DREAMS
The air was hot and humid. I could barely breathe as I ran as fast as I could through a hall of flames. I could feel its presence as the distance between us kept shrinking. I shouldn’t have turned around and continued to flee for my life, but I did. The shadowy hooded figure of Lich towered over me and whipped out its clawed hands to end me.
Gate swooped in, tackling me out of the way of Lich's attack. Gate gripped me tightly and lifted me into the air. We phased through the roof, and I tried to call out his name, to thank him, but I couldn't speak.
I began to squirm as we flew high above the destruction of my city. The screams of my people reached my ears. Despite my height, my eyes witnessed the vampires that wreaked havoc among my people, slaying them without mercy and streaming fire and lighting from their hands.
Gate was lifting me higher, and I tried calling his name but could not. We were going too high! I needed to get back to my city—my people. They needed me!
LEON
Gate!
I finally called out and craned my head towards him—it wasn't Gate but a golden griffin. It curved its head down and looked at me with a distorted grin before loosening its grip. I flailed out in the air and screamed as I tried to grab onto something.
My body spun, and I watched as the ground crashed into me.
CINDA
Chief!?
I jolted awake and wiped the cold sweat off my face. The sight of my covers and bed became clear to me in my low-lit room. I caught Cinda's form standing near the doorway to my room.
CINDA
Are you okay, Chief?
I nodded, swung my legs down onto the soft rug, and extended a hand towards the Warming Crystals bolted to the posts of my bed. I mentally increased its intensity to light up my room.
The only other light source was the two jars of litebugs that sat upon two dressers flanking the spot Cinda stood.
CINDA
Gate asked for you.
I nodded and waved her away.
LEON
I'll be on my way.
Cinda bowed slightly and took her leave. I stared through the door and into my lantern-lit study—the images of that dream replaying in my head. I shivered as the terrible fear of falling swept over my body. I sighed, decreased the Warming Crystal, and stood.
*****
After my father's death, I promised to get better at the sword. Sparring with Gate every other day was humiliating, and today was no different. I was swinging as fast as I could, but Gate blocked each and every swing.
GATE
Focus,
He uttered, and I mentally groaned in reply. Gate could tell I was distracted. His wooden sword smashed against my fingers, and I dropped my wooden sword in pain. He stopped his sword mid-swing inches from my face.
GATE
You were becoming wild.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts as the dream dominated my attention. Gate took his sword from my face and distanced himself while I retrieved my sword.
I exhaled in frustration, wiped the sweat from my brow, and readied myself. The sudden memory of my father distancing himself decided to take my focus, perfectly mimicking Gate's movements.
Like the last time I sparred with my father, I was sparring with Gate within the training ground. Gate was a master in swordplay and counters, but he was not carrying his shield or wearing armor. Instead, I wore leather armor reinforced with steel plates, which made me a turtle compared to Gate, who wore his casual white robes.
GATE
You're looking distracted.
I blinked, sweat in my eyes again. I knew he wouldn't let the opportunity pass to tell me that. Sighing, I answered him,
LEON
A bit.
GATE
Here I come.
He took a solid leading step and bashed his wooden sword into my raised shield. My legs barely withstood the blow, but I forced my right hand to swing at him—miss.
Again, he came at me with heavy, strong blows that had lengthy telegraphs. I continued blocking and attempted a counter, but each counter missed. He moved as if he had complete control of every muscle, contracting and moving in the middle of his swings.
His blows hastened, but the power decreased.
GATE
You don't always—
He struck me lightly in the head,
GATE
—have to block.
He swung again, and I ducked,
GATE
Good.
But as I rose, he planted his bare foot into my face and shoved me on my ass.
GATE
You forgot.
I nodded, taking his forearm, and he helped me back to my feet.
LEON
Damned armor is heavy.
I pouted.
GATE
You'll have to get used to it. Your father's bracers, each piece, weighed three times as much as what you're wearing.
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to discuss my father. I was already distracted enough.
LEON
Where's your armor? Even the playing field.
He laughed,
GATE
Even...?
LEON
Also,
I eyed my beat-up wooden sword,
LEON
I'm sick of using these swords. They make me feel like a child.
GATE
You are a trainee. Like any other aspiring guards, no matter the age, we use wooden swords.
LEON
But I need to get accustomed to the weight of a real—
GATE
We've been over this before,
He raised his voice.
GATE
I cannot let you take a hit from me.
He looked me up and down and gestured at me with his sword.
GATE
You're bruised all over, and I am trying to hold back, but it's hard—Petty Body Control has its limits.
LEON
I'm telling you—we have Layo—
He pointed his sword toward the sun, and I pursed my lips.
GATE
During the day?
He chuckled.
GATE
Besides, our swords are sharp.
He approached me as he explained for the hundredth time...
GATE
One cut—one wrong cut, and you're bleeding nonstop.
He stopped just a foot away from me.
GATE
We do not have a Cleric or magical healer nearby. So, my job as the Keeper of the Guards and your teacher is to keep you safe.
He Quickstepped back away from me.
GATE
Sorry Chief, but I cannot put your life in danger unless you secure a Mage with healing magics, a Cleric, or obtain some passives.
He materialized his armor onto his body—a full suit of untarnished steel armor. He pulled down the visor of his full helm.
GATE
Here I come.
Once again, his leading step was powerful, but with his added weight, he purposely swung upward at me, and—despite my perfect block—I was lifted off my feet and spun about in the air.
I fell hard on my back.
LEON
Not putting my life in danger, huh?
I groaned. He laughed and helped me back up.
LEON
Almost died just then.
He gestured his sword at me, and I eyed it.
LEON
What?
I then recalled and checked the edges. Again, there were no dents or scratches.
GATE
Now, imagine a real sword.
He pointed out with a smirk. I exhaled,
LEON
I get it.
After backing away and Stashing his armor, he let out a great yawn.
LEON
How long,
I started as I lumbered to the smoothly carved wooden benches along the outer parts of the court.
LEON
How long would it take for me to learn Willpower?
Gate sucked in sharply before explaining,
GATE
Hmm, at your age now and the minimal training we can get in—a few years.
My jaw dropped,
LEON
What?
GATE
We don't have a Cleric. You need constant exposure to pain, bruises, cuts, and after all that, quick healing before getting tortured by my blade again.
I took a seat while clamping my mouth shut.
LEON
Cinda!
I called out for her.
CINDA
Yes Chief!
She exited into the Training Court, striding towards me with two fat leathery waterskins. She handed one to me, and I took in gulps of water.
CINDA
Keeper Gate?
She offered. Gate shook his head as I handed her back my waterskin,
LEON
He's too good for this.
I chuckled with a wink. Her orange and pink face dimpled when she returned the smile. She bowed and took her leave—her braided peachy-colored hair swinging at her tail.
A moment of silence between Gate and me as he stood by, his sword angled at his side while his other hand was behind his back.
LEON
Any news with the vampires? About Lich?
I asked. Gate's face became grim, and he approached to sit beside me. He nodded and laid his wooden sword over his lap.
GATE
Yes Chief.
I perked up, and he continued,
GATE
Our scouts are keeping an eye on them, despite our scout's best efforts of not being noticed... These are vampires we're dealing with. But nothing is out of the ordinary with them. Compared to the nightwalkers from nearly three years ago, these daywalkers are vastly weak. Now, about Lich...
Gate took a breath and shook his head.
GATE
He's alive.
I jerked forward,
LEON
Where is he? Is he with them?
My eyes combed his face for answers, but he shook his head, keeping his gaze down at the ground as he spoke.
GATE
Do you remember those three nightwalkers that joined their camp?
LEON
Yes, I remember.
GATE
Two Vampire Knights, Layondo called them, were the ones who drove them out.
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LEON
Vampire Knights?
Gate nodded.
GATE
Our conversation was short, but we now know that they have two Vampire Knights. He never told me of those knights before. As for the nightwalkers, they were the ones who confirmed Lich was still alive.
LEON
Did he say where?
GATE
Far west, back at the city-states.
LEON
And these knights, are they strong? Do we have any details about them?
I asked eagerly, but he shook his head,
GATE
They were daywalkers, was all he told me. But, Knight or not, our scouts saw no difference between any of them when it came to their outfits.
I leaned back and thought out loud,
LEON
Tch...two daywalkers driving out three nightwalkers?
GATE
It's possible but hard to believe with what our scouts reported. So many of them are lounging around in tatters as if to be mindless ghouls.
A smile sliced his face as he faced me—his stern demeanor faded.
GATE
You haven't seen a nightwalker fight close up, have you?
I scowled and shook my head. He forcefully stopped my unconscious leg wobbling by placing a hand on my knee and gesturing me back onto the training ground.
GATE
Mind if I show you, Chief?
I retrieved my sword, readied my shield, and positioned myself before him.
LEON
Remember, you cannot put my life in danger.
GATE
Here I come.
And he vanished! I jumped back—shield up—at the booming sound of his charging step. My body became a swivel, searching for him before I realized he was Quickstepping all about me nonstop. Moving so rapidly, my eyes only picked up his afterimages. The more he moved, the louder he became. Finally, the sound of his constant Quickstepping became deafening, and the force began to shove me to the left and right.
Suddenly, he stopped before me—my heart lurched as I jumped back, shocked at the dripping sweat flowing down his face.
He laughed while trying to catch his breath,
GATE
Whew! I'm so out of practice.
LEON
What in damnation was that!?
I exclaimed,
LEON
You were—you were completely invisible!
He laughed while wiping off his sweat with a materialized white cloth.
GATE
And that is how a few nightwalkers fight—albeit I am a bit faster than the ones I had fought.
He stood upright and took a deep breath,
GATE
But one caveat,
He took another breath and glared.
GATE
They do not get tired. Ever. You wouldn't stand a chance if you were to fight a newly turned nightwalker that excelled in melee combat.
I shook my head and smiled.
GATE
I'm serious.
I started to laugh as the feeling of security overcame me. Gate was quite the beast, and that haunting dream echoing at the back of my head seemed to fade away.
LEON
I'm aware.
I smiled, and he grinned broadly, putting his hands on his hips.
GATE
Even if it be a newborn.
He laughed,
GATE
The baby nightwalker will bring you to your knees Chief.
LEON
Clearly, but with your help, Gate, I will one day scar the thick hide of a dragon.
He chuckled at my comment before standing up cordially and saluting,
GATE
Another day Chief.
I returned the salute,
LEON
Another day.
*****
With Clerics and Mages on my mind, I took a bath and went to visit Don. He was teaching three young gents the art of bartering and persuasion within the Study Hall.
I waited for him to finish up, taking a seat on the steps and running through what I wanted to discuss in my head. With these cursed rabbids plaguing our lands, I sought to increase the use of magic within the city.
With currently low taxes, it was working ever so slowly as a handful of gents learned spells—two were twins and continued their jobs as tailors, while another was the son of a guard, and the last, a servant who mistakenly unsealed a spell book.
I grinned at Don as he wrapped up his lesson,
DONATELLO
Sorry to keep you waiting, Chief.
I shook my head,
LEON
No worries.
DONATELLO
Trades, I am assuming?
He led the way into the opulent left wing of the Great Study, the Embassy. We had a room of guards, servants, and merchants keeping track of each major city's trade and tourism that came through our city.
LEON
Any pushback from North Star about the price increase of wood?
I asked, and he shook his head,
DONATELLO
Not at all. Can't say they didn't notice it, though.
LEON
Why is that?
We turned into a narrow hallway that led north along the building's left side towards the Hawk Tower.
DONATELLO
A fewer amount of purchases. Not much, just a bit.
He explained briefly, and I studied his facial expression.
LEON
Something's wrong?
We entered through the two massive oak wood doors into the vast circular base of the Hawk's Tower, a room of never-ending noise with merchants and clerks running around the entirety of the tower. The back half of the room was seemingly divided into three by shelves and counters. Here, we had three major merchant groups working, each further divided by their clients and specialty. All imports and exports were taxed through our licensed merchants—Taxed Trade—a common practice among the plains.
The only kingdom I knew of that did not follow such practices was the Earth Kingdom—they had a system called Free Trade.
DONATELLO
Metals,
He uttered, nodding to the left section, Land and Raw Resources.
DONATELLO
The price of raw metals and metal materials is doubling.
LEON
What?
Just before us, I quickly stepped behind Don's desk, surrounded by shelves filled with ledgers and scrolls and positioned against the stone brick cylinder column that housed the stone steps up the tower.
I scanned the ledgers looking for a mistake,
DONATELLO
It happened overnight, so there was no mistake.
Three years ago, my role was to sit here—filling out ledgers and preventing cost spikes such as this one.
LEON
You didn't even out the price.
He shrugged when I eyed him.
DONATELLO
The blacksmiths, the carpenters, and people are still buying it.
After considering it, I quickly figured out what he was doing.
LEON
Waiting out the price increase, then?
I asked, and he nodded.
DONATELLO
We will attempt to lower the price if the price goes out of hand.
I took a seat in his chair, experiencing nostalgia. Waiting it out was risky because the news of us seeing the significant price hike could be delayed. Merchants from other nations had no need to tell us about price increases with the use of Black Hawks, so when the traders arrived at our gates with their new prices, we find out.
LEON
Any idea why the increase?
I inquired. He shook his head and materialized a tiny notepad.
DONATELLO
The hawks above are doing their best to find out as we speak. But, going through my notes, I saw nothing unusual.
LEON
Tch, we both know traders of other nations are as mute as a newborn fish.
I exhaled and returned to my feet to allow Don his seat.
LEON
So, any luck on cutting the taxes on spells?
DONATELLO
Any more, and we will not make any cut from their imports.
I thought about it for a moment. The average cost of a single spell book is 50,000 puries, and their standard flat tax rate was 6.1 percent.
LEON
Taxes on spell books are currently 1.5 percent, right?
I asked, and he nodded.
LEON
Get rid of it.
Don jerked his head and smiled,
DONATELLO
Are you joking?
LEON
No.
DONATELLO
But if we get—
I raised a hand,
LEON
I am well aware that spell books, normally bought once a few weeks, are a great asset, and taking away its taxes would sharply decrease the monthly income we would garner. Don't forget what I have been doing since the age of fourteen.
DONATELLO
Sorry Chief. But the expansion? We need every single puri we can get.
He pleaded, but I took a breath,
LEON
If we could get one proficient Mage, it would make this expansion more effortless.
DONATELLO
Quite the gamble.
LEON
Unfortunately, the last lady who learned a spell was sold into Earth Kingdom's markets.
DONATELLO
We could not afford her.
I laughed and folded my arms with a challenge.
LEON
Five hundred thousand puries? Yet you speak of this, guild—what was it called again?
He leaned back and teased me with a smile.
DONATELLO
The Adventurer's Guild.
He finally stated.
LEON
One point six million puries?
I pointed out, and he raised his finger in defense,
DONATELLO
A much better investment than a servant who learned Telekinesis. We could then contract Earth Mages.
Don has been talking, discussing, and researching this guild since his encounter with adventurers from the Earth Kingdom.
LEON
Do they, the adventurers that visit our city, I have not noticed any increased income—
DONATELLO
That is because we do not have an adventurer's guild office. They work with contracts that sneak past our taxed system. As you have been dealing with imports and exports since fourteen, I have excelled in investments since such an age as well.
I raised an eyebrow at him,
LEON
Seventeen, you mean?
DONATELLO
Sure.
He dodged. The risk was too much for me. Don was too eager; if I let him go along with it, he would inevitably rush and make mistakes.
DONATELLO
We should keep the tax on spell books and use the taxes to purchase a few for the city.
He suggested, and I cringed,
LEON
I do not want people to hate me. I can't be such a despised ruler if I am still learning the sword. You were once a merchant. You know how quickly these merchants would spill our decisions to the people. Anything to exonerate them from being the bearer of bad news.
DONATELLO
Only for a short time—
LEON
Out of the question, I am sorry, Don.
His defeated look stabbed my heart, and I averted my eyes.
DONATELLO
As you wish, Chief.
LEON
Trust me, Don. The day will come when we can spend one point six million puries every week.
*****
I left Don to his duties while having trade and expansion ideas bouncing around in my mind. I thought about our expansion as I moved through the Study Hall, down the steps, and out into the Great Garden.
Ever since my father's death, I have been cursed with one problem after another. But was this the meaning of being a Chief? Constantly dealing with issues that plagued the city?
Actually, a part of me wanted to increase the taxes on spell books—something I would've done if my father was still alive. Furthermore, plenty of Mages have passed through our city, but none was willing to stay and deal with the rabbids that hindered our growth and food supply. We could never grant the great ones a generous offer.
Not only were rabbids an issue, but we have yet to find any source of puri mines. I shook my head at the story of how my great-grandfather built this city as an outpost in search of puries—cities and villages were typically built near or upon puri mines. But, the outpost itself became the city, unfortunately.
I stopped in the center of the Great Garden—a space surrounded by hedges and crossed by slick stone pathways. Four dry fountains stood at the four corners, and my father, an erected marble statue, faced the southern gates that lead out of the Estate.
LEON
I'm sorry, father.
I uttered as I grabbed a golden latch on the statue's base. I lifted it open, and inside the tiny container was a pen and a small piece of durable brown parchment that almost felt like the dead animal it was made of.
I examined the parchment and saw that I was losing space to mark the tallies I had been keeping for the past—I counted—one thousand one hundred and thirty-four days.
Without missing a day, I made it a point to visit and apologize to my father for being unworthy of the Chief title. But I must put up with it, grow into a true leader, and figure out how to defend our city.
I pursed my lips at the memory of telling my father I wanted to be king. He had asked me one random day nonchalantly,
CHIEF LEONIDES
Boy, have you ever thought of leading a nation?
I was a year ahead of adulthood, and I happily replied,
LEON
Yes father! I dream of being a King one day.
Even today, remembering the despair and contempt on my father's face stings. He wanted me to say no—he was expecting me to say no. With three sons, the eldest becomes Chief, and the remaining two should follow.
He saw me as a merchant and nothing more and wanted me to stay that way to aid my eldest brother's rule. And then Leo died, and my father's world was shaken. But it didn't shake him hard enough because my father placed his hopes on Leroy, just for Lady Luck to take him away too.
My father dreamed of his three sons being great rulers. Leo as Chief, Leroy leading a newly found army, and I as the Keeper of Treasury. I clenched my jaws—such dreams. And to be honest with myself, I wouldn't mind if that reality had come to pass.
LEON
I promise to learn the sword, father. I will become an excellent fighter. I promise to become a great Chief like you.
I spotted movement over to my right and glanced over at Judge Chambers. He approached from the Great Court—a long rectangular structure designed with columns all around it taking up the far-right area of the Estate.
CHAMBERS
Great day, Chief.
He greeted me as I watched his parasol of light pink and white hair bounce with each step. He wore his black silk cloak, covering his thin pale body. Anything regarding the citizens' affairs was brought to his court first before ever reaching me.
CHAMBERS
Isaac is here to meet with you.
He informed me. I nodded, returning the pen and parchment to the welded container and closing the lid.
LEON
I will see you again father... another day.
I parted the statue and followed Chambers towards the courts.