by Dakota Krout
With renewed vigor, the family worked until night had fallen completely, their efforts focused on softening the leather as much as possible. They then stretched the material as far as they could in preparation for the morning before making their way home.
“We did a good job today,” John complimented calmly. “Good work.”
Luke and Cindy grinned at each other, knowing how rare it was to hear praise. Joanne smiled at her husband, quietly taking his hand and holding it as they walked home.
Chapter Two
The week passed exceedingly quickly, the days filled with the work needed to complete such a large order as soon as humanly possible. Though he was exhausted, John bowed respectfully and focused on the conversation at hand. “We should be able to have your order ready a day early, Sir.”
“Spectacular!” An Officer of the Legion who had come to check in on his investment bellowed happily. Noticing Luke’s wince, he grinned wryly. “Sorry; when you need to yell all day, you tend to stop noticing when you aren’t commanding troops. I’m Lieutenant Baker, by the way. Mind if I take a look at some of the boots? I know you have a good reputation for quality around here, but this is a rather large order, and we are from the capitol…”
“Sir, not at all! Luke, take him down to the workshop? Also remember who you are talking to when you walk.” Turning to the Lieutenant, John quickly assured him, “I would take you myself, but we are running low on bark spirits, and I was just on my way to barter for some…”
Waving his hand at John in a shooing motion, Lieutenant Baker started following Luke down the hill. The giant man wiggled his eyebrows and grinned, bellowing, “Whew! Gah. Wow! I can see why this is so far away from the town! My eyes are watering already! Smells like your family can really hold their liquor!”
Luke chuckled appropriately at the… attempted humor, and continued the brisk pace to the shop. Reaching the rows of completed boots, he pulled off the set that had Baker’s measurements and offered to let him try them on.
“I’d love to, but…” Baker hesitated, flushing slightly from embarrassment, “I need to warn you, there is a reason we are getting new boots…”
With that, he started removing his footwear, which fell apart with the first pull, tearing along the poorly-made seam. Emerging into the open air was a foot that seemed nearly rotten, with open sores and a stench strong enough to overpower the strong liquor smell. Looking fully embarrassed, Baker quickly reached for the boots Luke was holding, but missed as Luke set them down and reached for a container.
“Sorry, Sir, I forgot that you had those sores. My dad told me about that the other day, and my sister brought this from the apothecary. Rub this gently on your feet.” Luke held the box out to the Lieutenant.
“What is it?” Baker eyed the container suspiciously.
“Oh, right. It’s a powder compound we use around here; it contains magnesium, silica, and a chalk powder. The blend helps to keep your feet dry and stop those blisters. They mix in mint and a couple other healing herbs to help the blisters you already have. It also helps with the, um... smell.” Luke finished rather indelicately. “Pardon the bluntness…”
“Oh. I’ll try it out, I guess. They can’t get much worse, and the healers are already overworked.” Rubbing some of the powder on, the smell noticeably dissipated and Luke handed him the boots to put on. The powder reduced the friction of putting on the new boot, and with the correct measurements, Baker felt relief for the first time in weeks.
“That feels so much better! The other ones are assigned to us; if the things don’t fit, they just give us larger ones until we can put our feet in ‘em. Felt like I was walking on a bunch of snakes, always trying to squirm off my feet.”
Luke shuddered at the image the man put in his head, and let Baker walk around to get a feel for the boots.
“Perfect! Can I wear these back? My other ones…” He looked meaningfully at the ruined boots on the ground.
“I see no reason not to let you,” Luke agreed easily. “They are already paid for, and I know that you must be an honorable man to have such a powerful position.”
“Thanks! Ha, silver tongue like that; you sure you’re not a Noble brat? You’ve got all the fancy words!” Baker joyfully stomped around. “About that powder? Where can I get it?”
“You can have this box for free. The apothecary wanted us to let your men try it out. Otherwise, just ask around for him. I bet he would cut you a good bulk deal.”
“I really appreciate it, son! We march all day, and damaged feet… we’ve actually already lost people to infection, and we haven’t even fought anyone!” Baker confided in the young man. “Oh! Are you going to be at the testing tomorrow? We aren’t conscripting for the Legion–yet–but everyone needs to be tested for power. How old are you? You look just about-”
“I’m seventeen, Sir. I thought it was mandatory to be there?” Luke glanced at the Lieutenant out of the corner of his eye to watch his reaction.
“It is; I’m just checking. You seem like a good kid. If you don’t have ‘potential’, you should still think about joining up. I could put you in a good position, making and mending our leather supplies, and it would pay an abyss-load more than being conscripted as a lancer.”
“I’ll… think about it? I am really needed here, though. Lots to do, after all.” Luke chuckled nervously at the thought of being dragged off to fight someone else’s war.
“Right! Well, I’m off. Gotta get back before my men turn into drunken morons and need to be led around like dogs. See you tomorrow. Remember, sign up before you’re forced to do it!” On that cheerful note, Lieutenant Baker left, enjoying the feel of softened leather swaddling his medicated feet. Luke, now feeling rather nervous about what the next morning could bring, got back to work on detailing the next set of boots.
“Lukey! Did you remember to put our crest on his boots? I saw him leave wearing a pair!” Cindy breathlessly shouted as she ran down the hill. “Did he like them?”
“I wouldn’t forget that! Free advertising, right?” Luke grinned at her. The family mercantile crest was a set of triangles that joined together to form a single large triangle, Which was stamped on everything they made. With boots, it was etched into the heel, so every time a step was taken in soft earth, the symbol appeared. It would be kind of fun to see so many sets leaving trails when the Legion left. It would look like a pack of angular wolves were following along behind them. “And of course he likes the boots! We did make them.”
“Good!” Cindy grabbed an unfinished set and started stitching along the edges. “So what is going on? What is the testing? I know you have to go, but the rest is just rumors.”
“Mmm. The testing is where you are, well… tested,” he winced, expecting a snarky comment to be forthcoming, “to see if you have the power to become an Ascender.”
“I obviously know the word, since you’ve thrown it around so often. Ugh, seriously, you need another hobby. You’ve been wanting to join them ever since the start of the draft, but what do Ascenders actually do?”
“They… help the empire?”
“Are you intentionally making me wait for this information? You know what I’m asking. If you don’t want to talk, just say so. You just always seem to know what they’re doing! Most of my friends can’t even read, or I would ask them. You read all the time, thanks to your girlfriend. Can you just give me a good explanation?” Cindy grumped at him.
“Taylor isn’t my girlfriend; you know that. She’s a Noble. There’s no way it could happen. Besides, she and I couldn’t ever be more than friends. She’s… anyway, sorry, not trying to dodge the question, I’m just nervous. Lieutenant Baker was… abrupt. So anyway, an Ascender is someone who can move between various... how to put this… dimensions?”
“You’re useless.” Cindy turned to leave, taking the boot with her.
“Let me finish!” Luke demanded, trying to get his thoughts in order, “There are a bunch of different kinds of Ascender, I’m just
thinking about the best way to explain this. Right, so, even though there are a bunch of specializations, they all are called ‘Ascender’. Just like a square and a rectangle are both squares, even though a rectangle is different, right? A few of the more well-known are, let me think…”
Luke snapped his fingers. “Mages, who access elemental power from their dimensions. Summoners, who go through their dimensions to fight and capture creatures, then bring them here to fight for them... um... oh yeah, Necromancers, who pull some kind of energy from dead things and bring them back as husks that fight for them. Healers, who heal people, kinda the reverse of Necromancers. There’s a ton more, I just can’t remember them right now. Also, there is a lot of information kept away from people that don’t need to know it. I only know this much mostly from rumors, my books have nothing to do with them.”
“Fine. You aren’t totally useless, I guess… but I’ve never seen any of those people, so they literally don’t matter to me. Why ‘Ascender’? Just because they can cross back and forth between those dimme-thingies?”
“Dimensions. Well, they have other titles, but ‘Ascender’ works because they get stronger and stronger over time. They’re all ‘ascending’ to something, but no one knows what. Oh! Some of them are strong enough to bring people with them to their hidden worlds, and for some reason they can move across huge distances in a really short amount of time. They are really sought after by the Kingdom, as well as by merchants. There are other types that can only enter or leave their dimension at certain points and are stuck if they can’t get to those spots.”
“All right… next question, because I can’t think of how this helps me. Can I come watch you get tested?” Cindy turned pleading eyes up to meet his.
“Sure? I don’t think it’ll be a big deal, though. Ask Mom?”
“But I want to go. I’ll ask Dad.”
Luke shook his head and snorted. “Ha! It’s really not a big deal.”
Chapter Three
“Luke! Where have you been?” bellowed Andre, Luke’s best friend since childhood. The thick giant of a young man appeared behind Luke like a mountain being revealed through fog. Luke was swept into a crushing bear hug that threatened to snap his back. “This is such a big deal! Like, the biggest deal we have had in this town since I was born! Or the keep was announced!”
“Why? It’s just like every other town getting tested, isn’t it? You know? Mandatory?” Luke managed to wheeze out of his collapsing lungs while simultaneously rolling his eyes.
Abruptly dropping his friend, Andre adopted a look of fake horror, “But this is our town! Soon, we shall have the glory! Power! Feasts! …Beautiful women.”
The last was stated in a sultry tone as a small group of girls looked over at them. Winking at them and leaving them giggling, Andre turned back to Luke. “Come on! We have power to quest after!”
Unnecessarily pushing people out of the way, he pulled Luke closer to the front of the lines that had formed. People chuckled as Luke was pulled like a cat on a leash; that is, being dragged most of the time. John called after his son’s receding form, “Good luck, son!”
“Traitor! Help me! My own father?” Luke’s words were laughed at, though John caught Cindy’s arm and made her wait in line with them. The sun was cheerfully gleaming from the eastern horizon, and dawn hadn't been long ago at all. After hearing that Cindy wanted to go and watch the testing, Joanne had made today a holiday of sorts to keep an eye on both of them.
The event was situated near the center of town, which used to be a bustling open market where people would trade, barter, or sell their excess goods every Loredas, the sixth day of the week. With all the new shops and hungry people, excess goods were quickly becoming a thing of the past. The square was now filled with people lining up to be ‘tested’. Anyone from seventeen to thirty was tested, but if they were found to have no power - and were male - they had to give their name to the Legion recruitment agents.
“Why are you in a rush? Stop pushing people. No one cares about this enough to try to slow you down! They’ll just let you go ahead of them.” Luke attempted to pull his arm away, which was equally as successful as his attempt to reason with Andre. The massive teen was a blacksmith-in-training, and his grip was nearly as unbreakable as the finished steel that came out of his family forge. “Andre! That guy wasn’t even in line! You went out of your way to chase him down! He’s bleeding!”
“Heh.”
“We’re here! Stop!”
“Let’s watch! I wanna see what happens.” Andre gushed like a guy with his first crush, finally letting go of Luke’s arm. Seeing no issue with waiting after finally being able to free his arm from the soul-and-bone-crushing grip, Luke joined the crowd in watching the day’s entertainment. There was a festival mood in the square, and enterprising businessmen were already selling sweets, weapons, and drinks, all at massively overinflated prices. The main attraction was a stage set in the center of the square, where two scarred and heavily-armed soldiers were standing a few paces from what appeared to be an overstimulated twenty-year-old man.
“Next! C’mon, c’mon, let’s roll! Hurry up! Things to do, people to test; where’s my water? Who’s next? Move it!” The man was bouncing from foot to foot, and if it were another person, Luke would have thought he needed to pee; but this guy just seemed hyperstimulated. “Good, good, good! Who are you? Where are you from? Any magic in your family?”
As the poor victim of the man’s attention stumbled over his answers in an attempt to get the correct order, he was interrupted by a sudden, “Doesn’t matter! Come, come, come! Hands on the orb; let’s see what we’re working with! What are those readouts? Any base class to work with?”
At Andre’s questioning glance, Luke explained what he had read about the process. “As far as I know, ‘class’ simply means where your magical talents lie. Necros hate healers, right? Imagine being sent to the wrong training area. Most of this is general knowledge, but anything in-depth is really secret; I just don't have specifics for you.”
“That’s neat. Yup, very cool. Oh look! Something interesting is happening!” Andre refocused and gestured toward the stage. As the befuddled man laid his hands on the globe offered by the chipper tester… not a single thing happened.
“No worries, my good man! Nothing wrong with not being magical. Look at these fine examples of mundanes standing next to me! One of them will escort you off the stage and over to the recruiting station!” The tester did his best not to sound disappointed, and almost succeeded. Leaving the stage among cheers and some friendly ribbing, the failed hopeful stepped down, only to be greeted with an ale provided by his friends.
“Hi Luke, Andre! What did I miss? Anyone get in yet?” Taylor, the Noble girl Luke had known as long as he had known Andre, suddenly appeared behind them and poked Andre in the ribs.
“No!” Andre bellowed as he spasmed from the prod. “What have I told you about doing that?”
“What?” She innocently tossed her short brown hair out of her eyes. “Pay more attention, and you won’t freak out when people talk to you.”
“That is not the issue, and you know it!” Andre grumbled angrily as he rubbed his sore spot. “You always gotta poke the bear. Always the same spot, too! Look at this; I have a bruise there!”
Lifting his shirt, he showed that he did indeed have a bruise the exact same shape as Taylor’s fingertip. There were lighter and darker spots, clearly highlighting a bruise that had healed over and over, but kept getting injured.
“Cry about it. You bruise like a peach.” Ignoring Andre’s reddening face and turning toward Luke, Taylor lifted an eyebrow. “Have you seen Zed today? He’s been acting odd all week.”
Luke paled and looked around before motioning them closer and whispering, “He’s trying to run.”
“No!” Andre gasped dramatically. “He can be executed for that! It’s treason!”
“Why?” Taylor demanded, looking at Luke intently.
“You see,” A
ndre started explaining, putting a hand on her shoulder, “The Kingdom needs people who-”
“Not you, dumb-dumb,” Taylor calmly interrupted the sarcastic giant. “Luke?”
“He wouldn’t say. He just had this look like a hunted animal every time it came up.”
“That’s odd. He’s usually so… collected.” Taylor tapped her chin in thought.
“I know. I’m worried about him. As much as… I just hope he’s okay.” Luke finished lamely, returning to stoic silence. Shaking their heads, the group turned back to the spectacle at hand. Seeing a line forming, Andre got excited again and started yanking on Luke so they could be near the middle.
“Hey guys, want some food?” Taylor questioned as she walked with them, “My dad gave me a bunch of coin, since I probably won’t come back from testing. His way of saying ‘sorry, I’m too busy to watch where the Kingdom chucks you.’”
Taylor had been having power outbreaks for nearly a year, usually when asleep. They had started small, but recently, maids had been walking in, screaming and nearly messing themselves when they joined the other objects that were floating around the room. Taylor had been very anxiously awaiting testing.
“Yes! Um... please, that is,” Andre coughed into his hand. “I’ll hold your spot. Yes. Food. Need food.”
“Sure, thank you,” Luke agreed.
“Having the Baron as your father must be nice,” Andre murmured after Taylor walked away. Taylor’s family had been nearly as poor as their subjects before the keep had gone under construction, but massive upswings in taxes, as well as grants from the king, had suddenly made them more wealthy and powerful than they had been in generations.
“Hey, easy. At least she didn’t become all snooty like her brothers,” Luke protested on their friend’s behalf. Andre had been acting strange around the third member of their group ever since Taylor’s family became rich.
