by KJ Harlow
SKILL:
Lightblade – Level 29–3% to next level
Light Clone – Level 11 – 94% to next level
WEAPON: Knife/Dagger – Level B – Next Level in 43%
NAME: Magnus Fairshade I
AGE: 131 (Terrafaytum)
CLASS: King of Dresham
LVL: 135
HP: 1,870/1,870
MP: 2,010/2,010
AFF: Water (x27)
STR: 290+7%+2%+1%
DEF: 305+6%+2%+1%
AGL: 280+15%+1%+3%
INT: 345+9%+3%+2%
ABILITY: Examine, Royal Blood, Construct
SKILL:
Mist Greatsword – Level 62–84% to next level
Glacial Shield – Level 63 – 54% to next level
Ice Tomb – Level 58–45% to next level
WEAPON: Sword – Level A – Next Level in 54%
Fairshade was an absolute tank; he really didn’t have anything to be afraid of. Yet, fear was a funny thing. He looked a lot more relaxed than he was in his chamber, but his eyes still lingered on Ferros’ corpse.
There was roar from several yards behind them, something that sounded like an enraged bull. Cal spun around, reaching around for his new axe.
“Damn it, the minotaur must have respawned!” Its hoofed feet were once again digging into the tiled floors. With its fists clenched, it snorted then started sprinting at Cal’s party. Its own axe hadn’t regenerated thankfully, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous. If it was just the three of them they might have been able to take it on again, but with an unarmed king, this was going to be a challenge.
A firm hand landed on Cal’s shoulder and pulled him aside. Fairshade took center position, staring the beast down.
“Your Majesty, are you–?”
Fairshade held a hand out by his side. Drops of water were pulled out of thin air, accumulating in rapid time before forming a wide, flat blade eight inches thick and five feet long. He gripped it in both hands, raised it to eye level then ran towards the beast.
The minotaur jumped into the air and threw an almighty punch at Fairshade. For a fraction of a second, it seemed that it would crush the king’s face. At the last moment, he threw his body into clockwise spin, leading with the gargantuan sword. The minotaur’s fist grazed his flapping cape…
…then its entire right arm bicep was twitching on the floor.
-401 Damage!
The minotaur stumbled, unaccustomed to the sudden imbalance before falling to its knees. Fairshade was now behind the half ox. He lifted the sword up again to face level and drove it through the minotaur’s back and through its chest.
The blade exploded through the left pectoral, presenting the still beating heart of the beast on the end of it. The minotaur stared at it, opened its mouth to give a final bellow of outrage then became stiff.
-980 Damage!
The blade dissolved back into mist, disappearing before Cal, Kai and Cist’s eyes. The grounded heart was desperately thudding, pumping out the remaining blood inside before it too fell still. Like a building that had just been demolished, the minotaur swayed precariously before it collapsed forward.
“Foul creature.” Fairshade stared at the being for a moment longer before walking around it and rejoining the group. “Would you believe that that was the first creature that I have killed on my own? All of my life, I had levelled up through controlled grinding, hunting quests and craft masterclasses.”
“You haven’t lost your touch, Your Majesty.” After seeing Fairshade’s exhibition, Cist had also relaxed.
“Hey.” Cal looked across at Kai. “Didn’t Keizen ever tell you that it’s rude to stare?”
30
I Challenge You To A Duel
20,156th Cycle
1-Flulia
Mea raised one of her stone eyebrows but said nothing. Cist had asked whether she could transport them back to the start of the Catacombs. After several minutes where it seemed she had become a real statue again, she acquiesesed.
She started with Cal first. Her hand came down, closed around him and squeezed. The force should have crushed every bone in his body. Instead he had the oddest sensation. It was as if he was being broken down atom by atom and reassembled in rapid time. One moment he could see the others the next he was blinking and trying to figure out where he was.
There was a doorway that looked vaguely familiar. Only when he looked the other way and saw the square, gray tile did he realize that Mea truly had transported back to the beginning.
One by one, Kai, Cist and Fairshade materialised around him. It was similar to respawning except the light didn’t soar towards the sky after they reappeared. It pulsed, shone then disappeared.
Fairshade looked at the tile, then up. “I made sure Lightblades kept an eye on the entrance to the Catacombs; they will be there to greet us when we get out. You have nothing to be worried about, Your Highness,” Cist said.
He looked at Cist, then Kai and Cal. Even in the semi-darkness, Cal could see a spark of determination in his eyes that didn’t exist when he was in the heart of the Catacombs. Cist led, followed by Fairshade, then the orc and werejaguar last.
It was like being in a lift that moved as fast as a car on a highway only in an upwards direction. Seconds later, he fell out of the air, an inch above the ground. Cal stumbled then collected himself. He looked ahead. Cist and Fairshade were a few yards ahead.
“Move it, orc.”
Cal shuffled along, crouching a bit more so that the minotaur axe wouldn’t knock the top of the tunnel.
It was raining outside, rather heavily, in fact. Thunder drowned out Cist’s cry of horror. Cal ran as fast as he could, hand ready to cast the earth craft the situation called for.
“Hello Cal!” Col yelled above the downpour. His eryn, Parsh, had opened up her wings and was shading him. Off to the side, two Lightblades lay still, rain making gentle indents into eyes staring into the purple-gray clouds. Their lifeforce had long trickled out of their necks, washed away by Flulia’s wrath.
Cist was on his knees, staring at the Lightblades. Susannah, Col’s deputy stood off to the side, sword gleaming at the ready while Feer, her eryn, had his sword pressed into Fairshade’s neck behind his chin.
“So sorry to spoil this little reunion of yours. We’ll be taking back what’s ours.” He pointed his sword at Fairshade. “Suse, have your eryn arrest the imposter.” He gestured to Susannah.
“Um, Feer could you please–”
“Wait.” Col stepped out from the shade of Parsh’s wings and looked at Feer. Ice formed at base of his boots and was crawling up his body. The more he kept trying to move, the faster the ice climbed. He looked across at Col then Susanna, grunting frantically. Even his mouth had been frozen shut.
“What are you–?” Col turned at looked Fairshade. He glowed with a faint neon blue light, his eyes now blazing with wrath. Col, Parsh and Susanna also started freezing up. Seconds later, the only part of their bodies that could move were their eyes. Fairshade looked at each of them, then up at the sky. As if responding to the king, the rain abated somewhat, easing to a gentle shower.
Fairshade leaned in to Col. “I am King Fairshade the First, the true king of Dresham. I belong to no one. Tell Fetter that I will be seeking an audience with him before the start of the next moonshift.” He paused and looked down at Cist. The leader of the Lightblades had closed the eyes of his two fallen men, rain dripping off his bedraggled hair and running into his eyes.
“I don’t care what Fetter says. If you are a soldier of Dresham, you are a soldier of mine.” He drove a fist into Col’s stomach, shattering the ice and sending him flying five feet. “And I command you to not lay a finger on any more souls. Do you understand?” Col pushed himself back, not uttering a word. “Do you understand?” Fairshade repeated.
Col nodded. Accepting this, Fairshade waved a hand. With a hiss, the ice on the other three dissolved. “Begone!” The king bellowed. Col, Susannah, Parsh and Feer
disappeared in quick time. Cal and Kai stood by and watched as he walked over to Cist. He crouched down and put a hand on his shoulder. Cist sprung up.
“Your Highness, my apologies, I–”
“I am the one who should be apologising.” Fairshade said. He was looking down at the two, fallen men. “Cal, Kai. May I be so bold as to ask the two of you to assist me in carrying these Lightblades home?”
The rain had been a boon in more way than one. Aligned with water, it strengthened Fairshade. It also made the journey back to Lightblade HQ uninterrupted. It appeared that the Col had taken the king’s warning seriously; neither soldier nor eryn could be seen.
Cal had asked whether it was OK that he saw the path to the secret Lightblades hideout. “I have already promised the king that we will come out of the shadows to protect him, though I haven’t done a very good job of that yet.” He shook his head. “If the king trusts you, then you have mine too.”
It didn’t matter that Cal didn’t have a bag over his head as they went into Lightblade HQ. He was too preoccupied with trying to balance the corpse of the Lightblade on his back along with his axe. He was also thinking about the impending duel between Fairshade and Fetter. Fairshade was strong but Fetter was still stronger, level-wise at least. Plus, Fetter had C on his side. If there was any chance that Fairshade would win, she would definitely step in.
He grunted, adjusting the rope that bound the Lightblade to his back as he descended the ladder into pitch black darkness.
Then there was what happened at the camp outside Bracewell. What had Col said before all hell broke loose? That Fetter wouldn’t respawn? That he would actually die? He was sure that he heard that, but what did that mean? That if he was slain in ValorVale, his ‘real’ self on Earth would die as well? How was that even possible? So far, Cal had had no qualms about killing people or things on Terrafaytum. Monsters were just 0s and 1s. Fetters soldiers were just other players who would just respawn endlessly. He had avoided killing NPCs. He knew that they weren’t ‘alive’ too, but… something still held him back. Natasha’s death still felt too real.
Cal’s foot came in contact with solid ground. He hefted up the corpse again and turned around. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and were now taking in the little light visible in the tunnel leading to the common room.
There was an outcry of anguish; Kai disappeared into a room with a sheet of fabric in front of it. Once Cal made it into the room, he was directed in the same direction by the pale-faced matron.
He mumbled his condolences to what seemed like the wives of the fallen and hurriedly came back out to the main room. Cist was standing on top of crate by the wall. Fairshade stood to his left, casting a gaze out over the hundreds of Lightblades that had assembled. Many looked confused as to who the older man was, while a few smiled knowingly, eyes shining with hope.
“Brothers and sisters, I have been away for several moonshifts. Thank you for maintaining law and order above and below.” There was complete silence now as everyone had their attention on their leader.
“Ferros and I along with our allies Kai and Cal of Rawdriad Forest ventured back into the Catacombs. We fought a beast no one had seen before called a minotaur. Half beast, half man.” He paused. “Ferros sacrificed himself to give us an opportunity to defeat it. I am so sorry, Miriam.” A woman broke down in tears to the far right.
“Gus and Tom…” his breath caught in his throat. “Gus and Tom also fell in the line of duty.” Heads were bowed as Cist recomposed himself. Fairshade was now looking up at Cist and not even trying to hide it.
“But their deaths weren’t for nought. He looked down at Fairshade. We have found the one, true king of Dresham.”
There were murmurs all around the group.
A balding man and a slight paunch stepped forward. “I’m sorry Cist, I don’t believe you.” The crowd went quiet and looked at him. “27. Those are the total number of lives you have expended, including the three today in the hopes of finding a king no one was sure even existed.” He regarded the bearded Fairshade. “How do we know you haven’t plucked one of the many vagrants out of the streets and presented him as our ‘one, true king’?”
There were cries outrage and murmurs of agreement all around.
“Please, settle. Settle!”
Fairshade raised his hand skyward. He mouth moved slightly and the Mist Greatsword formed in his hand. He held his left arm out. A wintry draft blew through the air and compacted around the mist that formed there. He slowly lowered his sword.
“Men and women of Lightblade, lend me your ears.” If his water craft party tricks hadn’t done the job, his softly-spoken commands now did. “I am indeed Magnus Fairshade the First. Some of you might have known me as the Lord of Ice and Mist from several cycles ago. As you will know, it is a Dresham tradition that the throne is succeeded by a person of noble blood who defeats the incumbent. It has been that way since the Early Days of Lis.” Mist swirled around his sword and shield as he looked around at his audience.
“It wasn’t long ago that a man named Fetter walked into Thaylia and offered me a choice: my life or my kingdom.” He heaved a great sigh, breath frosting around his Greatsword. “I chose my life.”
No one said a word, though some people in the crowd looked away.
“I chose my life and I surrendered the throne to him and he has been sitting atop the throne until now. Meanwhile, I have been in the Catacombs, hidden away, preserving my life.” He laughed darkly and shook his head.
“If it wasn’t for Cist, Ferros, Cal and Kai, I would still be down there, fighting against myself while you all suffered at the hands of this madman who calls himself your king.” Fairshade opened his hands and his sword and shield evaporated.
“I abandoned you to protect my own life. I… was afraid. I still am. I sent the soldiers who killed Gus and Tom scampering back to Fetter with a message.” He paused, considered his words then looked into the crowd. “I am going to formally invite Fetter to challenge me to a duel.”
There was an intake of breath in the Lightblades present. “Whether I like it or not, this man has been your leader for the last several cycles. I cannot simply reappear after such a long hiatus and reclaim my place on the throne, even if I am the so-called ‘true king’.”
He looked across at Cal and Kai. “I am going to fight him as much for you all as for myself. I have to earn back my right to lead you and your fellow Thaylians from the darkness and back into the light that has been long associated with the kingdom of Dresham. If you would continue to lend me your aid, you have my word that I will strive to defeat this man until my last breath leaves my body.”
Fairshade dropped his imploring hands. More people were nodding their heads in the group and fewer had their arms crossed.
“Night by night, Fetter is laying waste to the city that we call home. King Fairshade is going to the kingdom to find Fetter before the end of this nightshift.” Cist jumped off the crate and stood side by side with his king. “I have asked a lot from you all and I have one more important request. Word will travel fast that Fairshade lives. We need Lightblades to march with us to the kingdom.”
Murmurs of discord rippled through the crowd. Cist waited for them to quieten down before continuing. “I know that his goes against everything that it means to be a Lightblade but let me ask you this: do you know why the Lightblades were formed in the first place?” He looked around the room.
“To protect the king of Dresham.” It was the balding man who spoke again, his eyes riveted on Fairshade.
“That is correct,” Cist said, a slight smile on his face. “To protect the king of Dresham so that he could focus his energies on making our country the safest, most prosperous to live in all of Terrafaytum. We should continue to fight corrupt soldiers and rescue the innocent, but if there is any opportunity for us to stand side by side with the king, that is our true calling.”
“Aye!” A hand punched into the air, dagger in hand. Then another, then anot
her. Seconds later, a forest of hands were raised resolutely in support of Fairshade.
He nodded slowly. “Arm yourselves – we march tonight.”
The rain had stopped but the air was still wet. Lightblades streamed up from the manhole, peeking out nervously before forming a guard of honour 25 long on each side. Cist climbed up and walked through it, followed by Fairshade, Cal and Kai.
A gust of wind blew through, clattering the throwing knives hanging from the assassins’ belts. Cist stood at the front then turned to face his brethren.
“This is going to go against everything you know as a Lightblade.” He took the time to meet the gaze of each one. Their expressions were a mix of fervour, nervousness and excitement. “This mission will be fraught with danger so if any of you want to retreat, do so now. I will not see you as being any less of a Lightblade.”
All his men kept their eyes focused on Cist, not moving a muscle. “We are going to march in broad moonlight to Thaylia castle. After we make it in, we will escort King Fairshade to seek an audience with Fetter. We will then wait there until they have finished their discussions. If anyone attempts an attack King Fairshade at any time, we will do everything in our power to stop harm coming his way, even if it means sacrificing our own lives.”
Fairshade made to say something then stopped. The Lightblades nodded, glancing between Cist and the King.
“There is one more thing: it is alright to be afraid. You will want to run away from that which you are afraid of. That’s not what Lightblades do. We stand our ground, we fight or we run towards the fear. That’s how we know we’re going in the right direction. If there is anyone that should be doing the running, it should be the foes we face.”
The Lightblades nodded. One by one, their hands moved to their belts selecting their weapon of choice.
Cist crossed his arms then pulled the robe over his mouth. He glanced at Kai and Cal and nodded before facing the front.
“For Fairshade!”