I look down at my body, laying in a makeshift bed within the medical tent in the Gubweh tribe, now. Many questions, few answers. Lyrie, dead. Almost certainly. The Purple Armored Man, he had to have been stopped, no? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, would I?
“What happened?” I ask nobody in general. Surely, someone among this group can give a coherent answer to a simple question such as that. Even Iskander could.
“After you collapsed, the officers fled into the brush for a moment. However…” Skan looks over at the gaunt-faced elf. “Lithelle. here, appeared out of the woods, with a party of a few other warriors. From…” Skan scratches his chin momentarily, in a forgetful manner.
“Ausiat. A kingdom to the north.” A kingdom. Interesting.
“A kingdom. Interesting.” I say, speaking my thoughts verbatim.
“I suppose it is, in these parts, anyways.” She nods her head in understanding. Monarchs and hierarchy are rare in this world, certainly for the worse. After all, when your tribe leader is the Gubweh, I think to myself, while looking at the disfigured former leader… A better and more competent leader would be greatly beneficial, though, perhaps, not a monarch. “My condolences for your friend.” She now says, looking down in a solemn pause. “It is tough to lose your loved ones in battle, and even more so in this region of Tollaria, where such tragedy is foreign.”
“My, you seem awfully informed of the world. Far more than the general population here, indeed.” I say, somewhat stunned by this girl’s relative knowledge. “I had assumed all of Tollaria was this way.” I state, as though to float it as a question.
“It was at one time, certainly. About 200 years ago, however, ancient deities visited the lands far to the north. The lands that the population in this region refers to as the Uncharted Territories.” I study her, to read through her and determine any lies. I detect none. My competency and people skills would inform me if she were lying. “They explained to us that Tollaria, as a utopian ‘project-realm’ was being repurposed to hold a well of dark energy, and that we as a society must evolve to contain it.” She clears her throat, now, realizing just how much she seems to be exposition-dumping on me. If I was injecting my writing into one of the games developed at FunGames, I would certainly write a more characterization of this woman and give her a personality rather than using her as a vessel for information. Perhaps more flattering apparel. Her eyes lock with my own, and I simply ignore her piercing stare by looking through her.
“Go on.” I say, noticing she had stopped speaking.
She frowns, and almost scowls for a moment, before opening her mouth up once again. “For the past 200 years, Ausiat has existed as an isolated kingdom, preventing the spread of the dark magic and energy from that kingdom outward, and in doing so preventing a departure from the utopian nature of this world. Our kingdom has sustained all impact of the dark well’s placement in our realm. However, I am not here as a martyr, but with a plea and a warning.” She closes her eyes tightly for one moment, then opens them with a heavy sigh. “Our mystics believe that you, Mark Whooten, are a Chosen Hero who will vanquish four great demons who entered this realm at the same time as you. The four of them entered this realm, shrouded in the dark energy that emanates from the well we exist to contain. However, the amount of energy coating them was more intense and concentrated than we had ever seen before. You, Mark Whooten, entered at the same time as these demons, though you were not shrouded in dark energy. In fact, the dark energy erupted throughout the world, underground, overground, and in the air, except for in your immediate vicinity. It was almost as if it was actively avoiding you, your heroic nature. And, since speaking to the members of this tribe and your other allies, it seems as though you truly are the hero we need, and have been working to save the world of Tollaria. We want to assist you in fighting these Four Demons. And we want to beg for your help. Please help the Kingdom of Ausiat.” She falls to a single knee before me, and I finally spot the long, sharp blade, forged out of the same silvered metal as her armor, strapped to her back.
I think to myself for a moment. This prompt comes with many different stipulations, after all. Of course, this Kingdom of Ausiat is a new market, and potential new allies in securing my own hegemony over this world. In addition, I’d be able to receive help in enacting revenge and knocking out the other numbers of the Five. However, this girl seems to believe I am some sort of fated hero, not realizing I am among those she might count as an enemy. Given the circumstances of my lack of gift, I’m sure, by now, those four are my peers, though they did not attempt to bargain for a better gift. In the end, they might have started off stronger, but I will certainly grow to be stronger than those reliant on their own abilities. Others might balk at such an individualistic path, but I prefer to pull myself up by my bootstraps.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“I will help your Kingdom, Lithelle. Worry not. However, I will need you and your people to place their faith in me, and understand my plans going forward. While they may seem unnatural, even for a society that has developed to the level of establishing monarchs, you must trust my process. It will certainly be for your benefit.” I say, calmly. I’m not lying as I speak these words, as I truly believe them. However, if I profit off of these people while helping them, there’s no real harm done. Either way, they are being saved and elevated.
“I agree.” Lithelle leaves her kneeling position and stands on her feet, upright, once again. “The Antiquarians, they told me that you had acquired an engine from them. What are you using it for? A weapon for combat? To take on one of the Four Demons?” I smile.
“No, it’s been put to a much more efficient use. It’s been deployed in a mineshaft, cutting away metals and gemstones and stone to help the Gubweh tribe.” I can barely contain my grinning teeth. Remembering this bright spot in the eventful recent past, it restores my hope once again. Things may have gotten rough, but the Gubweh are still growing stronger and more prosperous under my guidance.
“I see. Impressive!” Lithelle claps in a way that might seem mocking if it were done by someone from Earth, though it, with her hands, is genuine, in a still-naive way, despite the difficulties faced by her Kingdom and people. Despite her circumstances, she still maintains a similar level of purity and ignorance as the rest of the denizens of Tollaria. Perhaps there is hope for Ausiat, in the end.
“So, uh, what exactly in particular are you seeking my assistance with?”
“One of the Four Demons, one that we believe you have not yet encountered, according to intelligence shared with the officers you’ve trained, has been ravaging the territories near Ausiat’s walls, and amassing forces for an assault. We believe that this beast aims to break the dark well free of containment and either harness its energy or release it across Tollaria. Which, obviously, would be bad.” She sighs, and rubs the bridge of her nose in stress.
“I’ll be able to handle it, surely.” She remains quiet. I only now recall that apparently she led the band of warriors that managed to fight off the Purple Armored Man after he defeated me. Perhaps I shouldn’t overestimate my own ability, or underestimate hers. “Help you all handle it, anyways. What have you taken to calling the enemy in this case?”
“The enemy has seemingly tamed a great beast it rides into battle, and it brings with it hordes of spirits, composed of similar dark energy to that within the well. As such, we’ve dubbed him the Summoner.” I frown, trying to conceal it. Unfortunately, they’ve given this enemy a legitimate name, which is not good, as it makes me look less appealing in comparison.
“I’ll have to think of something new when I meet him myself, then.” I say, hiding my intentions. Obviously they don’t plan to work with this ghoul, but any assurance is good assurance.
“That is what they called themself, anyways.” Lithelle says, solemnly.
“So you’ve spoken with this individual?” I frown again, this time slightly more upset. Is this a scheme? Perhaps this is a ruse by one of the Four to take me down while I am weak. Maybe Ausiat doesn’t even exist. Perhaps my power has finally been matched by a foe, and I am being deceived inside of my own sanctuary. I feel a squirming sensation start to pulse from within me, and suddenly, it overtakes me.
I empty my stomach, through my mouth, onto the floor next to my bed. No, not a magic trick or illusion. I just threw up, likely from the Gubweh anesthetics wearing off. The individuals within the tent seem unsurprised and begin cleaning it with haste.
“You looked ill for a good moment, there.” Iskander finally says something, breaking the momentary silence, and my thoughts. I cough, then sigh, and relax myself. I lay back into the bed, shifting my weight, then throw myself to my feet somehow.
“I need to ensure that the Gubweh will be okay without me here.” I say the words, going through the motions. It doesn’t matter what defenses I orchestrate, they’re helpless without me here. Yet, I still feel a small obligation to them. No more Lyrie to watch them in my stead… “Iskander. You’ll be in charge of maintaining the Gubweh while I’m gone. I need to handle this Summoner as soon as possible. The more of these threats I can eliminate, the safer this world will be.” I feel myself grabbing my traveling gear and getting ready to walk with unexpected haste. I feel almost like a man possessed, now. Perhaps the stress and the rest of the past few weeks combined have given me this energy. I suddenly whip my head, almost surprising myself, despite doing it by my own volition, back around at my bed. A mock-IV bag, still clear, is tied to a pole. A tube, running down the side of the medical bed, flows with purple liquid. My emotions are mixed. I am definitely stronger. But, we still don’t know the drawbacks of the Purple Magical Goop. However, my doubts quickly fade. I love the power. I fucking love the power! I grin. “Shall we head north, then?” My doubts are gone. Lithelle is not an ally of the Summoner. Iskander is not betraying me. Maybe I am the hero. After all, I’m bringing Tollaria into a Golden Age of its own. Maybe I am the Hero.