by Andrew Rowe
I had to be careful about what I was admitting to someone like him, but fighting in the tournament implied at least some degree of interest, so I felt answering this was reasonably safe. “That’s the primary reason. I’m interested in the swords in general.”
“Even as a kid, you always did love your magic swords.” He tossed down the rest of his glass, then poured himself more. “I’m going to be honest — I’m interested in Diamantine as well. But I have other business here, and as long as you don’t get in the way of that, I’m content to keep our dispute over the sword confined to the arena. Does that sound agreeable to you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Depends on your other business.”
“Prudent, but I’m afraid I can’t be too detailed. Suffice to say that some of it is personal matters, and the majority of it is political.”
“Political...you don’t mean that you’re here to—”
He held up a hand in a pausing gesture. “Not here. This is a quiet spot for catching up with an old friend, but not such heavy discussions.”
I glanced around. The bar was mostly empty, probably by design. There were a few people around: a man with short white hair playing a Crowns game against a barmaid and the bartender himself. That was it. I assumed that Taer’vys had paid off the barkeep to keep the place relatively quiet, and that the white-haired man was probably Taer’vys’ own backup.
Or maybe the barmaid was. Or both. All of them were carrying concealed weapons. Wrynn would have approved.
The most worrying thing was that I thought I sensed a sacred sword nearby. I couldn’t pinpoint it, though, or tell if it was physically in the room with us. That made me nervous.
I tried not to give any sign of my concern. I simply gave Taer’vys an uneasy nod, trying not to overthink the implications of his statement or the swimming feeling in my head. I took another drink. “I’m not interested in interfering with personal or political matters.”
“Good. Perhaps we can even make an arrangement related to Diamantine, if that’s a priority of yours. I’d find Diamantine useful for my goals, but it’s not strictly necessary.”
I took a breath. “We can talk about an arrangement some other time. I’ll need to think about it.”
“Of course. Now, who sent you?”
I stilled, barely resisting the urge to spout out the first name that came into my mind. “A powerful wizard.”
Taer’vys let out a deep laugh. “Of course. That’s a necessity for getting to a place like this. But I’d like to know if we’re still playing for the same team, Taelien. I know you were working with those Tae’os types for a while, but I also happen to know you made a deal with one of my own superiors some time ago.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And how would you know that?”
“I’m working for the same person you made a deal with.”
I felt my blood run cold. I couldn’t hide that reaction entirely.
Taer’vys must have seen it, at least to some extent. His lips turned upward. “She makes us all feel like that sometimes. There’s no need to be ashamed. Now, are you on here at her behest or not?”
My eye twitched.
My mind was swimming. The Lysen’s Tears were doing their work. Being overtly dishonest was a challenge for me at the best of times, and with the poison in my system...
I couldn’t lie.
But I could phrase things creatively. “You could say that I’m here because I’m taking her advice.”
Taer’vys narrowed his eyes for a moment, then gave what appeared to be a genuine smile. “Well, now. That’s all you had to say.” He lifted his glass to his lips again, examining the contents without drinking. “I think this has been a good conversation. I’m prepared to give you the antidotes.”
My jaw tightened. “Plural? You told me it was just Lysen’s Tears in the drink.”
“Oh, sure, those were the only thing in the drink itself.” He set his glass down, then reached into a pouch and retrieved three vials. He slid the first one over. “For the tears.” Then the second. “For the contact poison on the outside of the glass. Wouldn’t have killed you, probably. More of a minor precaution.” Then the third. “For the poison on my sword during the match, if you haven’t treated it already.”
I moved the vials with my left hand, since that hadn’t touched the contact poison, and shifted them into my pouch. I was wearing gloves, but that just meant my right glove probably had poison on it, in addition to the potential that it could have seeped through.
That was going to be annoying. I’d probably have to replace the glove.
As I moved them, I considered just how underprepared I’d actually been for someone like him. True, I’d anticipated being poisoned, and I’d brought someone to neutralize it...but if Taer’vys had wanted me dead, I wasn’t sure if I could have reacted in time.
Taer’vys was hideously dangerous, and I couldn’t allow myself to forget that for a moment. I could, however, hope that I could stay on his good side. “Appreciated.”
I wasn’t going to drink the “antidotes” right away. I’d have them checked first. I was about fifty-fifty on whether at least one of them was just another poison.
“Don’t mention it. But if you want to repay me, you could give me a better idea of some of your long-term goals. Maybe we could help one another.”
I slid my glass back over to him, shaking my head. “I don’t know. I don’t think we’re going to be on opposite sides, but I don’t anticipate your master wanting you to step in, either.”
He shrugged. “I’m not working for her full-time. Might be that our interests will line up. Stranger things have happened.”
I took a moment to evaluate Taer’vys, considering what I knew about him and his motives. He was deeply ambitious, and I couldn’t count on empathy guiding him. But he did appreciate puzzles and challenges, and perhaps I could offer him one.
“I’m working to save the city of Velthryn. I’ve heard there’s an attack coming, and when it happens, everyone there is at risk, regardless of who they serve.”
Taer’vys stared straight at me, then his expression softened. “...You haven’t heard anything about Velthryn yet?”
I turned my head to the side. “What do you mean? What happened?”
With a look of sympathy and shake of his head, he put a hand on my shoulder, and said one sentence that shattered my world to pieces.
Epilogue — In Exile
Keras fell silent.
For a moment, everyone was respectful of that silence, sensing the weight that it carried.
It didn’t last long, however. Patrick’s curiosity compelled him to speak. “...What did he say?”
Keras glanced out the window, his hand tightening to a fist. “It’s amazing how a single simple phase can change the course of an entire life. I didn’t believe him at first. I didn’t understand it. His words seemed like nonsense.”
He turned back slowly, his head lowered. “I demanded answers. Clarification. Had I simply misheard him? Was he making a joke?”
Keras raised his hands to his face, covering his eyes, and chucked softly.
“It wasn’t very funny.”
There was another moment of silence as Keras gathered his thoughts and composure.
This time, it was Marissa who broke the silence. “...What’d he tell you, Keras?”
Keras rubbed at his eyes, chuckling again, and then turned his gaze to meet Marissa’s. He gave her a sad smile, the kind that served as a wall to hold back tears.
“Taer’vys told me something I couldn’t bear to believe. He said...”
Keras closed his eyes, his mind locked on the memory of those final words.
“...The city of Velthryn fell over four hundred years ago.”
THE END
Appendix I – Attunements of Edria
Corin’s notes on the attunements of Edria.
Keras didn’t cover all of these in detail, so I’m combining these with notes from my other texts. He’s
also been able to answer some of my questions about them, since he’s very familiar with that region now.
Notably, by asking Keras, I’ve managed to figure out most of the “tertiary” mana types for each of these Attunements that are unlocked when someone reaches Citrine level in their attunement. These tertiary mana types are hard to find in source texts, so this has been quite useful. I hope to be able to update my list for Valia at some point with similar information.
Upon learning these tertiary functions, I believe they may already be active in some capacity prior to being “available” in raw mana form at Citrine level. If that’s true, it would explain a great deal about how certain attunements — like Summoners and Soulbades — have functions that are much broader than their mana types would suggest.
Exciting stuff. Let’s get into lists.
Edria’s Attunements:
Assassin: Assassins can generate poison inside their bodies, then secrete that poison to apply it to weapons, put it into liquids, or apply it through unarmed attacks. Mana Types: Umbral (Primary), Water (Secondary), Death (Tertiary)
Commander: The Commander attunement can temporarily expend portions of their shroud to expand the range or area of their spells. Mana Types: Fire (Primary), Umbral (Secondary), Air (Tertiary)
Executioner: Executioners can shape their shroud into a weapon forged from pure mana that cleaves through equipment and deals lasting wounds. Mana Types: Death (Primary), Enhancement (Secondary), Stone (Tertiary)
Juggernaut: The Juggernaut can temporarily draw their shroud into their muscles, bolstering their physical strength and speed for a short period of time. Mana Types: Transference (Primary), Fire (Secondary), Stone (Tertiary)
Legionnaire: Legionnaires can extend their shroud into a defensive aura that bolsters the power of other nearby shrouds. This effect is cumulative, making large groups of Legionnaires almost invincible. Mana Types: Light (Primary), Air (Secondary), Flame (Tertiary)
Saboteur: Saboteurs can extend their shroud into a debilitating field that weakens all nearby enemies. Mana Types: Umbral (Primary), Stone (Secondary), Fire (Tertiary)
Scourge: Scourges can infect enemies with a portion of their shroud, causing long-lasting debilitating effects. Mana Types: Death (Primary), Air (Secondary), Water (Tertiary)
Shieldbreaker: The Shieldbreaker can enhance their offensive spells with a portion of their shroud, making it easier for them to break through defensive sorcery and making their spells more dangerous in general. Mana Types: Death (Primary), Transference (Secondary), Fire (Tertiary)
Appendix II – Characters
Sera’s notes on the characters in the story.
Well, the simplicity of the first part of Keras’ story is gone. We have a lot of characters now, and I’m going to be hard pressed to remember them all. Fortunately, that’s what we have paper for.
Let’s get to writing, shall we?
Keras himself is, of course, the central protagonist. While he goes by Keras Selyrian, that’s clearly not his real name. He’s a swordsman, and clearly an experienced one. While he does not have an attunement, he has strange magical powers from his homeland. He was probably around Citrine level when this part of the story started. After increasing the power of his bond to Dawn, I’m guessing he was more like Emerald level.
Reika is the dragon that he encountered near the beginning of the story, then subsequently recruited to accompany him on his journey. She was the guardian of Dawnbringer before Keras came to retrieve the sword, and had a strong relationship with Dawn since childhood.
In addition to being able to transform into several forms — human, dragon, human/dragon hybrid, and incorporeal dragon — Reika also has the distinction of being utterly incapable of treating injuries properly. Her attempted ministrations were, perhaps, the most dangerous part of the entire story.
Early on in this part of the tale, she also forms a bond with Frienemy, a nightmare spirit from the forest where she used to live.
Dawnbringer is one of the Six Sacred Swords and apparently a sentient magical weapon. She corresponds to the element of light and has a variety of light-themed abilities. She’s also apparently kind of a brat, but in the kind of way that means she probably secretly likes Keras more than she’s willing to admit. (I know the type.)
Dawnbringer calls Reika “Rei”, and Reika calls Dawnbringer “Dawn”.
The Spirit of the Forest is some sort of ancient forest spirit. I have basically zero idea what its purpose is, other than possibly administrating the tests in the Whispering Woods.
Your Enemy (also “Frienemy”) is another forest spirit, and one that seems to serve the function of running (or at least participating in) a test of bravery. He’s described as being a nightmare spirit, which is a horrifying concept that I don’t like at all. Perhaps more worryingly, it seemed more afraid of Keras than he was of it — which begs the question...what is Keras, anyway?
Raizo is one of the leaders of the Tails of Orochi and the wielder of Cloudcutter, one of the other Six Sacred Swords. He killed Reika’s father, and therefore he is her arch nemesis.
Zenkichi was one of the other leaders of the Tails of Orochi, and apparently was something of a rival swordsman to Raizo. He was interested in taking Dawnbringer in order to gain a competitive advantage (or at least even the odds) against his fellow Tail.
Keras and Reika killed him. Like, a lot.
Landen is apparently one of Keras’ friends from back in his homeland. He’s a swordsman with an unusual two sword style, which seems like it would have been a good thing for Keras to learn, since he was lugging around two swords for most of the story and only using one at a time.
Sterling is one of Keras’ worst enemies, which makes sense, given that Sterling is one of the Children of the Tyrant in Gold. Yeah. That’s bad. I really hope we never run into that guy. Just hearing Corin’s stories about Saffron was bad enough.
The Old Sage is some old guy that apparently sent Keras to this continent. I hope Keras has learned a valuable lesson about not letting strange old people teleport him anywhere.
Lydia is one of Keras’ friends, as well as his commanding officer in the Paladins of... T-something? I didn’t catch the name. Anyway, she’s apparently a powerful sorceress, and an apprentice of Blake Hartigan — the legendary ancestor of the Hartigan family.
Velas is Keras’ rival, and a spear-wielder. She wields a magical artifact called the Heartlance, and she apparently has movement-focused magic, similar to what Corin can do with his ring.
Jelani is a merchant that Keras first encountered during his preliminary exam.
Grandmother Iron is a martial arts teacher and former tournament finalist.
Walter Crown is an assistant teacher for Grandmother Iron’s school and a Citrine-level attuned with two attunements — Forgemaster and Soulblade.
Lia Shay is one of Grandmother Iron’s students. She has no attunement, but specializes in gathering information through mundane means.
Ari is one of Grandmother Iron’s students. He’s a bit of a hothead and has the Juggernaut attunement. Apparently, he’s pretty close with Meilin, and he used to go adventuring with her sister, Xiaofan.
Wu Meilin is one of Grandmother Iron’s students. She’s calm and decisive, with several weapon skills and the Assassin attunement.
Fai is one of Grandmother Iron’s students. He has an Acolyte attunement, an attunement from Dalenos built for healing. Like all of Grandmother Iron’s students, he’s a talented martial artist.
Shun is an antisocial man with a penchant for the color green. May actually be the Green Guardian, and/or possibly a serpent.
Wu Xiaofan is a veteran adventurer who found an enchanted scythe in the Unclaimed Lands. Her personality was said to be different after her expedition. She’s also Wu Meilin’s sister.
The Green Guardian is a legendary “hero of justice” who wears glowing green armor and helps save people from dangerous threats. He fights in the tournament using impressive powers,
most of which seem related to crystal and stone. He seems to know Dawnbringer somehow, and tells her not to trust Keras. Perhaps he’s one of her former wielders, somehow still alive after many years?
Hannah Meiyer is a member of the Edrian Royal Guard and one of the top-ranking tournament contestants. Her nickname is The Royal Executioner, a reference to her Emerald-level Executioner attunement.
Akadi is one of the harbingers of the Sun Eater, the world-eating deity that destroyed the entire planet of Rendalir. Apparently, he has multiple bodies, as well as some kind of possession abilities.
Vendria is an ancient seasonal goddess, who was once shattered into three seasonal aspects, each represented by a crystal. Venlyra is winter, and Venshara is summer. I didn’t catch the name of the spring one.
Ishyeal Dawnsglow is the wielder of Soulbrand, the Sacred Sword of Fire. He has some kind of vendetta against Akadi, which seems pretty reasonable, given that Akadi works for a planet-destroying monstrosity.
The Phantom Thief Ravenshade is a legendary thief, and apparently, also the wielder of Twilight’s Edge, the Sacred Sword of Shadow.
Taer’vys Ironthorn is a member of the Thornguard, a military from Keras’ homeland. When Keras was training for an elite division, Taer’vys was already a member of that division. Taer’vys would regularly beat the younger Keras in sparring practice.
Edria Fang is the emperor of Edria at the time of the tournament. He was the wielder of Diamantine before the tournament started, but passed it off to Edria Song, his granddaughter, during the opening ceremonies.