by Jamie Davis
"There's no such thing, young lady," Liam said.
"No such thing as what?"
"There's no such thing as a fair duel. If it's fair, you're doing it wrong. Remember that and you might just live to see your next birthday. Now, what's your name? You said you don’t want us calling you Lassy or Little Sister."
"I'm Cari, Cari Dix."
"Ah another child of wishful parents steeped in the lore of our past and believing in a world full of heroes," Chance said, rolling his eyes. "Wonderful."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cari asked, her temper starting to rise again.
"It means your parents named you after the daughter of a long-dead hero in the hopes that you'd grow up to embody some semblance of that hero's lineage," the elf said. "I'm here to tell you there aren't any heroes like that anymore. I knew Hal Dix, and I'm here to tell you, he could do things no-one else I know could do. In the eighty years since he left, I haven't seen anyone come close to duplicating his abilities. We're better off not believing in mythical heroes. We must learn to trust ourselves to solve our problems. It’s the only way.”
Cari bit her tongue to stop herself from asking about the person who had the same name as her father. It couldn't be the same guy. Chance said it was over eighty years ago after all. She couldn't help thinking it was more than a simple coincidence though.
"Leave the girl alone, Chance," Liam said. "Not everyone is as depressing as you are regarding the future of our empire. You should have a little faith. The Empress told the Captain she called for help. Maybe the Opponent of mythical lore will return and save the day."
"Probably just the rantings of a senile aging human mind,” Chance proposed. “You humans are so short-lived it’s amazing you manage to retain anything when your minds wither and die so soon. How could she summon help from someone who's either dead or as old or older than she is?”
When no one answered him, Chance pointed at Cari’s wounded arm.
“Here girl, turn around so I can put a bandage on that shoulder and forearm. We can’t have it getting infected before we can get you some healing.”
Cari listened as the two continued what seemed to be a regular ongoing argument between the pair about the Empress’s state of mind. All the while, Chance tended to her arm, putting a dressing on both her wounds and wrapping clean strips of cloth around her arm to hold them in place. Once he was finished, the group started down the passage again.
Cari had a lot of random thoughts swirling around in her mind while she followed this strange collection of companions to whatever hideout they had. Many questions occurred to her about her father and the things they said about him or someone who had the same name. None of it made any sense at all and yet, she didn't think it was a coincidence.
Chapter 6
The group walked through the dark and dank catacombs and sewers for what seemed like an hour or more. Cari hoped no one else could hear her stomach grumbling while they trudged along. She hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast at home that morning. Who knew how long ago that was?
Finally, Chance and Liam led them down a narrow side passage to a set of spiral stone stairs up.
Liam held a finger to his lips and whispered, "I'll go up first to make sure it's clear. Cari will follow, then Rodrigo, Thad, and Chance last of all with his light."
"What's up there?" Cari asked in a whisper.
"It's an old stable. It hasn't been used for many years but I haven't been here in a while. Someone may be up there now. If so, we'll have to go somewhere else. I'd rather not have anyone learn of this access point to the catacombs if at all possible. It's nice to have a secret place to hide out or get out of sight in a hurry when needed."
Liam disappeared up the stairs while Cari and the others waited below. Chance held his hand up over his head so they could all see the staircase. After long minutes, Liam returned.
"It's clear. Come on up."
Cari followed up the spiral staircase, feeling her way along after it became dark as she left the magical light Chance somehow created out of thin air. After another twist in the stairs some warm yellow light filtered down from above and eventually the stairs ended in an open wooden trap door in the floor of a horse stall.
Old moldy straw had been pushed aside and there was still a lot of dust in the air from the disturbance. Cari stifled a sneeze as she climbed out onto the stone floor.
A lantern hung from a hook on the stall's door providing light enough to see out into the main part of the stable. Cari heard Rodrigo coming up behind her so she moved away from the opening in the floor and left the stall to explore the rest of the stable.
There were lines of stalls all along both sides of the building with a large central area big enough to drive a truck through, or a couple of horse-drawn wagons or carriages. Liam was down by the far end of the open area, peering out the window of a large sliding door. Cari could see some light from the street outside filtering in through the window. There must be some of the gas street lamps she’d seen in the city earlier outside the stable.
When she turned around, Chance was exiting the catacombs. When he climbed out into the lamplight, he extinguished his blue-white ball of light.
"How did you do that?" Cari asked pointing to the elf's extended hand.
"It's just a little earth magic I picked up when I was a guard to an elven mage a long time ago."
"Can I learn to do it?"
"It's possible to learn if you aren't born with the ability but you'd have to spend many years studying with an archmage to do that and no one has seen an archmage in close to fifty years."
"You're fifty years old?" Cari asked. "You don't look more than thirty."
"He's much older than that," Liam said returning from checking the street. "Elves live very long lives unless they're killed or choose to die early."
"Elves do not choose to die. Some choose to cross the bridge of light before their life energy is used up here on Fantasma. Those that do so, live on, but in another plane."
"Can they come back?" Thad asked in what Cari discovered was his normal, grumbly tone.
"No, once one crosses the bridge of light, one may not return."
"Sounds like dead to me," Thad snorted.
The orc stalked away, chuckling to himself and began arranging old bales of straw into a platform against the wall of a nearby stall. He spread his long black cloak over it and lay down on the makeshift bed.
The sound of snoring mere seconds later surprised Cari.
"Is he already asleep?"
Liam laughed. "That is his super power. That orc can fight better than anyone I know. He's strong as an ox, too, but the thing I envy in him the most is his ability to sleep anywhere, any time."
Cari sat down on a crate and tried to not think about the empty pit in her stomach. Once again, she was surprised by how real all the sensations were in this game, or whatever it was. If it was in fact real, it had been at least twelve hours since she'd eaten last. It could be longer. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious before waking in the inn. Her stomach rumbled again.
"Is someone going to get the girl something to eat?" Chance asked. "I can't be the only one who's been putting up with the non-stop growling of her empty stomach."
"You're the one with the elf ears, my friend," Liam chuckled. He pointed to the large sliding door at the end of the building. "There's a tavern across the street. It's likely they're still serving something at this hour. I can't attest to how good it will be, but at least it’s food. The boy will have to go. I'm sure the girl's description has been spread around among the Duke's guard by this point and they know who we three are and what we look like. It’s unlikely they know who he is, though. He'll be able to walk over and back unnoticed."
Liam pulled a drawstring pouch from his pocket and handed a handful of silver coins to Rodrigo.
"See if they'll let you take a tray of food if you promise to bring it back when you're finished."
"What if they asked wh
o the food is for?" Rodrigo asked.
"Tell them you're having an orgy over here for all I care. Make something up. I'm sure you'll come up with something."
"You want me to lie? A Dragoon candidate is ever faithful and honorable. They never lie."
A snort of laughter from Chance punctuated what Rodrigo said.
"Boy, two problems with that. First, it's a load of crap. Everyone lies for one reason or another. Second, the Dragoons aren't taking new candidates and probably never will again so don’t worry about that old oath. Now go and get us some food."
Rodrigo, appearing a little deflated, left via a small door built into the bottom corner of the larger sliding one. The way the others dressed him down didn't seem fair to Cari.
"You didn't have to dash his hopes like that," Cari told Chance. "He came here to join you not to be shot down for aspiring to something great. Why aren't the Dragoons taking new recruits? I’d think you’d want someone like him in your ranks."
"We've been all but disbanded," Liam replied. "Most of the regiment has been sent east to fight in a war Charon started against our formerly peaceful neighbors to tie up the Imperial army. The reduced company left to guard the Empress has been whittled down to a skeleton force. There aren't many of us left, and the Duke has branded most of us as petty criminals and not worthy to watch over Empress Kareena."
"But why so few left? Surely there are those who defend you and your comrades in the government? What about the Empress?"
"The Duke controls the government and the privy council now. He arrests those of us his guardsmen find outside of the Crystal Palace. He has them make up trumped up charges to have us jailed for one thing or another. If we fight back, it only adds to our crimes. The Empress used to stand up for us, but lately Her Majesty has fallen into a deep despair after hearing about the death of her oldest son's entire family in a shipwreck."
"It was pirate raiders, Liam, not a shipwreck," Chance snarled. "You know that as well as I do. That's a story to cover Charon's tracks so no one can pin it on the Duke."
"What I know and what I can prove are two different things, Chance. In the end, the result is the same. Her family has been destroyed and, for all her supposed power, there's nothing she can do about it. Now there is just one living heir remaining to inherit the Crystal Throne."
"Who's that?" Cari asked.
"He's an idiot, that’s who," Chance said.
"Prince Timron is not my first choice to take the Crystal Throne, but he is the rightful heir, provided The Duke of Charon doesn't manage to kill him off with a sudden accident like all the others."
Chance scowled but didn't answer. He turned away and pulled out his sword. After examining the edge of his finely crafted rapier, the elf pulled out a whetstone and began running it along the edged portion of the blade. That amounted to roughly the last third approaching the tip.
While the elf tended to his blade, Liam walked to the window in the door and watched the street. Cari sat for a time in the relative silence amidst Thad's snoring. She was sore and her wounds hurt. Thinking of her injuries reminded her she had leveled up again during the fighting at the dueling grounds. She opened the hidden menus to peruse her personal stats.
* * *
Name: Cari Dix
Class: Duelist
Level: 3
* * *
Attributes:
Brawn: 8
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 8
Speed: 16 - +4
Charm: 12 - +2
Health: 20/30
* * *
Skills: Two-Weapon Combat
Experience: 800/1,200
Attribute points: 2
Skill points: 1
* * *
With two more attribute points and a skill point to use, Cari had some decisions to make. First, she added the two attribute points to her Brawn score. It added a bonus of plus one to hit and damage done.
That left the ability point. She brought up the skills menu again to look over her choices. It looked like along with choosing a new ability, she could also upgrade her two-weapon combat skill.
* * *
Duelist skills - Acrobatic dodge, Acrobatic lunge, Ambidexterity, Bladesmith, Defensive stance, Disarm, Feint, Multi-foe tactics, Prescience, Taunt, Two-weapon combat
* * *
She decided to choose something that might keep her from getting injured in combat. That left the skills acrobatic dodge, defensive stance, disarm, and prescience. After looking each over and weighing them against her fighting style, Cari chose acrobatic dodge to add to her skill set.
It appeared, according to its description, the new skill would let her execute a physical disengagement move to avoid an enemy's attack. That sounded good to her. She'd taken bruises from blunted practice weapons before in training, but getting cut by the real thing hurt a lot more than she'd ever imagined.
"Someone I used to know would stare off into space, just like that, with their eyes tracking back and forth as if they were reading something."
Cari closed the menu and turned to Chance, who'd broken her concentration. The elf stared at her, a quizzical expression on his face.
"I was just thinking about something, that's all."
"No, you weren't. You looked like you were doing something with a purpose. Just like —" Chance trailed off and a look of surprise spread across his face. He sat back and set his sword aside, staring at Cari. He shook his head as if trying to deny something to himself. After a few seconds he smiled as if he’d come to a decision. He glanced around to make sure none of the others were close before he leaned forward.
"You resemble him, Your Highness," Chance said in a quiet voice after studying her for a few more long, uncomfortable seconds.
"What do you mean? What did you call me?"
"Prince Hal. You resemble him, especially around the eyes. I can't believe I didn't see if before now, but then again, we were a bit distracted trudging through the catacombs. I see it now, though. You act strange like he did. You ask questions anyone raised here in this world would already know, and your aura seems somehow detached, as if it is not entirely of this place."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Cari protested. He was talking about something she wasn’t ready to admit but already suspected was true. She wanted him to stop, but she was also intrigued by what the elf knew about the man who must be her father.
"He told me once that time moved differently between our worlds. That explains why you're not over eighty-years-old yourself. It was why he and Princess Mona took you home in the end. You grew up faster here than in your world and they had trouble explaining your sudden aging to family and friends. You were nearly four when they took you back, though back at home everyone thought you were just two."
Cari wanted to deny what Chance said and keep her suspicions about her identity to herself but his mention of her parents removing her from this world for her own good opened up a sore subject she couldn't let lie.
"They didn't just take me home," she hissed. "They took me away from something wonderful and told me this place never existed. They made me believe that Fantasma was just a figment of a child's imagination, that all my dreams and passion for swords and the things of this world were the frivolous pursuits of a little girl. Now you tell me I’m actually two years older than everyone at home thinks I am."
"You're angry with them." The elf said, a smile spreading across his face. He seemed happy his suspicions had been confirmed.
"Damned right I'm angry." Cari kept her voice low so Liam couldn't over hear from the other end of the stable but there was ice in her words. "They took this wonderful place from me and told me I was crazy for having dreams about it all the time. Now I discover it was real after all? Yeah, you’re damned right I'm pissed at them. Wouldn't you be?"
"I'm not the daughter of a hero, or a princess protector of the realm. I don't know what I'd be in your shoes. How did you come to be here? Did your father finally relent and offer you
a chance to return?"
"They have no idea I'm here," Cari snapped. "I came on my own. It was by accident." She shared a brief account of how she'd come to find herself in Fantasma. At the end, she finished by saying, "Now, I'm just trying to figure this place out and what I should do here."
"To me it sounds like a summoning."
"A what?"
"A summoning. Someone here summoned you to come for a purpose. They may have been trying to call upon your father and got you by mistake, but your appearance in this place and at this time can't be accidental, Your Highness."
"Don't call me that, I'm no princess and I don't want to be known as one."
"Oh no, but you are. You cannot ascend the throne but your title and rights are still yours whether you want them or not. Still, that is not what is important. What is important is your presence here in Fantasma. I suspect you have a very special purpose to fulfill. I'll keep your secret for now, at least until we discover what it is you're expected to do. Your family has a history of great acts of bravery and heroism in the service of the realm."
Chance stopped talking and picked up his blade and whetstone again. He shot a glance of warning at her when she started to speak. She hadn’t realized Liam had drawn close again.
He broke the momentary silence as he walked back to them from the other side of the stable.
"I don't know what's taking that boy so long. I'm hungry enough to start munching on moldy hay myself. Maybe we can pass the time more constructively than just sleeping our lives away like old Thad there."
"What did you have in mind?" Chance asked.
"Our young lady here clearly has a few limited skills with that fine blade she carries but she could learn a few things. Perhaps we can spar a bit and see what she knows and what she still has to learn."
Cari bristled a little at the insinuation that she didn't have good enough skills with her sword. She was among the best with rapier work in her HEMA gym at home.