Time screeched to a halt.
Rowan had seen death before, usually in some movie or TV show where he was sure that the actor would stand back up once the cameras stopped rolling. This was different. For one, there was a horrible, squelching sound when the sword entered the guard’s body. And the guard himself made a gurgling noise, trying to say something and instead spraying blood into the air.
But Rowan could only focus on the fact that the guard twisted his neck and stared right into Rowan’s eyes. A flurry of emotions whizzed across the man’s face. Fear, anxiety, and hope. And then the guard slid off the sword and slumped down to the ground.
Time sped back up again.
“Enough,” the king’s voice halted everyone in the hall. “I allowed a few moments of distress to steel our heroes to the realities of our world. But you’ve gone ahead and made a massacre in my halls.”
The large knight fell to his knees. “Your majesty, I never —”
Rowan never heard the end of that sentence. Replacing it was the sound of a sword slipping out of its sheath and a fine red mist spraying into the air. The knight wasn’t just dead, he was gone.
“What the hell is going on?” Kayla screamed.
“The demons threaten the existence of this kingdom and everyone in it,” the king said, his voice cutting everything in the hall. “Some of the nobles here today are too young to remember. But when Sarina blessed our kingdom, she also left behind a prophecy. One day, an unworthy hero would be summoned, one who would ally with the demons and ultimately destroy our great kingdom.”
“And you think that it’s us?” Blake asked. “We were plucked out of our lives by your gods and sent here to help you.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. But the sign of three heroes is one that we cannot ignore,” the king said. Around the room, the nobles murmured their agreement.
Blake and Kayla edged closer to Rowan. On the one hand, Rowan was glad that his friends were going to be with him in the chaos. On the other hand, a small part of Rowan wished that they were somewhere else, safe from the wave of metal knights about to charge forward. His card had apparently violated some custom, and now, all three of them were going to meet this world’s equivalent of aristocratic mob justice.
“Why are you so sure it’s one of us?” Rowan said.
The king paused. “Sarina said that when the time came, it would be obvious. That’s why we have the Trial by Blood.”
Rowan didn’t like the sound of that.
“The gods bless those who are victorious in combat,” the king continued. “We fight for our lives every day. Against monsters and demons. Only those worthy live on. You will fight to the death. Citizens of Rhys, clear a space.”
His command was obeyed by nobles and guards alike. Two of them carried the now-dead guard to the side of the room. But unlike the nobles and knights, a couple of the guards glanced back at Rowan and dropped their spears to the ground.
“So what, you want us to fight for our lives?” Kayla demanded.
“Yes, I do,” the king answered. “The fate of our kingdom is no small matter. We have to be sure that you are heroes sent to save our kingdom, not the apostles of an apocalypse.”
“If this is about my card, I’ll accept whatever punishment that you deem appropriate.” Rowan stepped forward and stood at the edge of the disappearing magic circle. “Let Blake and Kayla go, they have nothing to do with this.”
“I apologize Hero Rowan, this is no callous matter. Your card puts you at a disadvantage. That is true. But I will not recklessly endanger my kingdom. All three of you must undergo the Trial by Blood. I promise that it will be a fair process. May the Goddess shine upon you. Begin.”
Before Rowan could protest further, one of the knights with a mace stepped forward. He made a slight bow before charging at the three of them. As Rowan braced for impact, Blake screamed and rushed forward.
The enemy knight hesitated slightly before raising the mace he was holding. Blake, on the other hand, responded by pulling his arm back and winding up a punch. It looked like a classic Blake thing, trying to punch a knight who was wearing a sheet of metal. Rowan abandoned his stance and ran forward, intending to knock his friend away from the impending mace strike.
Blake never threw his punch. His hand position was off, like he was trying to pull something out of thin air.
And somehow, he actually did. A bar of solid light in the rough shape of a broadsword coalesced in Blake’s hand and he wasted no time in slashing it at the knight.
Light can’t cut through metal. Rowan was still trying to get over the shock that his friend was gripping something that looked like pure light. It was bending every law of physics known to mankind.
The knight paused when he saw Blake’s weapon. After a split second, he tried to twist away from the fully formed sword. He was too slow, the surprise-induced hesitation meant that Blake landed his strike onto the knight’s shoulder, and the light sword effortlessly slid past both metal armor and bone.
Halfway through his strike, Blake twisted his sword and slashed into the knight’s breastplate. Once again, the light sword met zero resistance as it passed through the armor. The knight looked down at his wound, then back up to Blake.
“True Hero Blake. I’d be honored if you could take my card,” the knight said as he crumpled to the ground.
Blake released his sword and backed up. The bar of light faded away moments later. In its place was the outline of a card, which floated up from the knight’s body and sped toward Blake a moment later.
“Hero Blake, you have passed the Trial by Blood. You may leave the circle,” the king said.
“Not without my friends,” Blake said. Another classic Blake move. He was rough around the edges, but his heart was made of gold. His face looked pale, like he was trying to fully process the implications of actually killing someone. “Either you let us all go, or none —”
Before Blake could finish his sentence, a knight from next to the king’s throne blinked forward, grabbed Blake, and then returned back to the throne. As Blake struggled in the knight’s grasp, the king signaled toward the nobles.
Kayla seemed loathe to waste time in shock. She dashed forward and grabbed the fallen knight’s mace before another challenger stepped forward.
“Do something!” she hissed in Rowan’s direction, and kicked one of the spears in his direction.
Moving on a weird sort of autopilot, Rowan did. He dropped into a crouch, and his fingers fumbled around for a few seconds before they wrapped around the smooth wood.
Keen Spear prerequisites met.
Your mind is keener with a spear in your hands.
The panic, the doubt, the fear. They didn’t exactly disappear. They were, however, put on mute. Rowan’s thoughts felt smoother, like someone had reordered the mess in his head.
In fact, as Rowan moved forward to support Kayla, he could feel his muscles working in concert to maintain his balance. His feet rocked just slightly forward so that he could get a tiny bit more leverage if needed, and his elbows made a slightly sharper angle to better control the spear. More than anything else, he felt confident. He knew where the tip of his spear was, where it could go and, most important, how it could do maximum damage.
It was perfect timing. A knight was charging at Kayla’s back, sword poised for a strike. And Rowan intercepted the charge by stumbling forward and pushing the spear in the knight’s direction.
Rowan knew that his actions probably looked clumsy. He felt as if he had lost control of the weapon. But some instinct within him was telling him that this was the only way to angle the spear so that the tip would slip under the knight’s raised arm and into a vulnerability. Not a lethal one, thankfully. Rowan wasn’t ready to think about killing another person.
The knight realized the same thing. He paused in his charge, stumbling slightly under the momentum, and blocked the spear with his arm guard. At an angle, Kayla spun around and began swinging her mace.
“Die! Die!” Evidently, Kayla had no qualms about taking a man’s life.
But despite her attitude and the scary weapon, she wasn’t a match for the knight. After being caught off guard by Rowan’s attack, the man warily stepped to the side and slipped away from her swings. His next slash caught both Rowan and Kayla by surprise, drawing a long gash in Kayla’s arm.
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“Shit,” Rowan cursed as he leapt forward, placing a smart strike that pushed the knight back. With a few seconds of respite, Rowan scanned his surroundings and saw that there was now a half circle of knights around them. Escape didn’t seem like an option.
One problem at a time.
The knight came forward again and the two of them beat the enemy back. With the numbers advantage, Rowan and Kayla could cover each other. As the knight came forward again and again, Rowan realized that the man was, in fact, trying to hurt Kayla first.
They’re not aiming for me? In the back of Rowan’s mind, he pieced together the facts. The violence had originated from his card reveal, but it was Blake and Kayla who were the primary targets. Why would they want Blake and Kayla dead?
When the knight charged again, Rowan feinted a thrust at the man’s unprotected face. After drawing the correct reaction, he aimed the spear down and smashed the tip against the knight’s forward leather boot. Kayla didn’t even miss a beat. When the knight lost his balance, she was already swinging her mace and a moment later, a card rose from the knight and plunged itself into Kayla.
“That’s it, right?” Rowan turned to the king, the spear still in his hand. “You can’t possibly expect us to take on a knight by ourselves, with no training and against seasoned warriors.”
“Hero Kayla dealt the final blow. She’s our hero,” one of the nobles cried.
“Silence,” the king boomed. He looked at the two of them with heavy eyes. “Hero Kayla and Hero Rowan. Perhaps the prophecy is meant for another time. The two of you have passed.”
Rowan waited a few more seconds before relaxing slightly. Bad idea. The spear he had held in a white-knuckled grip slipped between his numb fingers and clattered to the ground, taking the odd clarity and surety of his thoughts with it. All of a sudden, it felt like the adrenaline had rushed out of his body and the room rocked under his feet. It took all of Rowan’s effort to stay standing.
“Priest, see to the wounds our heroes have sustained,” the king declared, motioning to the same priest who had cast the identification ritual earlier.
The priest moved forward, his disposition entirely unchanged by the events that had gone down.
“Stay away from me!” Kayla’s words were accompanied by a swing of her mace. But where it had at least garnered respect from the knights, the priest simply brushed it aside and caught her wounded forearm.
Light glowed from the priest’s hand, and the wounds on Kayla’s arm began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye. In mere seconds, the only reminder of it left was the blood that still stained her skin.
“It is… unfortunate that this day has been marred by such events, yet we must move on,” the king’s said, his words ringing against the walls. “Heroes, servants will see you to your rooms, so you might be tended to and given a short respite. Gather yourselves, make yourselves presentable, and then join us for your welcoming feast. There is much still that we need to discuss, and I promise that our nobles are looking forward to sponsoring heroes as promising as yourselves.”
The king’s eyes lingered momentarily on Rowan as he wound down his speech.
When the servants stepped forward to guide them, Rowan followed. There really didn’t seem like a better option. He was in a new world, surrounded by a crowd of murderous royalty and nobility. He’d have to get used to that.
—
“So you’re saying that you can send us back?” Kayla, wearing a forest green dress that matched her light green eyes, leaned across the table. “You’re saying that we can just choose to leave?”
The king shook his head. “You have been ordained with a Divine Quest, and only its completion will release you from your duty. What I said was that you will be granted a choice when victory has been achieved against the demons. A choice where you can either stay in the world you have saved or return to your homes and back to your original lives.”
“So we have to do as you say. Otherwise, we never get to go back.” Kayla slumped down in her chair. She, like Rowan and Blake, had been dressed in the garments of this new world. Gone were the t-shirts and jeans. Replacing them were layers and layers of thick fabrics. “I’m not a fan of this.”
“Perhaps, but maybe once you see what this world has to offer, you’d change your mind,” the king said as he snapped his fingers. Servants pulled away from the walls and brought forward a variety of meats, vegetables, and drinks. The king pointed at one of the glass flasks that contained a deep red liquid. “Tower Master, would you like the honors?”
An older lady sitting next to Kayla laughed. She stood up and muttered something that Rowan couldn’t quite catch. Instead, he saw something much better.
The red liquid took on a life of its own, swirling out of the flask and making its way through the air before finally sloshing into Kayla’s cup.
“Hero Kayla, meet Filipa, Tower Master of our kingdom’s Mage Tower,” the king said. “Are you not going to pour me a cup as well?”
The old woman smiled as a second stream flew out of the flask and into the king’s cup. “Echoing Whisper, it’s been a long time since a hero with that card graced our kingdom,” the Tower Master said. “Hero Kayla, I promise you that you’ll soon become a great mage. Perhaps, King Harold, you might be inclined to gift our newest student something? I’ve found that a little deal sweetener goes a long way.”
“You’re right,” the king said, not at all offended by the Tower Master’s casual remarks. “Hero Kayla, could you describe the effects of your Heart Card for us?”
“It’s called Echoing Whisper,” Kayla said as she looked at the older woman, who encouraged her on with a gentle nod. “The description is, ‘Your voice is joined by another, allowing you to incant two spells at once. The wielder of this card unlocks dual casting.’”
“Ah, a dual caster. It seems like we’re in luck.” The king’s eyes took on a blank look as he began looking at something in front of him that Rowan couldn’t see. Moments later, a blue card materialized out of thin air and hovered in front of Kayla. “How about this? Ball Lightning, Rare Attack card. But you’ll only get this if you agree to join the Mage Tower, to be personally instructed by the Tower Master herself. It’s the best place in the kingdom for a mage.”
Kayla’s gaze darted between Rowan and Blake, neither of whom could offer any support to her. “I… sure. I’ll do that.”
“A good choice,” the king said as the blue card fluttered down to the table. Kayla immediately grabbed it. “For the second matter, Hero Blake. Your card, Light Scion, destines you to walk the path of paladins. The best paladins in the kingdom are here in my royal guard. Would you like to train here? In the palace?”
Blake brushed his raven-colored hair back and nodded. It wasn’t like he could say no to such an offer.
“Good,” the king boomed. “Let it be known that Hero Blake has joined the royal guard.”
The nobles at the feast gave a hearty cheer. Some of the more ambitious ones leapt out of their seats to congratulate Blake and offer minor gifts in the form of jewelry, promises of wealth, or even their daughter’s hand.
At first, Blake blinked furiously at the onslaught of gifts. And then he smiled with teeth so white they hurt to look at. Rowan could tell that his friend was starting to have a good time. There were two things in life that mattered to Blake. Helping people and finding new thrills.
There was no correlation between the two. Blake was the kind of person who’d jump in the middle of a street to save a kitten. And if he got to risk his life in the process, that was just an extra bonus.
Rowan was different. He wasn’t the type to be a hero. Sure, he had harbored fantasies of saving the world but when rubber met the road, he was out of his depth here. He picked up his glass of unidentifiable juice and chugged it down. The feast had gotten underway, and somehow both Blake and Kayla could pretend that the earlier attempt on their lives hadn’t happened. But try as he might, Rowan couldn’t shake the thought that every noble drinking and eating at the table had watched as they were almost killed by knights just a few hours earlier.
“Not one for feasts, Hero Rowan?” A middle-aged noble slipped into the seat next to Rowan.
“The food’s good,” Rowan offered as he sized up the noble. The people of this new world had an odd quality about them. It was like they had more vigor than any modern person. Even the wrinkled-looking priest who guided them into the audience room had moved with a grace that stood in stark contrast with his years.
“I’d hope so. If the king’s table offered you no joy, then I’d shudder to think how you’d feel about the rest of our food,” the noble said with a smile. The man looked about the same age as the king, just with a few more strands of gray hair.
“Right, and you are?” Rowan asked.
“Kayden. Baron Kayden Sutton, at your service.” The baron gave a shallow nod.
“Baron Kayden, I don’t want to be rude, but are you sure that you want to be here talking with me?” Rowan gestured around himself, especially the seats that were now empty since their occupants had gone to greet Blake and Kayla. He had chosen one of the corner tables, where he felt just a bit safer than being in the middle of the massive room. And no one had bothered to ask him to move to a more prominent position.
“You’re a hero, right? This feast is in your honor. But no one’s here to congratulate you,” Kayden said. Rowan knew that these were plain facts, but somehow they still stung. “In some way, you and I are in the same boat. Do you see that fop by the king’s side?” Kayden angled himself to subtly gesture at one of his fellow nobles.
Rowan looked in that direction and found a young noble with a drink in hand. The noble’s cheeks were suspiciously ruddy, which somehow complimented his animal fur clothing.
“Yes?”
“That’s the newly minted Duke Treagon. He now holds vast tracks of land south of the capital. In fact, one could say that he owns the entire southern portion of the kingdom, all but one small barony at the very edge of the kingdom. My barony. And his lands? They once belonged to the House of Sutton.”
It took a moment for Rowan to put two and two together. Treagon had taken land from the House of Sutton and the baron’s last name was Sutton. “I’m, uh, sorry to hear about that.”
“Don’t be. My plight was self-inflicted. A man must have his principles and they’re only called principles if you’re willing to lose something to uphold them.” Kayden straightened in his chair. “In that vein, I’ll be honest with my intentions. I hope to sponsor you.”
“Sponsor me?” Rowan asked.
Kayden blinked before a look of understanding dawned on his face. “Excuse me, perhaps I jumped the gun. I thought that you already knew, given how Hero Kayla and Hero Blake have both been sponsored.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rowan said, a slight edge creeping into his voice.
“Right. Sponsorship is an ancient tradition in the Rhys Kingdom. When the first heroes arrived, the great houses made a pact with them. In return for support from the houses, the heroes agreed to give them a certain percent of what they earned in fighting the demons. Today, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of things that a noble house takes care of for their sponsored hero. Your training, party members, meals, laundry, and a lot more. Most important is your deck. The nobles can find the right cards to pair with your Heart Card. Without a properly balanced deck, even an Epic Heart Card loses its power.”
“Okay, so you’re looking to help me and in return, you get a percentage of whatever I earn?” Rowan asked.
“Exactly. To be honest, House Sutton no longer has the wealth it once did and I’ve lost much of my family’s treasured card collection. But there is one thing that you’ll find in me that you won’t get from any of the other nobles in this room. I lost my lands and my wealth because of my belief. This belief.”
Kayden tapped the air in front of him a few times and a blue box popped up in front of Rowan.
Kayden Sutton
Follower of Aristaeus
Ding!
Blessing of the Stalwart Hero upgraded
Believers of God Aristaeus are more likely to provide aid and help in any way they can, provided it doesn’t interfere with their personal goals.