Sophie had surprised everyone with how much food she could pack away. It was to the point the head chef came out to complain that she was going to eat them out of house and home. Seeing Marethyu was there matching plate for plate with Sophie stopped him in his tracks. “Master Marethyu, do I have your permission to access the extra storage for food?” Marethyu answered with a wave of his hand. “Keep the food flowing!”
Lychess was sitting next to Sophie, Marethyu and Phoenix were sitting across from them. After Marethyu sent word to Lightning, or now Zeke as Sophie knew his name, and another girl named Lilith, they joined them in the small feast they were all enjoying. Sophie was now able to get a good look at all of them. Zeke was a tall and lanky kid, about twenty one years old with platinum blonde hair and a smooth face. There was a scar that ran from his left eye brow down through his lip and ended at his chin. The girl Lilith had rust red hair, that small town beauty look to her despite her simple appearance.
Phoenix had the natural ginger red hair and sparkling green eyes. She was small, easily four foot nothing, but she had a very commanding presence. And she was loud and full of life. Marethyu was the exact opposite of Phoenix. Dark, broody, quiet, and the tallest person at the table. He had gray eyes and long strawberry blonde hair. Everybody treated him with respect; most out of fear, others truly respected him for what he was another person. The one thing that Sophie kept noticing was even though Marethyu was the strongest person in the room, he treated everybody the same.
“Phoenix, you asked me about remembering the last spell I had casted during the fight with Scarlett, why? Also what's a true name? Both things you mentioned before we left the room I was in,” Sophie inquired of Phoenix but it was Zeke who answered first.
“A true name is the name your parents gave you. If the wrong person learns your true name, they can gain complete control over you with a single spell. That's why on missions I go by Lightning. Champions only go by their titles as numerous as those can be, unless you're Phoenix or Marethyu here. But nobody knows their true names anyways.”
Marethyu nodded, “And as much as Phe and I trust each other, we don't know each other's true name. But regarding the last spell, which was a world annihilation spell, was a life or death question. A literal life or death question. If you remembered what words you had said, and not just the feeling, Phoenix would have killed you.” He shrugged, “It's a cult thing for her.”
“Hush, you.” Phoenix swatted Marethyu’s arm. “It's not a cult. We have an actual church and have been recognized as an actual religion by the other gods. The Dawn of First Light charged me with finding out if you were a threat to the world or not, and with you not remembering the world annihilation spell you are in the clear!” Phoenix smiled brightly at Sophie. “Marethyu is not, but The First Light knows I can only control collateral damage regarding him.” She dug her elbow into his ribs.
Sophie let out a small, “Oh…”
Lychess gave Sophie's hand a squeeze, “Don't worry, my dear. You're safe here.”
Sophie looked around the room and table, fully grasping the fact she was on another world. “Marethyu, you are an Offworlder? What world are you from?”
Marethyu stared at Sophie, raised a single eye brow and tilted his head towards her. “Earth. I know time flows similarly here but I don't know if it's the exact same or not.” Sophie stared at him, mouth agape. “Earth!? Who was the president of the US when you left?”
“Woodrow Wilson. So how many years has it been?”
The table just looked between the two, attention undivided, clearly invested in learning something about the mysterious Marethyu. “Uh, just over a hundred years. How long have you been here, you don't look to be a hundred years old.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Hm…” Marethyu looked at Phoenix, “Looks like you were right, Phe. When your level reaches high enough, your life span is extended. Well enough about that. Let me explain in layman terms what happens on Scalvia. Magic is real, there is limited technology but magic does the majority of things technology could do for me on earth. Lychess is a lycanthrope, a werewolf. Lightning is a rogue sorcerer multiclass. There are actual guilds, like the Underworld, that accept contracts and hand them out to the correct person or team to handle it. You get paid for your efforts. You can join the guild or live here and help out. Offworlders are a curiosity on Scalvia, which is why I was summoned. The people that summoned me wanted to use me as a lab rat. But they are dead and I'm alive. The whole purpose of the Underworld is to find, protect and/or train offworlders and other non-humans. Phoenix saved me, and together, with the help of Lychess’ mother, we founded the Underworld.”
Sophie looked at Lychess, the lycanthrope was leaning heavily on Sophie's chair. “So how common are non-humans?”
“We aren't common in the main cities, nor are we popular in the majority of places. There are demi-human settlements that openly accept offworlders. Then there are others that only accept other demi-humans.” Lychess shrugged, “Scalvia is a cruel, harsh world. It's kill or be killed, only the strong survive.”
Marethyu and Phoenix stood up, they looked towards the far end of the mead hall just as the large double doors burst open. Scarlett was flung back onto the table they were eating at, which was a good one hundred and fifty feet away. She was groaning when she landed, so at least she was alive. Before Sophie was able to fully acknowledge that Scarlett was now lying on the table, eight fully grown men and women filed into the room making an honor guard entrance for a ninth person that looked between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. The young teenager casually strolled in, Marethyu spoke in a very demanding tone that froze the eight in their places: “State your business, or you can leave peacefully or forcefully. It's your choice.”
The teenager just scoffed and proceeded to walk past Marethyu and Phoenix like they didn't exist and only stopped when he reached Scarlett’s head. “You are supposed to be dead, girl. Since two Champions couldn't do it, I guess it falls to me now,” the kid said the word ‘Champions’ like it was distasteful. Lychess morphed into her Wolf form and jumped onto the table over Scarlett and growled. Sophie moved around the table, grabbed the kid's wrist as he reached for Scarlett’s throat, and twisted his arm so that she had a hold of him with his arm pinned behind his back. Sophie blinked in surprise at herself for moving on instinct.
Marethyu started chuckling upon seeing Sophie had restrained the upstart teenager. Lychess cocked her wolfine head in question as she looked at Sophie.
“Get your filthy hands off me, slu-. Ahh!”
There was cold steel in Sophie’s voice as she answered, “You can call my sister anything but that. You can call me anything but that. All I have to do is lift your arm higher and I can dislocate your shoulder. And a dislocation is worse than a broken bone. A broken bone will heal back to normal if it's taken care of, a dislocation will only heal correctly with surgery.”
“Latavia, let the little tyke go. He's learned his lesson, and if he hasn't, you can kick his ass then,” Marethyu’s words stirred up a memory for Sophie, a time where she seriously injured a guy for ‘having fun’ with Sophie's older sister, Latavia, right before she- no, don't go there, Sophie. Else you'll actually hurt the prick in your grasp.
Sophie let out a breath as she pushed the guy away. Marethyu stood between Sophie and the teenager. “Take your liege and leave this place. I will intervene next time.” The eight people surrounded their liege and tried to escort him out. “My father will hear of this! All of you will die!”
Phoenix shook her head, “You are looking at the two strongest people in the room, your guards know who we are, what we are and yet you ignore their silent stance.” Her fiery wings formed on her back as she strode towards the small group. “I'm not as lenient as Marethyu, Champion of Shadows. Fire burns hot and fast, I am Phoenix, Champion of Fire,” talons made of fire formed on her hands, “tell your father who you threatened and who gave you this burn, Sylvester.”
Phoenix appeared in the middle of the circle, directly in front of Sylvester. She reached out and grabbed his throat, with a flare of white she was gone and standing beside Marethyu again. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. There was a burn in the shape of bird talons on Sylvester's throat. One of his escorts quickly scooped him up in a fireman's carry and all sprinted out of the guild.
Phoenix turned around with a smile on her face, “Well, that was exciting.”