, give the boy some room, he’s injured,” said Dun, then slightly louder. “Everyone Konrad is back safe with us, we all need rest before the work tomorrow. Please go back to your homes.”

The crowd began to dissipate, some called encouragement back to Konrad as they left while others had quizzical looks on their faces; there was something different about him that they couldn’t put their finger on.

“Konrad, your arm. Luca look at his arm.”

“Id fi ma,” Konrad mumbled.

“Luca, take him from me. Not that arm, it’s broken,” Dun said.

Konrad’s father took his arm over his shoulder and helped him towards their small home. He couldn’t remember the last time that he had been this close to his father, he smelled like dry wheat and old sunshine.

“Easy Kon, we’ll see you right,” he kept repeating in a quiet voice.

In the light of candle glow Konrad was laid down in the corner of the room. There was a scratching at the door and when it opened Spirit slinked in and approached Konrad carefully, sniffing his broken arm and making low gentle sounds.

“What happened Kon?” said Hera.

His mother and father were seated on the floor next to Fra Dun in the cramped space, and all three were staring at him.

Konrad swallowed and found that he could speak without too much pain. If his jaw wasn’t broken then it must have been severely dislocated.

“I went to the shrine, for the choosing,” he began slowly, recalling the events in his head. “The Priest was trying to get me to hurry up, then Spirit saw something and started to attack some of the idols, and statues. She was ripping the smaller ones and I tried to stop her.”

Spirit whined and covered her eyes with her paws while Hera made a sign of the Mother on her chest and clutched at a pendant that hung around her neck.

“I fell over and when I woke up there were these people there, they were the small gods.”

Luca dragged his fingers through his short hair. “Demons Father Dun, demons have got my boy. We have to take him to Tajar, to the temple of the Father.”

Dun was staring at Konrad. “Demons don’t give gifts,” he said and nodded at Konrad’s leg. “Show them boy.”

Konrad moved both of his legs, pulling his knees up to his chest. His mother screeched and fell back into her husbands arms.

“Settle down Hera, you sound like you’re being murdered,” Dun said.

“But his leg, how are you walking Kon?”

“There were four of them, there was Avram, Lyran, Casovan, and another one.”

“The Cold Bite?” Dun asked.

“You know him?” Luca asked.

Dun nodded slowly. “An old god from the north.”

Konrad swallowed and continued. “They spoke to me and they said I was their champion.”

He waited for someone to speak but the room held a complete silence as the three sat enraptured.

“They gave me gifts, Casovan said. I wouldn’t feel the cold, and he was right. All the way down the hill I couldn’t feel the chill like normal. Avram gave me hiding in shadows, but he messed up and Spirit got that one. Lyran said I could heal myself if I was hurt.”

“You’re hurt now Konrad, did you try to heal it?” Fra Dun asked.

Konrad looked into the frightened eyes of his mother and father, then to the reassuring face of Fra Dun who nodded.

“Try it now.”

Konrad placed his hand on the spot where Lyran had touched him and tried to recall the warm feeling. Instantly a hot flash seared in his broken arm, in his mouth and his stomach all at the same time, the heat was so intense that he cried out but then it was gone and he lifted his arm.

The pain was still there so he wasn’t completely healed, but he could breathe and speak without wincing.

“Oh the Mother and the Father and all the family, protect us,” Konrad's mother whispered.

“You really are a champion of the gods,” Dun said, his wrinkled mouth open in astonishment.

“The small gods,” Konrad corrected.

“But Otto left. The priest of the Father said he could never come back.” Luca’s voice broke slightly when he mentioned his oldest son’s name.

“The priest said this was different. These are small gods, I just have to do some jobs for them. I can come back whenever I like.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Hera clutched at Konrad and he felt her hot tears on his cheek.

“So it’s not Faelen demons?” Luca asked.

“No it’s not demons,” Dun snapped. “You think they give gifts like its Haggling eve and don’t ask for anything in return?” Dun turned an eye to Konrad. “They didn’t ask for anything did they boy, did you sign anything?”

“I can’t write.”

“You know what I mean, did you swear to them or any such thing?”

“No, they told me that I had quests to do that would help them.”

“Classic champion work is a quest,” Dun said snapping his fingers. “Shame about the shadows going to the dog.”

“I know right?”

Konrad’s mother held his head in her hands, looking deep into his eyes “You’re sure you’re alright?”

“I feel good ma. I can walk, and I’m a champion of the gods.”

Luca looked at Dun. “What does this mean now, will they pay Reed for his share like they did with Otto?”

The question brought Konrad back down with a bump.

“There’s no money,” he said in a hollow voice.

Dun scratched his chin. “That’s not right, you’re a champion, you’ve got to wear the crown and go off adventuring with the whole village turning out to cheer you on, hasn’t you? Slaying monsters and rescuing princesses, bringing glory to his deity.”

“Deities,” Konrad corrected him. “But they’re small gods, that’s why there’s no gold. They don’t have many followers.”

The group were silent for a moment. None of then knew how much the church had paid to buy Otto out of their land contract with Reed, but it was more than they could ever hope to raise.

“I’ll speak to Reed, see if there’s something that can be done,” Fra Dun said.

“Fra you don’t have to, I’m the boy's father, I’ll find a way. Where’s this priest now?”

“He said he would be back in two days.”

“Well we still have you for two days,” Hera said, clutching his hand tightly and standing up.

“Where are you all going?” Konrad asked as his father also stood and helped Fra Dun to his feet with a groan and a clicking of his old bones.

“It’s already light out Kon, time to go to work. Just cause you’re a champion doesn’t mean you get to skip work.”

* * *

Konrad automatically turned to the fishery. Alice would be there and he needed someone to make him feel like the world was still normal in some way.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Luca asked.

Konrad pointed to the fishery but Luca shook his head. “You got two good legs now lad, you’ll be in the fields today.”

“But I don’t know how to do that.”

“Then you’ll learn.”

Konrad kicked a pebble out of his path and it skittered across the dusty road. Being a champion was not turning out to be quite as exciting as he thought it would be.

Every eye in the Clod work party followed Konrad and Luca as they made their way across the field.

“What’s he doing here?” Jasper said, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

The last time Konrad had seen Jasper was when he had passed him as he walked back from the shrine. Then he had worn a glum look on his face, but now his features were screwed up in suspicion.

“And how’s he walking? Konrad don’t walk.”

“He’s chosen as a champion of the gods, they fixed his leg. Anyone got anything to say about that?” Luca asked.

Konrad had never heard his father string so many words together before and he wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Luca wasn’t the tallest man in the village, but he had a solid frame from a lifetime of hard labour and he stood a half step in front of Konrad with his hands balled into fists.

The work party looked sideways at each other and seemingly without any movement, Jasper found himself all alone in a widening circle.

“No problem here Luca. Well done Konrad,” Jasper said.

“Let’s get to work then.”

For several hours the only sound in the fields was the gentle whisper of the scythes as they sliced through the dry wheat stems. The hot sun burned Konrad’s neck and his soft hands quickly turned red and blistered.

He tried to heal them but nothing happened and he thought back to the faded image of Lyran, perhaps she didn’t have enough power to heal him several times a day. Or perhaps it was all a dream and soon his leg would seize up and he would be sent back in shame to the fishery.

The group took a break in the shade and at the insistence of Gerrard, Konrad retold the story of his visit to the shrine.

“More water Konrad?” Jasper asked when he had finished his tale.

Konrad nodded and Luca placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed briefly, which Konrad knew was the Luca equivalent of picking Konrad up and twirling him around joyfully.

“Fireballs, that’s your classic early power, can you do fireballs?” Gerrard asked.

Gerrard was tall and rake thin, and his ripped pants and threadbare hat made him look like a scarecrow. As the only Clod who regularly travelled outside of the valleys he considered himself an expert on all worldly matters.

“He said what he got Ger: new leg, he don’t feel the cold, he can fix broken bones, and his dog is good at hide and go seek,” Jasper said.

“Well depends on the god don’t it? If you’re the Father’s champion you’re going to be doing the fighting, so you’d need a sword,” Gerrard said.

Luca got up silently and took up his scythe, heading back into the fields.

“Did Otto get a sword, Kon?” Jasper asked when Luca was out of earshot.

“I don’t know, he had to leave straight away didn’t he.”

“Sad thing that. I always liked your brother. Always willing to lend a hand,” Gerrard said.

“Fixed my ma’s roof when the big storm came through, never needed mending since,” Jasper added.

“What do you get if you’re picked by the Mother Kon?” Another worker asked.

“Ah I don’t know really.”

“Show us a fireball will you Kon?” Gerrard said.

“He’s not going to do that. You think Ostred walked around throwing fireballs whenever anyone asked?” Jasper snapped.

Being compared to the most famous of champions of the last hundred years placed a heavy weight on Konrad’s shoulders and when the work started up again he moved to a deserted corner of the field and worked steadily to tie the wheat into thick bushels. He had watched his father and these men for years wanting to be a part of their world, but now he saw that it wasn’t quite as glamorous as he’d thought.

As dusk fell Clayton Reed arrived to collect their harvest. He was driving the lead wagon and he scanned the dusty group of Clods and sneered when he caught sight of Konrad.

“Is it true the gods chose you as a champion?” he called, jumping down. “Otto I can understand, at least he was useful, but who would choose you?”

Gerrard, Jasper and the others backed away uncertainly. Only Luca remained next to Konrad, his eyes cast downwards.

“Now Clayton, we don’t need no aggravation,” Luca said.

“Konrad’s learned his lesson already, now I want the dog that bit off Sam’s ear.”

Konrad had planned to ignore Clayton’s taunts, but at the mention of Spirit he looked up sharply.

“You leave my dog alone Clayton Reed.”

Luca grabbed his elbow and he realised he had taken a step forward without even thinking of it. His were hands balled into fists, the pain of the blisters blunted by his anger.

“Easy Kon,” Luca mumbled.

Clayton took a half step back, his eye’s darting to each side and seeing only the dusty Clod workers around him.

He was scared.

The realization came as a shock, no-one had ever been scared of him before.

“Piss on what you want. That dog's going in the ground,” Clayton snarled.

Konrad tried to take another step forward but Luca held on tight to his arm.

“It’s not worth it Kon.”

Clayton spat on the dusty floor and hauled himself into the wagon, slapping the reins.

“Me and the boys will find that dog on our own. You better get back to work, you got a lot more to do before you can pay back my da,” he yelled.

The wagon took off through the fields and Jasper sidled up to Konrad.

“Fireball?” he suggested quietly.