When I woke up I realized that my head had not hit a pillow. It had hit the stone nightstand next to the bed and there was blood all over it. I reached up and gingerly touched the spot where my head had met the stone. Dried blood had crusted over and I winced in pain. I rang the bell and within a minute, a servant arrived and opened the door. He looked at me and gasped, “My lord, are you hurt?”
“Nah I’m fine, just get me a surgeon to fix this up.” The servant walked out of the room and a few minutes later a woman in all white walked in.
“Well, that was fast.” I said with surprise. She walked up to me and handed me a leather strap.
“This will hurt a lot, so please bite down on this.” she said and gently started to prod at the wound. I knew what was going to happen and I bit down as hard as I could on the leather. The Surgeon muttered a few words and her hand flashed for a moment, then piercing, burning pain hit me.
I screamed into the leather and the smell of burning flesh wafted into the air, it burned for what felt like hours but in reality, was probably less than ten seconds. Then as quickly as it started, the pain faded away and the smell subsided. I groaned and spat out the leather.
“God, that was fucking horrible.” I moaned, the woman laughed and patted me on the back.
“You’re lucky it was only a small cut, most people aren’t so lucky,” she said and left the room. I thought about her words, then I thought about some of my parents’ patients. The blank looks on their faces after the screaming had ended. The dead eyes that were devoid of emotions. Many men in the army would say that they would rather suffer the injury naturally than let a Surgeon work on them. But in reality that was just talk, and Surgeons were in great demand all across the empire.
I looked at the clock on the wall, I had once again missed breakfast. I sighed and put on some fresh clothes and went downstairs. On one of the lifts down, two guards were arguing about the practicality of some weapon.
“Look man, all I’m saying is that a bow can fire four times faster.” one of the guards was saying, the other shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you can shoot if your shots can’t pierce the armor.”
“Sure, but what about the fact that it uses fire dust? Do you want that stuff lying around a bunch of peasants?”
Were they talking about Lokar’s boomstick thing?
“What do you think?” one of them asked, looking at me.
“Why are you asking me?” I asked in surprise, the guards looked at me, then at the pistol at my hip.
“Oh, well I think that they are incredibly powerful weapons with several major weaknesses.” the two men nod, “The big one is the use of an incredibly volatile material as a propellant. But imagine a line of men with boomsticks firing into a heavy cavalry charge.” I shrugged, “but what do I know, I’m no strategist.”
I walked to the dining hall where a hundred or so people were eating at a buffet. I grabbed a plate and sat down to eat, people were talking about the feast the next day and I realized that I didn’t have any clothes to wear to it. I hadn’t thought that I was going to need fancy clothes at battle school. I tapped one of the men on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, but where could I get a suit for the feast tomorrow?” the man laughed, “Hah! A fellow procrastinator I see, you can get one made for you at a bunch of shops in the second or third tier. Hell, I’m going shopping for one after lunch, you wanna come along?”
“Sure why not, it’s not like I’ve got plans today.” I said, the man smiled, “and I thought today was going to be boring, Alexander Taylor.” he said and offered me a hand.
I shook it, “Ryze Varus.”
“Oh, a dragon in the Capital I see, so why are you here Ryze?”
“Well, I’m here to study at the battle school but I kinda got roped into the feast by the Brightking,” I said and he raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”
“Well I’ll be damned, I’m headed off to battle school too, and I couldn’t resist a chance to eat at the king’s feast, so here I am.”
I looked at him in surprise, then gave him a once-over. He was a bit shorter than average height, with brown eyes and black hair. He looked like the poster boy for the middle class.
He dusted his hands and stood up, “welp, I guess we should get going then.” I followed behind him and we headed out the door.
“So, do you prefer Alexander or Alex?” I asked, he shrugged, “I’m fine with either so it’s all up to you I guess.”
“Alex it is,” I said, “If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a trait?” Alex grinned at me and someone on my other side tapped my shoulder. I turned to look at them and found Alex standing there. I turned back to where Alex had been a second ago and he was still there. I blinked and turned my head again to face the other Alex. I could feel my brain melting as I tried to figure out what was going on.
“Well, you see,” both of them said in unison, “I can sort of kinda create copies of myself.”
“That is so cool,” I said and tried to touch the fake Alex, he slapped my hand away and disappeared.
“So that’s mine, what’s yours?” he asked.
“Look at me for a sec,” I said and he turned to look at me. I took a deep breath and walked to the gate. I exhaled and he stared at where I was, then tilted his head and looked around.
“Over here.” I shouted, he noticed me and jogged over.
“So you got super speed or something?” he asked. I thought about it for a second, “I’m not sure, I think I just slow time down for everyone else, I don’t feel like I’m moving any faster, it’s just everything else is moving slower.”
We exited through the gate and walked around the Third Tier.
“So, where are you from?” I asked him, he looked around and pointed to one of the houses.
“Right there.” then grimaced, “well that’s not entirely true anymore.” and didn’t say any more. I looked over at him, he looked like he was remembering something so I didn’t press him any further.
We walked through multiple shops, before deciding on one of them. We entered the shop and were greeted by an old man and a pretty girl.
“Hi, welcome how may I help you?” asked the girl.
“Me and my friend here need suits for the feast tomorrow,” I said and gestured over at Alex.
“Of course, if you would come right this way,” she said happily and skipped to a part of the room with a bunch of mirrors. The old man that I assumed was her father and her started to measure us, and of course, I got the old guy. On the bright side, I wasn’t blushing like a tomato every time I got touched. Alex on the other hand, well let’s just leave it at that.
More than an hour later I checked myself out in the mirror. I was wearing a two-piece suit of black and red. Alex was wearing a similar suit but in a deep blue.
“That will be fourteen coins and eight chips,” she said and I paid for the suits. Alex looked like he was going to object but I shut him down before he could say a word.
“Nuh-uh, I don’t want to hear it. Think of it as thanks for showing me around.” Alex tried to object again but each time he started I would cut him off. Finally, he had enough, he activated his Trait and seven copies of him yelled, “I’m trying to thank you, you dim-witted shit!”
“Oh!” I said and started laughing, he looked at me for a few seconds before joining in. Then my stomach started to grumble, “Yo, you wanna grab something to eat?” he nodded and we went off to find some food.
By the time we had gotten back to the palace gate, it was dark and the guards stopped us.
“Stop and be identified.” called out one of the guards from on top of the walls.
“Ryze Varus and Alexander Taylor.” Alex responded, the guards on the wall looked down at a book and waved us through the gate.
“Well Ryze, see you tomorrow at the feast,” he said and stuck out his hand, I shook it and went back up the lift to my room.
A note was plastered onto the bed, “This is a two-way communications device, there is one at your uncle’s as well. As you will be representing House Varus, I suggest you converse with him before making any decisions.” I read the note and then looked at the small box beside the bed. I read the instructions and it turned on, the soft light glowed in the dim room.
I typed a few lines to practice before sending a message, “Hello, this is Ryze Varus.”
A few minutes later the reply came, “Ryze, this is Kaedin Varus, I am going to need for you to authenticate yourself.”
I thought back to the years I spent under his tutelage, “You found out about my Trait after I was caught stealing pastries from Chief Chubb.”
“I remember that day, Chubb chased you around the castle for several hours before deciding it was time for you to learn how to cook on your own.” I smiled at the memory, this was definitely Uncle K.
“It’s good to talk with you again uncle.”
“Likewise, how is Old Jack?”
“The Brightking is very well, he sends his regards.” We spoke about life for several minutes before we moved onto business.
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“Now, I have been informed that Jack has wrapped you up in his newest plot, be careful about what you say and do not agree to anything. Jack may act all nice and friendly, which he can be. But you must not forget that he did not become king solely through kind words and promises.”
“I’ve only been gone a month and a half uncle, it’s not like I’ve forgotten all your lessons.”
“Good kid, I must go now. Be careful around the king, and good luck at initiations.” then his icon went dark and I shut the machine off. I doze off dreaming about Chubb’s pastries and the wooden ladle beatings that would follow.
I woke up early the next morning, I was not going to miss breakfast this time. I quickly got dressed and walked to the lift. I walked into the great hall and got some bacon and eggs. Bacon is the single greatest dwarven invention, the steam engine can go to hell.
When my plate arrived I took it and walked over to the head of the table. The king was eating with a young man and a girl around my age. As I got closer I realized that the man was Prince Daniel, heir to the throne and the single greatest duelist in the Empire. I immediately freaked the fuck out, I gasped and started to fan-girl.
“Oh my God, you’re Prince Daniel Bright, the Radiant Knight!” I squealed, not my proudest moment, “Can I get your autograph?” then I realized I was making a fool of myself in front of the damn king. I coughed and cleared my throat.
“Excuse me Brightking,” I said and nodded to the king, “Prince Daniel, it is an honor to meet you.” the king looked like he was going to fall out of his seat and the prince was incredibly confused. I then remembered that there was a third person at the table. I turned and looked at the girl, she was the single hottest girl I had ever met. She had golden eyes that shone slightly in the early morning, gorgeous long blonde hair, and fair smooth skin.
‘Uhm-uhh-err-huh-what?” I stuttered and I felt my face flush. The prince gave me a look of pity and saved me from further embarrassment.
“Cassie, this is Ryze Varus, Ryze this is Cassandra Bright.”
“R-right, that’s me,” I stuttered and groaned internally, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Cassandra blinked and for a moment I swore her eyes turned pink, then they returned to gold. “It is good to make your acquaintance,” she said in a lovely voice.
I could feel my brain melting when the king cleared his throat, “not to interrupt anything, but I need to get going. This empire isn’t going to run itself.” he said and stood up.
I remembered why I was here and quickly said, “Excuse me my lord, but I would like to ask you a question.”
“Ask away.”
“Why did you ask me to represent House Varus when you could have just used a Pad?”
The king sighed, “I am not unaware of the situation outside of the Capital. I needed to remind the other great houses of who is really in charge, and the nobility has not forgotten about your uncle. I hate to use you like this Ryze but to be frank, you are only here as a warning.”
I shrugged, “It’s not a big deal, I was just curious.”
The king left and I looked over at the prince, “No but really can I get your autograph?”
The prince laughed and pulled out a pen, I fist-pumped the air and took off my holster, he signed it and I put it away.
“I see you’re an early adopter of Lokar’s new weapon,” he noted and put the pen back.
I nodded, “it is really quite effective,” beside me Cassandra pouted, I turned to her and saw that her eyes had turned lime green.
“Hmm? What’s u-, why are your eyes green?”
“Looks like someone is jealous,” the prince laughed, “oh, to answer your question Ryze, her eyes change color based on her mood.”
“So green is jealousy?” I asked.
“Yes!” she practically shouted out, “I tried to get one of those off him but he said he sold the last one to some kid.”
I sniffed, “Some kid? You look like you’re the same age as me, how old even are you?”
“Shush you dolt.” she said, “I am seventeen thank you very much.”
“Oh? And why might the princess of the Empire need a pistol?” I asked, her eyes turned yellow,
“I’m going to join the battle school!” she said happily.
“What!” both I and the prince shouted at the same time.
“When were you going to tell me this Cassandra?” the prince demanded, stared at her in shock.
“You, going to battle school?” I asked incredulously.
She glared at us, her eyes turning a deep shade of red, “I never thought I needed your permission to do anything.”
“What about father! Does he know?”
“Yes, dad knows, he was the one to suggest that I go, someone needs to keep an eye on our brother.”
The prince shrugs, “Well, it is not my place to judge. I will be going,” he stands up, “Oh, and Ryze.”
I look up, “Your bout with Sarge the other day was quite impressive, but you need to work on your hand to hand.”
I stared at him in surprise, “you saw my match?” the prince nodded and walked off. That left me alone with Cassandra. I turned to her, she was staring at me with those beautiful gold eyes.
“So what’s gold?” I asked
“I beg your pardon?” she said and blinked
“Your eyes, they were gold, what emotion is that?”
“Oh, that’s just their resting color.”
“What are the rest of the colors?” I asked her, she looked at me oddly for a second then smiled.
“Well, you’ve already seen green, red, and yellow. There’s blue which is fear or sadness, purple is confusion, and brown is boredom. The rest are a mix of colors.”
“Ok, so what’s pink?” I asked, she scoffed and turned her head the other way.
“That’s none of your concern Varus.”
“Hey, call me Ryze, people call my Uncle Varus and he’s old. I don’t want to be grouped together with the old people.”
She laughed and I stood up, “it was good to meet you Cassandra. But I need to practice for initiations.”
We bid farewell and I walked out, Oh you idiot! you could have asked her if she wanted to train with you. I groaned and trudged over to the barracks.
The barracks was incredibly quiet and when I walked in I saw rows and rows and bunk beds with men polishing gear and sharpening weapons.
“Sorry Ryze, we have work to do today, gotta look fancy for the high born.” one of them said and I nodded.
“If you still want to practice, the archery range is still open and the Brightking is holding an archery tournament later.” I thanked them and went up to my room and grabbed my bow. I learned to shoot a bow among other things in the two years I had spent with my Uncle Hood. He was the Ranger of the Varus fief and probably the best archer in the seven southern fiefs.
It had been more than three years since I had left Hood’s cabin in the woods but I had always found time to practice with the bow. I walked to the range and nodded to the range master. I handed him my bow and he looked over it with a skeptical gaze.
“My lord, I do not wish to offend but, are you sure you can draw that?” he asked and handed me my bow back. It was a five-foot longbow with a draw weight of a hundred and ten pounds.
“I could draw this thing back when I was fourteen Rangemaster,” I said with confidence. He looked at me, then at my arms, and shrugged.
“Of course my lord.” and handed me a quiver of arrows. I walked up to the line and strung my bow. I tested the pull a few times and nodded with satisfaction. I knocked an arrow and raised the bow. I looked at the target downrange and in my mind I saw the arrow’s flight path. I pulled the string back and loosed the arrow, it spat off the strings and whistled through the air, and sunk into the dinner plate-sized target at the hundred-yard line. Outwardly I showed no emotion but on the inside, I sighed a massive breath of relief. If I hadn’t made that shot, I would have looked like such an asshole. I shot a few more arrows and each landed on the target, I spent the entire quiver and had only missed once. I was covered in sweat and my arm ached, but I was proud that I hadn’t lost my edge yet.
Behind me someone started to clap, I spun around to find a short man wearing a mottled green and brown cloak. He had a greying beard and tanned skin, with hair that looked like it had been cut with a knife. He carried a massive longbow almost as tall as him and at his side were two knives. One was almost a short sword and the other was a small throwing knife.
“Ah, I see my teachings haven’t been forgotten.” he said then looked out at the arrow sticking in the ground less than a foot away from the target, “At least not entirely.”
“Uncle Hood?” I asked, surprised. “Is that you?”
“Damnations child, I’ve only been gone a year or two. Have you already forgotten your teacher's face?”
I smiled and walked over to him, he pushed the hood off his head. I ran up to him and wrapped him in a hug, “Oh my God! It is you.”
He wheezed and started to turn purple, “Put me down you ape.”
“Uncle, what are you doing in the Capital?” I asked him, “how have you been? Who’s looking over the cabin? How is aunt Delaney?”
“Calm down Ryze,” he snapped and I cut off, “Jeez, you haven’t changed a bit.” he ruffled my hair. “To answer your many questions, my wife is fine, she is taking care of the cabin, and I am here to talk with the Rangers Commandant.”
“Why do you need to talk to old Will?” I asked, “Is this about the orcs that were raiding Last Light?”
“Hush, not so loud!” he warned, “Jack doesn’t know and it would best for it to remain that way.”
“Why would we hide this from the king?: I was confused, “Wouldn’t it be best for the fief, if the king sent men down to help?”
Hood sighed, “Ryze, use that lump of meat between your ears and think for a second. If the king sent the army then he would demand that he go as well and if the king goes off to fight, then the rest of the lords will also want to join. If the rest of the lords join, then they will also bring their men. Kaedin doesn't want to deal with having to feed a million extra mouths.”
“Oh.”
“Oh indeed, but this problem will not solve itself and we need scouts to find out the extent of these raids. They haven’t raided so boldly since the last Urucai was named.”
“So you’re here to ask for support directly from Will?”
“Yes, I need scouts and there are no better scouts than rangers.” behind him a kid ran up, well kid wasn’t the right word. He looked to be a year or two younger than I was.
“Master Hood.” he panted out of breath, “Master Treaty is ready for you.”
My eyes widened, “Oh my!” I burst out laughing, “did he call you master?” I looked over at the kid, he was wearing a cloak similar to the one Hood was wearing and had similar gear.
“Have you taken on an apprentice?”
Hood gave me the stink eye, “is there anything wrong with that?”
“Nothing at all,” I said looking at the kid with pity, “has he made you scrub the floor with a toothbrush yet?”
The kid's eyes widened and he nodded vigorously, “yes sir, many times.” I laughed, “ahh still abusing young children I see.”
Hood sniffed, “I am not abusing anyone, it builds character to do housework. Anyways we will be going, better not leave Will by himself for too long or the idiot might burn the palace to the ground.”
“It’s nice to see you again Uncle,” I said and gave him a hug. The kid looked at me in surprise.
“Uncle? Master Hood, you never said you had family.”
Hood looked at his apprentice then back at me, “Thankfully, Ryze is not really my nephew, I am his godfather so he calls me uncle.”
“You wound me,” I said dramatically and Hood pats me on the back. “I will see you at the feast?”
“Hopefully not, you know how much I hate those,” he grunted and the two walked away. Their cloaks shimmering and blending into the background. A running boy came back with my arrows and I turned back to my practice.
Two hours later I got lunch, sadly Cassandra wasn’t there. Then I went back to my room and took a shower and dressed in the fancy new suit I had bought. I checked myself out in the mirror, now that there was someone I was actually trying to impress, I was putting a bit more effort into my appearance.
I combed my hair, looked into the mirror, realized that I looked like an idiot, and messed my hair up again. I strapped the large knife that Hood had given me three years ago to my side and holstered the pistol to my hip. I looked at the sword and reached for it. The device in my pocket buzzed and I took it out.
“Don’t take the sword.” I looked at it with shock.
“How did you know I was going to take the sword?”
“I was the one who gave you that sword, I know when you’re going to use it,” he said. Now that was clearly bullshit, and I called him out.
“Uncle I don’t know what your Trait is but I guarantee it isn’t farsight.”
“Yeah, I’m just messing with you. But really do not take the sword.”
“Got it, the sword stays in my room.” I said, “I saw Uncle Hood today, he told me what was going on back home. Are you sure we can deal with it by ourselves?”
“I have no reason to believe the Legions of Varus are not capable of beating back a couple thousand greenskins. Plus we must blood the new men, and this is the best opportunity.”
“Very well, I will be attending the feast shortly. Are there any last words of advice for me?”
“Don’t eat anything that anyone from House Tourel gives you and don’t embarrass yourself in front of the princess.”
“I’ll try, thanks,” I said and turned the thing off. Wait, how did my uncle know about the princess? I wondered but didn’t give it a second thought. I left the sword by the bed and took the lift down.