Gideon Lachlann is the greatest hero in the world, and I am his son.
Ten years ago the world was on the brink of destruction, a death from a thousand cuts. Centuries of unchecked monster waves had left humanity scattered and divided. Those few kingdoms that clung to life did so behind tall walls, their food grown by nervous peasants quick to abandon their crops at the first sign of incursion. To the north, the necromancer Ival was raising a legion of the undead to conquer the world. To the south, the dragonlings expanded their territory ever outwards. To the west was the Ironrot Empire, ruled by the Nostantan, ancient and evil. And to the east was the sea of squalls, impassible and filled with kraken and other monsters of the depths.
Beset from all directions, the kings of the united races knew that their time was limited. They did not have the armies to push back the encroaching darkness, and so they turned to one final hope. Within the ruins of the ancients lies a portal to another world. My grandfather, and the other kings of men, and the council of the elves, and the dwarven clans, and the elders of the nymphs, all convened and concluded that there was no other choice. They performed the ancient ritual, and the world was changed forever.
The Travelers came to our world through the Gate of TirNiki. Endless and uncounted, of all races and creed, and without fear.
Of course, not all of the Travelers were great warriors. Many caused problems. Some even sought to make things worse. But others rose up to save us. In the early days after the opening of the portal, my father slew the dragon Detan of the Yellow Skies, rescued my mother, Princess Analise of Yuikon. For his prize he took her hand in marriage. But the war to push back the tides of darkness was unceasing, and he was called ever to the front.
My father is the greatest hero in all the world, but I have never met him.
But that will change. Today. Father is finally coming home, and the kingdom is throwing him a parade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Display Status,” I said, and the screen appeared before me.
Name
Hail Teoran
Level
1
Age
8
Strength
4
Health
50/50
Dexterity
5
Mana
70/70
Vitality
5
Experience
0/100
Endurance
3
Race
Human (blood of the travelers)
Intelligence
7
Class
Child
Wisdom
6
Job
Prince of Yuikon
Charisma
13
Traits
High Aptitude
Spells
Cure Minor Injury (3)
Quick Learner
Detect Poison (10)
Royal Blood (+5 charisma, bonus to relations with factions loyal to Yuikon)
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Spark (4)
Blessing of Thedum
Mark of the Phoenix (hidden)
Voice of the future (hidden)
I scrutinized the page carefully, as I had every day since I’d learned that I would finally be meeting my father. I was a little proud, because I knew from the other children that I’d convinced to play “I’ll show you my status if you show me yours” that my stats were about +1 or +2 above normal across the board for everything but Endurance and Charisma. Endurance was a little lower, but that wasn’t my fault because I couldn’t get as much time to play due to all of the time I had to spend with my tutors, and Charisma was way high just because I was royalty.
I had been impatiently watching the numbers slowly go up since I unlocked my status screen three years ago, but there really wasn’t anything I could do to speed it up except for getting older. I mean, I was too young to fight monsters and gain levels, and that’s how people get really strong. But just growing up increases your stats slowly. Everyone gets a boost around age ten or eleven, and another boost at age fifteen or so. My grandfather says that he averaged about nine in the body stats and eleven in the intangibles when he started training as a squire at age eleven.
Of course, he won’t show me his stats now. He says that his personal strength is a state secret, that if our enemies knew his status they would be able to use it against us. I don’t really understand why it’s such a big secret, but he says it’s the same reason I had to learn [Detect Poison] and why I have to cast it before eating or drinking anything. It’s stupid, I mean, our cook has [Detect Poison] at level fifty. If he doesn’t spot it, then there’s no way that my level ten spell will catch it, right? And I can’t level it past ten until I increase my intelligence, which I can’t do without growing older. I’m maxed on the increase I can get from education, although I might ‘grow into’ some hidden intelligence points from my education later on, so my tutors keep cramming my head full of knowledge.
I sighed, wondering if it would be enough. I was above average for the other castle children, but would that impress my father? He was a dragon slayer, a prince consort, and the leader of the prominent Traveler guild,
How in the seven hells could an eight year old prince impress a man like that? Because I really, really wanted to impress him.
My mother was no help. She simply sighed and said “You can’t predict how a traveler will react to anything.” Grandfather was no better, though he had little spare time to talk with his grandson, let alone to address my perceived inadequacies. The maids and servants all assured me that I was worried about nothing, and my tutors simply scolded me for spending too much time staring at my status screen.
The door burst open, and my nurse, Beckah, came barging in. She took one look at me and scoffed. “I know that vacant expression! Stop staring at it. There’s nothing you can do at this point to change your status before tonight. Even if you get a plus one to something, it won’t make much overall difference.”
I closed my status screen and stuck my tongue out at her and blew a raspberry. I always acted very princely in front of her. After all, she’s the one who changed my diapers.
Certainly nobody else bothered.
“Come now, Hail, it’s time to get changed. The parade is starting soon, and we need to get you ready for the reception.”
“I wish I could have ridden out to meet him, and then go through the parade with him,” I complained. “It’s not fair that--”
“Life’s not fair, you know that. There are children your age begging in the streets while you live in comfort and luxury. When I was your age--”
“I know, I know,” I raised my hands in defeat. “When you were my age the darkness was at the walls and the world was ending and nobody had thought to ask the Travelers for help for decades yet. I’m blessed by the gods to have been born into the royal family and twice blessed to have such a distinguished father. But it’s still stupid that I couldn’t ride out to meet him.”
“Complaining isn’t changing into your finery,” she scolded, “And until you’re dressed properly you’re not ready for the reception. And if you’re not at the reception, you’ll have to wait until--”
“I know I know!” I began stripping out of my play clothes. That’s one thing I hate about being a prince, all of the stiff and uncomfortable clothing. On a normal day I’m permitted to dress for comfort, but on official events I’m forced to dress for either fashion or tradition. Today, it was tradition, and the blue coat was itchy, the black slacks were ironed stiff, and the shoes, while immaculate, were simply uncomfortable on my feet.
I was somewhat resentful that I wasn’t allowed to dress myself for official functions, but even my grandfather had servants to help him dress in his official robes, so my complaints were mostly ignored. As Beckah fretted over my black hair with its silver highlights – black from my mother, silver from my Traveler father – I resentfully stared in the mirror, occasionally wincing as the comb found a knot.
Heterochromia, they call it. My left eye is blue from my mother, my right is silver. A symbol of the mixing of blood between our world and the Traveler’s home world. Not all travelers have silver hair and irises, although neither is my father unique. Rather, they are far more diverse than us natives, with hair, skin, nails, and eyes of all colors of the rainbow. I’ve even heard that they can choose or change their coloring and features somehow, although the details remain a mystery to me.
When Beckah was satisfied that I was presentable, she dragged me out of my room and through the hallways of the castle to the courtyard, where I was pushed towards the master of ceremonies. The droll man frowned at me and lectured me as he always did on what was expected of me. Specifically that I remain seen but not heard at the side of my mother, the second princess. I blew him a raspberry, although for a significantly different reason than the one I blew at Beckah.
Honestly, it’s like I’d never had to sit through a boring ceremony before. I would have much rather have been out in the crowd, watching the procession, or, even better, at my father’s side. But it had been decided that my place was at my mother’s side. Still, the clock was ticking down before I could finally say hello to the man who had given me life and saved my world. Although it was a struggle, I contained myself. I knew I must behave myself, less I be removed entirely.
I stood next to my mother and entangled my hand with hers.
“I finally get to meet him,” I whispered to her, my enthusiasm hidden not at all by my low volume. “I can hardly wait.”
Mother squeezed my hand and looked down at me, her expression somewhat troubled. “I hope everything lives up to your hopes and dreams, Hail. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your father, and I’ve heard … he may not be the man I thought he once was.”
I frowned up at her. “Mother? What do you mean?”
“Hopefully nothing. Never mind. It’s probably just rumors. Just, I don’t know, try not to be surprised if he says or does anything strange. Sometimes Travelers speak with people who are very distant as though they were right next to them, or they say strange things that do not make sense. It’s best to simply ignore such things when they happen,” she explained.
“I’ve spoken with Travelers before,” I reminded her. “I know they’re eccentric.”
“Yes, hopefully that’s all that it is,” she said quietly, almost to herself. “Just, don’t get your hopes up too much, Hail.”
I frowned at her, but didn’t say that it was already too late for that.
The trumpets outside blared their warning, and the gates to the courtyard opened to admit the Traveler guild. My father’s guild,
Unlike natives, Travelers were never content with mundane mounts. Riding a simple horse was seen by them as a sign of poverty or a lack of imagination or drive. They traveled far and wide to tame and train exotic creatures to ride. Or, in my father’s case, to kill and enslave the essence of, for he rode the shadow-spirit of the great drake Shalasmir, a beast that had taken fifty men to kill.
I knew him at once. His parade armor shining white, his handsome face ageless in that strange way of the Travelers. He looked just like the portraits of him and my mother at their wedding. Gideon Lachlann, the [Silver Knight].
The rest of his guild came riding in after on mounts no less impressive, including winged lions, tamed wargs, and even an elephant. Their armor was resplendent, their weapons shimmered with restrained power and magic. Their deeds all rivaled my father’s, for while he was their leader, they fought their battles together, pushing back the darkness that had encroached our world for generations. And the cheering people outside the castle loved them for it.
Once they were through the gates, the raid dismounted. Father’s shadow drake turned to smoke and entered a flask at his hip. The other’s all had their mounts vanish in various fashions, from slipping inside their shadow to stepping through a dimensional portal.
“That was kind of lame,” one of the warriors exclaimed. “This city’s not as big as I remember. This event was a total wash.”
“Shut up, we’re in front of the king,” another whispered harshly. “Acting up might cost us Rep.”
“Who cares? This is noobie town,” the first one said. “Besides--”
“Shut up, Nial, or I’ll deduct you Dee Kay Pee for every outburst,” Father said. “That goes for everyone else. The event isn’t over yet. There’s supposed to be some sort of hidden quest we can unlock, so keep your eyes and ears open.”
“Ahem,” the king said. “Welcome, oh great heroes of
The king droned on and on, as he always did, and I quickly tuned him out. Honestly, geography and history are pretty boring, and we all knew it already anyway so what’s the point on rehashing it? Although I grew increasingly proud as he listed all of my father’s accomplishments one by one. Well, not my father’s, exactly, but The Endolphins collectively. I’m certain my father had a great many more than that, but even my long winded grandfather had to cut things short eventually.
“-but before the feast, I would like to have a private word with my son-in-law,” grandfather concluded. “And the rest of my family.”
“Of course, my liege,” my father said.
“Oh shit, I forgot about that,” someone in the guild exclaimed. “That’s right, Gideon totally boned the princess, didn’t he?”
“Dude, shut up! At least pretend to take it seriously when you sign up for a roleplay event.”
“Hey, I just came for the food and to show off. Whatever hidden quest there’s supposed to be, I bet it’s all for Gideon, the lucky bastard.”
I frowned at the unprofessional attitudes emanating from my father’s warriors. I’d been warned, but this was not how I’d imagined the Travelers to act. Not during the middle of a ceremony meant to honor them. Even I had more decorum than that!
The gates to outside the castle closed, and most of the guild made their way towards the hall where they would be feasted, while Father split off from the rest of his guild. He was joined by an honor guard as he followed Grandfather and the rest of the royal family as we made our way into the throne room, where Grandfather made his way to the throne.
Finally, unable to contain my excitement anymore, I dashed over to my father’s side.
“Father! Father! Will you take me as your squire?” I asked.
He jerked in surprise, frowning down at me in confusion. His expression changed to that of one reading a menu or prompt for a moment, and I realized with joy that I had just accidentally issued him a quest. Then he spoke two words that shattered my world.
“Quest Declined.”