The Crimson Road

by William Wells

  Philo and Rebecca sprang at each other, spinning away from strikes instead of blocking. Not many adults could fight with that amount of skill and it caused the audience to cheer almost continuously. For the final, both of them were using real weapons, and minor cuts began to appear on their extremities.

  Rebecca won, eventually overwhelming Philo by constantly barraging him with attacks from all angles. He ended up on his back, disarmed and her swords at his throat. The Duke made his speech, congratulating her and everyone who made it into the actual tournament to the feast he hosted later that night. It was after the speech that a couple hours break was called for lunch before the adult tournament began.

  After the tournament there would be a couple hours before the feasting and then the Tale of Beginning that was told every year would precede the lightshow. Those who weren’t watching the fights wandered the streets of the City, partaking in the festivities.

  Chapter 19

  I stood in the very center of the hundred men and women, almost all of whom were keeping away from me. The sword I picked out of the Arena armory was serviceable, but nowhere close to the quality of my weapons. It was a longsword, requiring both of my hands to swing.

  Unlike the youth tournament, the adults would fight the entire time with real weapons. There were twice as many healers on standby, as an attempt to keep casualties to a minimum. The bell sounded, and instead of moving towards the other people I stuck my sword in the dirt. A pause in the action allowed me to set up my perimeter. The wards in the arena prevented any cheating through outside help, cycling and ether manipulation. I was competing at the exact same level as everyone else.

  Before anyone could recover, I ran towards the nearest person and knocked them out with a quick blow to the chin. That sparked the rest of the combatants to action. No one even came near me, scared by the display I had put on. Within a few minutes there were eight combatants left standing, only one of them was a woman. She wielded a hand axe and a dirk, trapping weapons with the axe and creating the opening needed to attack with the dirk.

  The drawing of lots paired me with the woman in the last fight of the round, but it was the box that held my attention. In the corner was a symbol that didn’t match with the rest of it, and I brushed it with my thumb. Instantly I was transported back into the world of white, where Charon stood waiting for me.

  “Gantz, I see you found the box and talked to Talkide. A couple things before you start mouthing off need to be said. First, I am not actually speaking to you. This is a recorded message, although I don’t expect the information on here to be irrelevant unless you’ve already found me. Second, and this is more important, you aren’t actually asleep. I’ve sped up how your brain processes information so that I have more time to get the message across.” The image of Charon smiled at me, “It is good that you are trying to find me, and rest assured I’m most likely in good health. Any questions you have about Talkide’s story concerning me and Talia will be answered when you do find me. The only time this box can be accessed is when the Equinox Festival is being held, so you have twice a year to see this. I’ll be aware when you access it, and the message will change accordingly.”

  There was a slight flicker in the image before Charon continued, “The First Equinox! Hopefully you and Yulia have been able to patch things up and at least get an understanding. It’s better if you relationships have no secrets. When I was training you, I mentioned that there were three people I trusted above all others. Ashram and Talkide were two, and both had instructions from me to help you in any way that was within their power. The third person is in the Capital, and has the rough location of where I’m staying. Good luck, you’ll need it when you step out of the comforts of this Kingdom.”

  I blinked, and saw that the world had only moved a fraction from when I touched the box. I took a breath, giving myself time to readjust back to normal speed. The Duke was standing again, giving another speech and making sure it was known that the eight of us who survived so far were also invited to dine at his residence later. His eyes were mostly on my next opponent, who didn’t appear too concerned with having caught his eye. Instead she seemed to be eyeing me up and down, looking for any sort of weakness.

  Before I could respond in kind, the announcer asked us to clear the area for the first bout. I didn’t even bother watching, having observed everyone during the melee. Unless they were severely limiting themselves, it wouldn’t even be a challenge. By the time my fight came up, I was ready for the entire tournament to be over so I could take the restrictive mask off.

  “For the last fight of the first round, we have the Beautiful Bella against the masked fighter who registered as “The Reaper’s Apprentice” and I have got to say that if it is true, anyone who beats him will be earning much more than a thousand gold here today.” The announcer cleared his throat, “If the combatants are ready?”

  My borrowed sword was back in my hands, while Bella kept her weapons a little off to her sides. The bell rang out, echoing just as much in my ears as in my bones. My opponent did not make the mistake of leaping straight at me, which lead to the bigger mistake of allowing me to set up.

  For the second time, my sword went into the hard packed dirt of the Arena floor. This time the crowd cheered and the daring move for taking a dual-wielder on without a weapon. I stalked forward, not lifting my feet too high so that it appeared I was gliding. Bella shifted into a more defensive stance, and I continued to close the gap without slowing.

  As I got into her range, she swung with the axe first. The speed was faster than what I had seen in the melee, but it was nowhere close enough to touch me. My hand chopped the nerve on her wrist as it passed, and her hand spasmed open. With the axe gone, and the dirk headed toward my side I jumped back. The blade passed close enough that I felt the breeze before I pushed her arm against her stomach.

  With the blade arm trapped, a quick leg sweep and shoulder thrust had Bella land forcefully on her back. In the instant her breath left her body, my knee pinned her arm and throat. The fight was over in just a few seconds, stunning the audience until the bell rang out again. There were some boos, some half-hearted cheers, and some that sat completely stunned by the speed at which everything had happened.

  I picked up my sword and stalked back over to the bench. Two fights to go. When my name was called, I stood to the mixed reaction from the crowd. My opponent hefted a halberd almost as tall as me, and again I used the instant the bell sounded to stick the borrowed longsword in the dirt.

  This time I sprinted flat out towards my opponent, who didn’t swing at me. I gripped the shaft of the halberd, turning and bending slightly so that my hips were just under his. A twist of my body and lifting of my hips combined with the pulling on my arms had my opponent sailing through the air until he too landed on his back. I completed my revolution, flipping sideways without letting go of the halberd. The shaft was on his neck, and my heel rested very lightly on the area where his legs joined together.

  Again the audience didn’t have time to react until after the bell rang to signal the end of the bout. Again there was a mix of cheering and booing at the underhanded tactics I was employing. The Duke stood, and announced an hour long recess for people to place their final bets. During the intermission I stayed on the bench in full view of the audience, and laid down as if I was napping.

  While manipulating the ether wasn’t allowed, the wards in the Arena allowed me to extend my senses. Apparently I was the odds on favorite, and it was more a matter of betting how fast and by which method I would win. The Duke’s box was warded against people hearing him unless the mage next to him deactivated the script. I could have slipped past the script, but there wasn’t anything the Duke would know that I would be interested in.

  The hour finished, and my opponent began to move his body as a warm up. In truth, he wasn’t bad with the sword and shield, but I had been trained by one of the greatest fighters alive. There weren’t very many fighters that could make me get serious
. As the Duke rose to start the fight, I sat up and left the borrowed sword leaning against the bench. It had the desired effect of angering my opponent to the point that his eyes almost popped out of his head as his face turned red.

  The Duke, watching closely, decided to forgo the usual ceremony and announced the beginning of the fight. The bell rang just as he said his last word, and my opponent launched himself at me shield first to hit me. Just as the round metal disc was about to hit me, I leapt back. My opponent, expecting some resistance, overextended and left a gap between the shield and his body. I pivoted into the gap, putting my back to his chest. My head launched back and I could feel his nose crunch as it broke from the contact.

  Using the recoil, I crouched down and grabbed him by the knees so that when I stood he would land flat on his back. It worked perfectly, and my opponent was spread out. The blood from his nose kept him from taking a full breath after the impact knocked the wind from his lungs. Showboating, I did a backflip so that my feet landed on either side of his head in an obvious display of what could have happened. Feeling my point was made, I took a step back and waited.

  There was a good half minute where my opponent slowly recovered enough to stand up with his weapons in hand. He looked at me, and with a visible effort he dropped his weapons and went to a knee in surrender. I looked up at the Duke’s box, and stared out from the mask.

  The Duke scrambled, “Um, ahem. Yes the winner by forfeit and Champion of the Equinox Festival is The Reaper’s Apprentice!”

  It was the signal the audience needed to begin cheering. Although it started out half-heartedly, it began to swell as more people began to catch onto how much skill making these fighters appear like beginners took. I stayed still in the center, bowing after a few seconds to the Duke in recognition.

  Chapter 20

  Yulia was the only one who greeted me after the finals. Everyone else in the group had already departed to tour the Festival. I won a kiss from her, as well as a punch to the arm.

  “Why by the Three would you try and fight without any weapons?” Yulia and I were threading our way through the streets. It was packed with people celebrating.

  I walked slightly in front of Yulia, clearing a path. “I needed to make a statement.”

  Yulia’s sigh was barely loud enough to be heard, “Another grand plan?”

  “My plans work. Remember the last bounty?”

  “I’m still mad at you for that.”

  I reached back, and grabbed Yulia’s hand with mine. Within a few seconds we were a little ways into an alley that didn’t have anyone traversing it. The space was small enough that we were pressed close together. “I’m sorry.” I kissed her.

  Yulia grabbed me and pulled me into a deeper kiss. After a few second she pushed me away, “I forgive you. Now come on, Ash is waiting for us at the Warrior’s Guild.”

  “Fine.” Yulia and I got out of the alley where some people glanced in our direction. There was a mix of disgust, and approval depending on the person. I didn’t acknowledge them, instead concentrating on making a path through half the City in order to get to where the headquarters of the Warrior’s Guild currently resided. It took almost an hour due to the sheer size of the crowd and the distance.

  Before the forming of the kingdom, each City ruled as its own authority. For the most part the autonomy remained unchanged, and the Dukes reported once a year to the King. The King was responsible for leading the combined armies against invaders or to expand the borders of the kingdom.

  The Warrior’s Guild was housed in one of the largest buildings in the City. It encompassed an entire street, utilitarian in appearance. There was a line of people, either to claim the reward for contracts or place one themselves. I cut around, leading Yulia to the member entrance where a handful of guards were appearing to lounge to any untrained eye.

  As I came closer, they didn’t move but relaxed even further so that their movements wouldn’t be restricted. The youngest of them moved forward, “I’ve not seen you before, state your business.”

  “I am here to see the Head of this Chapter.” I kept my hands clear of my weapons.

  The man laughed, he may have been the youngest, but he was still past his third decade. “The Head is very busy, he cannot be bothered with every request.”

  “I know.” I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out a coin imprinted with a drawn bow that had a sword instead of an arrow. “Show him this, and I think you’ll find that he’ll drop everything to come here.”

  The guards’ eyes grew wide at the coin, “How did you come by this?”

  “That story is not mine to share. Run along.”

  It was the speaker who ended up retreating back into the building as the rest of the guards eyed me more closely. Yulia and I waited in silence, even though I could feel her burning desire to ask about the coin. It was less than a few minutes, although it seemed much longer, before the Chapter Head appeared in the doorway.

  His skin was darker than Ash’s, and he stood a full head taller than me. The man looked me up and down, before talking with a voice of thunder. “That token wasn’t given to you.”

  “It was,” I grinned, “by the man who you gave it to.”

  “Hmph.” The Head nodded, “Very well. Follow me.”

  He turned, and the guards stepped aside to allow Yulia and me to pass. The hallways weren’t packed, but still populated with a few members of the Guild. None of them acknowledged the Head aside from some nodding. The office was in the center of the structure, four rooms with the walls knocked out to make it much larger. There were two secretary desks that flanked the entrance, both manned by a pair of Guild members past their prime.

  “Leave us.” With those two words, the four members left to the rooms across the hall where they could continue their work. The Head sat at his desk, and waved for us to sit. “I trust you know the meaning behind the coin?”

  “It serves as a token. To ask a favor that cannot be refused.”

  “I won’t ask how you came by the coin, as I’ve only ever given one. What favor would you ask of me?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t ask the favor just yet, today is an introduction.” I smiled sheepishly, “My favor will come tomorrow.”

  “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Master Smith Ashram’s family?” The Head hadn’t changed his facial expression the entire time, solidifying the rumors that the Three would return when he cracked a smile.

  I nodded, “You are correct.”

  “The man I gave the coin to, was one of the best swordsman I ever had the privilege of seeing. Did he teach you anything?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you,” the Head turned to Yulia, “I recognize you from the Capital. What would possess you to travel with this man?”

  Yulia shrugged, “He keeps his promises.”

  The Head grunted again, “I haven’t had the chance to exercise today, and the tournament today has my blood boiling. Let’s stretch some, to keep from getting rusty.”

  Inwardly I sighed, “Zeysho… It would be a pleasure to exchange pointers with someone of your renown.”

  “I was speaking to your companion, you had your exercise for the day.” Zeysho looked pointedly at Yulia, “It’s not often I get to see one of your profession in a friendly manner.”

  Yulia shook her head, “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

  “The way you carry yourself, the daggers strapped to your thighs, and the way you looked around when coming here all point to your profession. Assassin.” Zeysho waited, arms crossed for a response.

  “If that were true…” Yulia hesitated, “Would I really admit to it in front of a leader of the Warrior’s Guild?”

  “Admit to it or no, I’d still like to test myself against you.” He waited again, not breaking eye contact with Yulia.

  “I’ve been trained to fight, and I would like to see how much more I have to improve.” Yulia smiled, “Do you have a space away from prying eyes?”

&nb
sp; “Follow me.” Zeysho stood, and grabbed his weapon. Despite his large size and obvious muscle, his weapon was a simple longsword. Longsword to a regular sized person, but a regular sword to someone of his stature.

  Yulia and I followed him down more hallways, and into a large room lined with different weapons. There were no windows, instead unshaded magelights lit the room. I searched with the ether for anyone hidden, but it was only the three of us in the room.

  Zeysho strode to the center of the room, “To first blood?”

  Yulia looked at herself, “Actually, if I could change first to something a little easier to move in…”

  “Of course,” He motioned to a chest by the door. “Clothes are in there, all clean. I’ll leave the room to give you your privacy.”

  “No need.” I stepped forward, and Yulia vanished from sight. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”