by Dean Smith
1-up
by
Dean Smith
Copyright © 2019 by Dean Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned,
or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
ISBN: 9781790519552
Acknowledgements
Before we begin, I would like to thank my sister, Sam, for always being the first person to read each book I write and for essentially being my unofficial editor. I'd also like to thank Bethany Grace for helping me out at the last minute by fixing a problem with the cover that I didn't notice until the eleventh hour.
I'd like to thank my family for always supporting me in my work and being there for me always as well as my friends who always listen and provide inspiration through their wit and humour whenever I feel stuck.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to one of my biggest passions which inspired this story. If it wasn't for all the years I spent gaming, of engaging in stories that often changed how I saw things, this story simply would not exist. Hell, I'm not sure my passion for writing would exist either as the storytelling in video games inspired my passion to write.
Since this isn't an Oscar acceptance speech, I shall wrap it up here. Thanks for supporting my work and I hope you enjoy the story.
Level 1
Sir Valiant Emberheart had returned home after two long years away and the sight of Wingcrest’s gates caused his heart to soar. After an arduous journey of rescuing maidens, slaying monsters, solving strange floor based puzzles and finding a mixture of items and returning them to their owners, Valiant (Sir Val to his friends) had felt the call of his home kingdom. It was finally time to return and marry the woman he loved.
Wingcrest was a glorious kingdom of white stone that was found on one of the highest peaks of Mount Crestform. From the town’s highest towers it was possible to cast your gaze over the entirety of Venturis’ splendour. From the jungles of Wildergrowth, the frozen tundras of Chillfane, the scorching deserts of Sunscorch to the rival kingdoms of Lazulihearth, Peridottoll and Spinelbrave. Even in the distance, beyond the dark clouds and the oppressive atmosphere, it was possible to see Valiant’s least favourite place, the hateful Vilemire.
Not wanting that place to spoil his good mood, Valiant shook his head and cast out thoughts of Vilemire and the villainous being that resided there. Now was not the time to think of him, now was the time to celebrate his homecoming.
The Kingdom of Wingcrest looked like a gargantuan castle and its myriad of towers and spires, to some, looked as though they could pierce the heavens themselves. Seeing it all filled Valiant with that sense of warmth that comes only from returning home, the warm hug of safety and security enveloped him as he entered the kingdom’s gates.
‘Sir Valiant! Welcome home!’ A guard stated as he passed by. He nodded courteously and proceeded on as the gates closed behind him. The kingdom was as busy as ever with countless people going about their everyday lives and trying to forge a living. Some of them would turn to curtsey him as he rode past while others were too concerned with their own lives to notice.
‘Fish for sale!’
‘Special offer! Buy one get one free on all spears for today only!’
‘HAROLD! YOU FORGOT THE EGGS!’
The familiarity of it all made Valiant smile, he was finally home but also exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to see his lady love but he also wanted to be at his best for her. He looked to the inn, an otherwise nondescript building that was only identifiable by the large sign above its door saying ‘INN’. Right next to it were similar buildings with their own signs, one which showed the image of a potion bottle, the other a sword. He would pay the item and weapon shops a visit in the morning for he always had to be prepared for the worst but now was the time for rest.
The lone innkeeper stood behind a counter in the inn’s foyer. He watched Sir Val motionlessly until he made it to the counter.
‘It’s ten gold pieces a night to stay, do you want a room?’ The innkeeper said without prompt or emotion as he carried on staring ahead blankly.
‘Yes.’ Valiant responded, handing over the money. He couldn’t remember falling asleep but he knew it came quick as it always did. He would close his eyes, hear a nice little jingle and would wake up refreshed and ready for a new day.
When Valiant returned to the foyer, he noticed that there were plenty of pots and crates around that he didn’t notice before and without wasting a second, he pulled out his sword and laid waste to every single one, pocketing any money and items he found in the process. The Innkeeper, as ever, just stared blankly ahead as Valiant rampaged through his inn, committing genocide against his pottery and crates. Once his destructive urges were sated, Valiant put away his sword and made his way to the Inn’s front door.
‘Thank you for staying! Please come again!’
It was yet another sunny day in Wingcrest, the weather and bright conditions had not changed since... Ever. With a busy day of replenishing his weapons and items and then reconnecting with his love ahead of him, Valiant entered the item shop next to the Inn. Inside he gave his order to another motionless clerk behind the counter. He wanted potions to heal injuries, ethers and elixirs to replenish his stamina, reviving tonics that would save him from mortal wounds and various herbs and concoctions to battle the various maladies he would encounter on his adventures. He had experienced it all, poison, temporary blindness and muteness, the loss of movement and, one time, he was even turned to stone but these potions and tinctures would always set him right and he wouldn’t leave home without them.
‘Thank you for your patronage! Please come again!'
Next was the weapon shop, inside he inspected the armour and various weapons, comparing them to what he had equipped. His current armour afforded good protections, but it limited his speed. The armourer had a set of lighter armour that wouldn’t protect him as well but would allow him to be faster on his feet. He considered whether being faster would be worth the loss in defence but when he walked around the armour in the display dummy, his mind was made up. This light armour had a cape and Valiant knew that the most important stat of all was how good you looked. He bought the armour and immediately changed, spending five minutes swishing his new ruby red cape around. Proud of his purchase but now concerned that his sword and shield no longer matched his armour, Valiant looked at the weapons on sale and his eyes were immediately drawn to a large round silver shield adorned with rubies. That would go perfectly with the cape, and the clerk told him that the shield came with magical protections against fire, a bonus! He could look good and not worry about being burned to a crisp! He decided to complete the set by buying the accompanying ruby sword. Satisfied in knowing that he made the right choice, he left the store.
‘Thank you for your purchases! Please come again!’
Wingcrest was a hive of activity and Valiant took a moment to watch the people go about their daily lives.
‘Fish for sale!’
‘Special offer! Buy one get one free on all spears for today only!’
‘HAROLD! YOU FORGOT THE EGGS!’
Happy with how normal everything was, Valiant decided that, before he saw to his own needs, he would serve the needs of the people by seeing if there was anything he could do to help them. There had to be a quest somewhere, there were always goblins or rats to be slain, lost items to be found or dramas that Valiant could wade into and solve with minimal effort. He didn’t know why but every time he completed these little quests and endeavours, he felt stronger for it and the buzz he got from it all pushed him forward but as he asked around he discovered that no one had any tasks for him. They were all content and even Harold had likely remembered his eggs by now. Satisfied that all was well, Valiant decided that it was final
ly time to meet with the woman he loved.
‘Sir Valiant, Sir!’ The rustle of heavy amour accompanied the male voice that called his name. He turned to face a royal knight, identifiable by their blue plated armour and the wing insignia on his shield, the mark of Everbloom family, the royal family of Wingcrest.
‘I have a summons for you! King Theodore requires your presence at the castle!’
Summons from the king was always a bad omen but Valiant couldn’t help but smile. Trouble that required his assistance would always mean that a quest was imminent.
***
Wingcrest Castle stood atop a hill in the north of the Kingdom, it was the biggest building in Wingcrest and it could be seen from miles away due to the colossal golden wings attached to it that stretched out over the entire kingdom. Normally the wings were spread out and open but today they wrapped around the castle, an ominous sign.
Sir Valiant took in the chaos as the drawbridge came down, guards were sprinting around and servants and members of the court were panicking.
‘What has happened here?’ Valiant asked the guard that accompanied him from the town.
‘There’s been an incident, King Theodore will tell you more.’ The guard took him to the throne room. It was a large room in which every surface was covered in stained glass except for the ceiling which was shattered. Servants were busy cleaning up the remnants of the glass ceiling while King Theodore, a stout and loud man with greying red hair, was shouting orders at his guard. His angry face softened when he saw Valiant although his eyes kept their anxiety.
‘Sir Valiant! You pick the best times to return! My Rita has been taken once more!’
Valiant gasped. Princess Rita was his betrothed, he had earned her hand countless times over by rescuing her from various fiends and villains but something always came in the way of their attempts to marry. There was always another quest, another monster to slay, another person to save. It was the price of being a hero but this time Valiant had returned to Wingcrest to do what he had never done before, he had told himself that this time he would finally marry the princess but alas fate had other ideas.
‘Who has taken my beloved! Is it Mordoom?’ Sir Valiant asked for when trouble plagued Wingcrest, the dark wizard of Vilemire was nearly always responsible.
‘Nay, the vile wretch has not been seen since his defeat atop Vilemire Castle. The villain of this story is the demon prince himself, Vardant!’ Another one of Sir Val’s foes. Prince Vardant was the heir to the Inferno throne and the Kingdom of Deepflame, the underground kingdom of demons.
‘If he has kidnapped my beloved, it can only mean one thing. He wishes to marry her, thus breaking the curse on his people and setting them free from the underworld!’
Theodore nodded along, his face heavy with the ramifications if that ever happened.
‘Quite, time is of the essence and we have no clue where they might have gone. The whole incident was most peculiar.’ Theodore stroked his beard as Valiant waited for him to continue.
‘Pray tell, Your majesty.’
‘We were all having a wonderful time passing judgement on criminals and settling disputes when, hmm, how do I explain it? He appeared right there.’ He pointed to the spot on the floor which looked undisturbed which was strange. Demons had the ability to teleport in a blaze of flames, leaving scorch marks whenever they did so.
‘I know what you’re thinking, there are no burn marks because he didn’t appear in flames, he popped into vision.’
‘That makes little sense.’ Valiant was confused, this went against everything he knew of demons.
‘But that is what happened, come, that’s not all.’ He waved his hand at Valiant to follow him and the King guided him to the spot where the demon appeared.
‘Look, there were no burn marks, but he left a trace.’
Valiant didn’t see it at first, it was only when he looked closer it became clear. There was something on the floor, strange markings that shimmered like falling snow and when he looked closer, he could hear a rustling sound emanating from the markings.
‘Have you ever seen anything like it?’ Asked the King and Valiant had not, this was something new.
‘Are there any more of these anywhere else?’
The King nodded. ‘Every footstep he took left the same markings. He walked up to the throne, batted away our guards like they were nothing and grabbed hold of my dear Rita.’ King Theodore clutched his heart and let out a mournful sigh. ‘My poor Rita!’
‘I will get her back, I promise you. Was there anything else I should know?’
‘Why, yes. Throughout the encounter, Prince Vardant was speaking, or perhaps he was trying to. We all saw his mouth form words, but no one heard a single thing he said. It was like there was no sound coming from him at all and stranger still, he was phasing in and out of view like some phantasm!’
‘Demons can’t phase... What’s going on?’ Everything about this was irregular. Demons were beings of fire, they left burn and scorch marks wherever they went and Prince Vardant was an obnoxious and cocky fiend that liked to talk and goad his enemies, the thought of him being silent was difficult to believe as were his new-found powers. Spirits and ghosts had no issue phasing in and out of view but demons had never known that power.
‘What happened next? what direction did he take her?’ In the past when Prince Vardant struck, he would take her to his domain in the underworld but Valiant expected that it wouldn’t be the case this time around and King Theodore confirmed his suspicions by pointing up at the shattered ceiling.
‘He grabbed hold of my daughter and flew away. I have scouts looking for them but I’ve yet to receive a report on their findings.’
‘Your Highness!!’ A young scout clad in green bolted into the throne room and bowed before the king.
‘Speak of a scout and they will appear! Do you have anything to report?’
‘I do, we have found the princess and the demon prince!’ The young scout said breathlessly.
‘Well? Where are they? What fresh hell has he taken her to!?’
‘They…. They’re in the fields outside the gates. Prince Vardant is just standing there unmoving. We are awaiting your orders, your Highness.’
King Theodore looked to Valiant expectantly.
‘Sir Valiant Emberheart, we have need of your help once again. Only you have ever bested Prince Vardant before, will you aid us in our time of need now like you did back then? Will you deliver Princess Rita from his grasp and to our embrace once more?’ It was time for another quest, another showdown with another one of his foes. Valiant was ready for it, he craved the thrill of battle, the thrill of being heroic and overcoming evil. He could never say no when someone asked him for his help.
‘Yes, your majesty. I will do as you ask and afterwards, The princess and I can finally make good on our long engagement.’ Valiant waved his blonde locks out of his face as his brown eyes glistened with intent and the women and some men in the court swooned in unison. The young hero's smile had inspired and calmed the panicking people in an instant.
‘May the gods smile upon you, Sir Valiant.’
***
Prince Vardant was where the scout had said he would be, right in the middle of the great Crestgreen field that stood before Mount Crestform and Wingcrest and he wasn’t moving. Chained to a tree beside him was Princess Rita, even through her fear, her beauty radiated from her like light from a star. Rita was a pale beauty with hair darker than the blackest sky and silver eyes that seemed almost celestial. She took Valiant’s breath away every time he saw her and he was determined to make sure she would get the chance to do so again.
‘Princess! Have no fear for I am here!’ Valiant said as he got close, posing as he did so.
‘Oh, my hero!’ She said with breathless gratitude. ‘Save me from this ordeal!’ Val withdrew his sword and Prince Vardant unfurled his wings without a sound. The Demon Prince was a lithe creature with red skin and long golden hair that glowed as though i
t was on fire. For a demon, Vardant had an almost human look about it him, if it were not for his pure white eyes and long claws, he would have passed for a human in costume. It was a disarming resemblance that Vardant had used to his advantage in the past. He would steal the hearts of his prey and when he had them where he wanted them, he would use their souls and spirits for his evil rituals and machinations. If he married Princess Rita and finished his ritual, Hell would come to Venturis and all would be lost. The gravitas of the situation was not lost on Valiant, he needed to end this and so he focused his attention on the fire jewel on Vardant’s chest. It was his weak point and the source of his power and all Val had to do was strike it several times to bring Vardant down. Valiant had overcome Vardant before and this time would be no different.
However, Valiant couldn’t help but notice that things WERE different, and not just that, they were strange. Val watched Vardant’s lips move but, as King Theodore had said, the demon was making no sound. Even as he moved around, his footsteps were silent, the beating of his wings as he stretched them out and flapped them threateningly was silent. Everything he did was just that, silent. It was eerie. Vardant was always one for making speeches before their battles and although Valiant couldn’t hear what was being said, he knew from experience that Vardant would strike as soon as he was done and sure enough he did.
Vardant raised his hand and tensed it and Valiant knew what was coming, Vardant always started his onslaught with a blast of fire and luckily, Valiant’s new gear would help with that. He raised his shield to guard himself from the flames but they never came, the surrounding field remained whole and had not been reduced to ash.
Cautiously, Valiant peered from above his shield at his foe. Vardant was shaking his hand and looking mightily confused. He thrust his hand forward as to try another blast but not even smoke emanated from his fingertips. Vardant’s face twisted in frustration as he charged at Valiant, claws raised. Valiant didn’t understand what was happening but Vardant’s powers failing suited him, he braced himself for impact only to see that Vardant had vanished. Confused, Valiant looked around but he and Rita were alone in the field. He almost lowered his weapons when Vardant appeared out of thin air once more, inches away from his face. Valiant couldn’t stop himself from yelping in fright but he managed to block Vardant’s attack.