by Andrew Rowe
Please. Defense? Have you met me?
I ran into a group of three people with blue flags next. I waved to them. They nodded and waved back.
I ran on for a surprising distance before I found anyone else, and it wasn’t who I’d been looking for.
Instead, as I crested the top of a hill, I saw a group of five people. Four were heavily armed warriors, and at the center, I saw someone sitting at a table.
Yes, a table.
On top of the table was an array of flags of all three colors.
“Ah, welcome, welcome!” Jelani shouted toward me from his seat at the table. “Come, I have much to sell!”
I gawked for a moment, then laughed, then walked over.
“See anything you like? I have a wide variety, and as always, excellent prices.” Jelani smiled, waving across his wares. In addition to the flags, he had several other items. Blue and red potions, crystals, an abnormally large key, a compass, a rolled parchment...
I ignored most of it for the moment. “Are you...making flags? Like you did with the crystals?”
Jelani laughed. “No, no. They wouldn’t allow such a thing, I’m certain. These are from myself, my compatriots here, and those who were foolish enough to challenge them. I’ve also hired a few people to scout for easy-to-get ones. As you can see, the business has been quite successful.”
He wasn’t lying. He had a good thirty flags in front of him. If I assumed they’d put in all of their own, that meant they’d managed to loot at least five other people as well.
I rubbed my forehead. “...And I assume you’re charging more than what the value of the points for the flags would be?”
“Ah! How astute. You’re right, of course. I won’t bore you with the details, but yes, I make a reasonable profit on each flag sale. Nothing absurd, I assure you. From your side of things, it’s also quite a good investment, however. Carrying more flags will allow you to have a higher chance of capturing towers, and if you have any at the end of the match, they’re still valuable.” His smile widened. “And, of course, there’s the value of taking points away from everyone else.”
I sighed. “How much for a flag?”
“Ah, a mere eight gold imperials for a potentially match-winning advantage!”
I did some quick mental math.
A ten-point flag is worth somewhere between two and five gold pieces, at least in terms of the value at the end of the match. He’s right that the use within the match adds a bit more, but nowhere near enough to justify spending eight.
Also, I only had five gold imperials on me.
At that point, I could have tried to barter him down to a more “reasonable” five gold, but even that would have had questionable efficiency. Instead, I pointed at the parchment. “Is that a map?”
“Ah, you have a keen eye, my friend! Indeed, that is the map of the area distributed to people who purchased an advantage before the match.” He smiled brightly. “It is, of course, quite valuable. Such a thing could easily change the course of the entire match. The location of the towers, hidden treasures, other points of interest...”
Hidden treasures?
I liked the sound of that. I’d found a treasure box in the previous match, so it was possible there were some here...but would they list them on the map?
...Maybe. That would mean the people who had early access to the map would have a high chance of going straight for them, justifying the cost of buying the advantage, as well as potentially creating new points of conflict for people watching the match from the outside.
I obviously couldn’t afford the map, but...
“How about I give you a gold imperial just to let me view the map, then you can keep it?”
“Interesting, interesting.” Jelani raised a hand to his chin, seemingly considering. “Ten gold to view the map. Just seeing it is nearly worth as much as purchasing it, if your memory is good.”
I shook my head. “You can still sell it at full price afterward. My viewing the map costs you nothing. I’ll give you two gold, however, to show my appreciation for the service.”
“Ah, but such a service has a greater value to you than that, no? You could secure a treasure worth many times that value. And, as we wait and discuss, I am losing the chance to seek out other customers...”
I sighed, raising my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Fine, fine. Three gold to view the map. That is my final offer.”
He wrinkled his nose in apparent distaste, then took a deep breath and sighed. “You will ruin me with this type of deal, but since you have given me business before, I will forgive you for it. For three gold, you may have one minute to read the map.”
I nodded and cautiously handed him the coins.
He handed me the map. His guards watched me warily, as if I might run off with it at any time.
Truthfully, that might not have been a bad strategy, if I was thinking purely in terms of this round. But I’d run into Jelani once before, and Reika and I had ended up in the same match as well. That implied that people who took the initial test at the same time were all being sorted into the same future matches, at least for the moment.
As long as he made it to future rounds, there was a reasonable chance I’d see him selling items again. He was too potentially useful for me to risk damaging our relationship, even if he charged ludicrous prices.
And besides, I kind of liked him. Maybe I just have a soft spot for people who are clearly trying to go against the intent of any sort of tournament or test, since I so often do the same.
I opened the map and took a look.
The text was, of course, written in Edrian. I couldn’t read it in the slightest.
Fortunately, the terrain of the map itself was clear enough. I recognized landmarks that I’d passed — one of the towers, a huge tree, and a few distinct rock formations. From those, I was able to get an approximate idea of my current location.
I quickly scanned for other details. The other towers were easy enough to locate. Just knowing exactly which direction to go if I wanted to find the closest tower made my purchase worth it.
Beyond that, I saw several different marks on the map that looked like treasure chests. I thought there were two slightly different silvers, gold, and copper at first before recalling that Edria used an iron piece as their base currency. From that, I realized that the reddish one I’d mistaken as copper was more likely supposed to be ruby, the material used for the most valuable Edrian currency.
Oddly, some of the treasure boxes seemed to be inside the towers. I hadn’t seen any, but I hadn’t really been looking that hard. Maybe there were secret compartments?
At that point, I’d run out of time. I handed the map back to Jelani. “Thanks.”
“Of course. A pleasure doing business. Please make sure to bring plenty of gold during the next round.” He grinned at me.
“How can you be sure you’ll make it, if you’re not participating directly?” I asked.
“Oh, I have more people in play than just the ones here. Don’t worry yourself about it.”
I didn’t worry. But I was rather curious about exactly how deep his connections went, as well as something more pertinent. “Do you happen to identify magical items?”
“I most certainly do! For a small, extremely reasonable fee, of course.” He gave me a toothy smile. “Do you have something you’d like me to examine?”
Hey, you did say you had a thing for rich guys.
<...Fair point. But not suspicious rich guys. I’m very picky, okay?>
Fine, fine.
“Not today,” I told Jelani. “But maybe another time.”
Even if Dawn was going to be picky, I wanted someone to identify the copy of the Heartlance. I had a general idea of one of the functions, because I’d seen it use the same mo
tion-enhancement the original could...but I didn’t know the full extent of the Heartlance’s powers, and that meant the copy might also have additional abilities. Moreover, I didn’t know how powerful the copy was, or if it had other limitations, like a limited mana supply.
Based on his appraisal, Reika and I could decide if we wanted to keep it or sell it. But I couldn’t check it at the moment; it was bundled away in Reika’s backpack in three pieces.
With that in mind, I bid Jelani and his hired guards goodbye and turned to leave the area.
I had a decision to make.
Flags or treasure chests.
Going straight for one of the nearby boxes was temping. I’d gotten something useful out of the first box I’d found, and it had been worth the equivalent of a considerable number of points — somewhere in the thirty to one hundred range, based on the Carnelian-level stuff on the list. Since the gauntlets had multiple abilities, I suspected they were toward the upper end of that range. If I assumed they were worth around sixty or so points, getting something comparable was probably more time efficient than trying to capture flags.
...But that relied on several factors. The treasure chests could already be taken by someone else who had a map, or someone who just stumbled on them. Or, maybe these boxes had lesser rewards than the one I’d found.
Of course, the boxes could also carry things that were more valuable than the gauntlets, so I’d have to take that into account as well.
The most important factor was that I needed to earn points to go onto future rounds. But, if I waited until I secured a strong lead, it would be more likely the boxes would be empty by the time I reached them.
I chose a third option. The one that appealed to me the most on a personal level.
I ignored the chests. I ignored the towers.
Dawn, point me toward that sacred sword.
That’s fine. We’re going to figure out why.
I rushed in that direction.
Getting points in this round was important, but so was learning about the other sacred swords and wielders.
And besides that — I was itching for a real fight.
I ran for minutes. Twice, I had to turn because the sword had vanished, then reappeared elsewhere. Given how much the directions were swinging, I had a suspicion I knew what was happening, but I wanted to keep my mind open.
I crested over a hill at a sprint. Running with a sword out was generally a terrible idea, so I had both of mine sheathed. That meant I wasn’t in a great position to use my usual spell-cutting or reflecting move when a burst of flame surged toward me.
I still had plenty of options, though.
Shift.
I commanded the flames to turn aside, then sprinted right through the gap. My arm moved as I charged, my grip settling on Dawnbringer and pulling her out of her scabbard.
Radiant Dawn.
Dawnbringer glowed brighter, shining with inner light.
That was important, because it meant she was prepared to deflect the next six blasts of flame, which flew at me in a cluster from different directions.
Dawn apparently approved of being swung around rapidly, smacking the fireballs aside like, well, normal balls. Each reflection drew from Dawn’s mana, but fortunately, she didn’t run out. Apparently, the magnitude of the attack was relevant to how much mana she expended on reflecting it.
When the smoke cleared from the fireballs exploding in the air nearby, I saw my opponent.
He was a tall one.
Standing at close to eight feet in height, the wielder I faced was dressed in dark blues. His large, wide-brimmed hat made him look even taller. His hair was as dark as mine, trailing down all the way to his waist. His features were thin, and I might have used the word “pretty” if he hadn’t been so damn imposing.
His hands rested on the pommel of a massive two-handed sword, dwarfing even the Sae’kes in size. Currently, the tip of the sword was embedded into the ground, meaning he wasn’t in a hostile posture. The greatsword was silver-bladed, but the runes on the surface flickered bright red. The hilt looked like a stylized bonfire, broken into several individual pieces.
Dawnbringer saw it through my eyes, recognizing it faster than I did.
I thought you insisted you were clearly the most powerful, beautiful, and all that.
Uh-huh.
Banter aside, I immediately assessed my opponent as a significant threat. Not just because his height and greatsword would give him greater reach than mine — although that would be a pain, since I was used to using a reach advantage — but because I’d just deflected a barrage of his attacks, and he was already in a resting pose.
Either he moved incredibly fast, or he was capable of controlling those fireballs without leaving a resting posture. Possibly both.
I’d find out soon enough. I charged, closing the remaining distance in a moment.
His sword came up in a lazy one-handed parry. That was a mistake on his part — he was expecting a swing with the strength of an ordinary human behind it.
I hit a lot harder than that.
My swing blew straight through his guard. He reacted in the next moment, shifting back so that my blade cut only the cloth of his shirt.
He frowned, flipping his sword upward into a ready pose and gripping it properly with two hands.
I didn’t give him a chance to recover his balance. Dawn came down, knocking his sword aside, then flicking back upward quickly enough to cut off a handful of his hairs as he stepped back.
A moment later, I felt the heat.
I realized too late that when he’d had his sword embedded in the ground earlier, he hadn’t just been resting — he’d been channeling flame into the earth.
I barely managed to throw myself to the side in time to dodge the jet of flame that came up from the ground behind me. The flame followed my movement, shooting toward my chest.
I swung Dawnbringer into it with Radiant Dawn still active. There was a brilliant flash as Dawnbringer collided with the flame, blasting it backward toward the Soulbrand’s wielder.
He raised Soulbrand and closed his eyes for an instant. The flames stilled, then moved to coil around him like a snake. They continued swirling there as he shifted his position to a firmer defensive stance, regarding me with caution.
“You’ve been following me.” He tilted his head downward, allowing the shadow of his hat to cover his bright blue eyes. “Are you one of Akadi’s creatures?”
I took a step back, mentally running through my options on next moves. “...No? I don’t even know who that is.”
His expression lightened somewhat. “Oh? How can I help you, then?”
“Just admiring your sword, really.”
He gave me an appreciative nod. “You and about half the other competitors. If you’re looking to court my sword, you’re going to have to put your name on the list.”
“Would it be rude of me to cut in line?” I jiggled Dawn meaningfully.
My opponent’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to process the weapon I was carrying. “Wait. Is that one the real Dawnbringer? I’ve seen like six or seven of them. Some of them were fancier.”
I sighed. “Yes, she’s the real one.”
He gave me a strange look. “How? You can’t have the amulets.”
I gave him a quizzical look. “How would you know that?”
I ignored Dawn. The other swordsman gave me a sharp grin. “Call it an educat
ed guess. What makes you think you’re worthy to use the sword without them?”
I shrugged. “Long story. I’m not much for tradition. Tell you what — give me a good fight, and maybe I’ll tell you over a drink.”
“Ordinarily, I’d consider it, but I’m a bit limited on time right now.”
I lifted Dawn into a ready position. “Just a quick fight, then. I could use an actual challenge.”
He gave me an appraising look, then shook his head. “I have no time for such games.”
With that, he jammed his sword into the ground.
There was a burst of flame that seemed to engulf his entire body — and then he was gone, without a trace.
I wrinkled my nose.
At least I had an answer to one of my questions.
Fancy or not, he was teleporting.
Teleporters were a huge pain to deal with. Teleporters that had a reach advantage on me, a magical sword comparable to mine, and an unknown number of other capabilities were a real problem.
I lifted Dawn to rest her against a shoulder.
Oh, he’s asking for it now.
You said it best, Dawn.
Terrible, terrible vengeance.
***
I didn’t go after Soulbrand’s wielder immediately. Now that I knew he could teleport, that was an absolute waste of time. But now that I knew the generalities of his capabilities, I could prepare for our next encounter between matches.
For the moment, it was time to get back to my objectives.
I rushed toward the nearest tower. As much as grabbing treasure boxes was appealing, getting to the next test was my highest priority, and I couldn’t guarantee any of those treasures were still present.
When I reached the tower, I could see why red had two points.
The tower was swarming with people wearing red flags. At least a dozen of them.
And those were the ones I could see outside of the wall. The entirely new wall, which surrounded the entire place, and which happened to have room for archers stationed on the top.
It wasn’t quite as high as the tower itself, but it was made of stone, and it didn’t have a single gate. There was no need for one — the people inside weren’t planning on coming or going. They only had to guard the place for another hour and a half, after all.