Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

“Wow.” The young boy had a bright smile on his face. Seeing him look at me like that, I actually felt pretty cool. That nearly distracted me from why I was there in the first place.

  “Dad,” Elle’s voice cut through my distracted thoughts. “I told him about Draco. Will you tell him what you know? You remember the last stranger, right?”

  I turned back to face straight forward in my seat, nerves building once again.

  “Yes.” Solem nodded. “I was here when the last stranger arrived. I was here when Draco arrived.”

  “You were?” Kaia broke in, confusion clear in her voice. “I thought he was older than that.”

  “It was still a long time ago,” their father nodded. “Far as I know, anytime a stranger’s ever appeared, it’s been here in Eon. I always thought that was weird. No weirder than someone appearing out of nowhere, I guess.” Solem looked around at his children before his eyes came to rest on me. “Nothing like that had ever happened. This was about forty, maybe forty-five years ago. People came out to the courtyard one morning to set up market stalls, and this man was just lying there.”

  “Elle said this man is revered?” I asked, wrapping my hands around the warm bird cup, running my thumb over the handle.

  “Oh, very.” Solem nodded. “First few days, he didn’t say much. When he did speak, he seemed to know everything. He taught our people better ways to purify water, to structure buildings, even showed people new types of music. I must’ve been about Maylon’s age when he arrived.”

  “So how did he gain the power he has now?”

  “Back then, people mostly left one another alone. There were trade routes and all that, but the settlements around Solivann were all independent. He told everyone we were better off with a uniting force, and he was right. Once he established power, it was good for everyone. I heard about villages that had almost no access to food, and he provided them with trade contracts in exchange for other resources. Helped others establish better systems of law and education.”

  “How did he do all of that?”

  Solem shrugged before taking a drink of his tea. “I don’t know. I just know he did.”

  “Eventually,” Elle began, “everybody trusted him. He employed a liaison from every village and settlement to keep the country safe. Solivann had never had a war or anything like it before, but Draco said where he came from it was common and insisted on building a military force.”

  “And lucky he did too,” Solem interrupted. I noticed a sudden lack of enthusiasm in Elle’s expression, but her father didn’t seem to pick up on it. He nodded at her to continue the story.

  “Just a few months after Draco built an army, Iskage waged war on it. Iskage was a village southwest of here, and it was always more withdrawn than others, but even so, no one ever imagined they’d attack. Apparently, they were the only ones to refuse to cooperate with Draco, and then they built an army of their own and attacked.”

  I frowned. “What happened?”

  “War,” Solem said simply. “Iskage killed innocent people because they wanted power. They got what they deserved.”

  “And now?”

  Elle cast her eyes down. “The land is finally returning to normal. Some plants, a few weeds, and some small animals have returned. Not many, not yet.”

  I guess Solem saw the confusion on my face because he was gracious enough to fill me in on what she was leaving out. “They burned it to the ground.”

  The cold tone in his voice gave me chills. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “So… why does Draco want people like me killed?”

  Elle shook her head. “I don’t know--”

  “All he says is that they’re dangerous,” Solem said. “That’s why he had to get away from them.” He looked me up and down as he spoke.

  I sat up straighter while my body tensed up, wondering what he was seeing in me. If I looked like a threat…

  “Are you going to turn me in?”

  All eyes at the table turned to Solem.

  “Dad,” Elle began, “I only brought him here because I knew you’d understand. I don’t think he’s dangerous. Please, if you--”

  “No. No, I won’t turn you in.”

  I relaxed massively and smiled for what felt like the first time since I’d been here. “Thank you, thank you, sir.”

  “What are you?”

  “Um, I’m a student?” I blinked, unsure how to answer that question. “Oh! You mean class, don’t you? I don’t understand this class system, at all. What is it?”

  Solem stood and took a deep breath. “I have work to do. Elle, find your guest something to wear that’s less… like that.”

  Without another word, the man was heading for the front door of the house. I watched the door shut behind him before turning back to everyone, more than a bit confused.

  “He doesn’t want to talk when he can work,” Elle explained. “There are seven classes. Everyone begins at Zinc. Over your lifetime, you have the opportunity to advance through refining yourself. Education, physical health, spiritual health, building relationships, learning a trade, all of those things can help. Anything that achieves the goal of uplifting yourself.”

  My eyes went wide in complete surprise as she spoke. They wouldn’t understand what I meant if I compared that system to a video game, but I couldn’t help but make the comparison in my mind. “Okay. What are the classes?”

  “Zinc--”

  “Zinc is the first one,” Kaia cut Elle off. She had an excited expression on her face. “Then Copper, Nickel, Silver, Platinum, Gold, and Diamond. The higher your class, the stronger your mental, physical, and spiritual abilities.”

  “Kistro,” Elle broke back in, side-eyeing her younger sister, “is a Platinum Class Fighter. That’s why he could manipulate the mosaic against you.”

  Now that brought up a whole new set of questions. But I was taking in just about as much new information as I could handle at the moment.

  “So… what exactly are you guys?”

  “I’m a Copper Class herbalist,” Kaia smiled. “I’m still mostly studying, but when I get to Nickel, I’ll be able to become a full apprentice to an herbalist.”

  “I’m a Nickel Class Fighter.” Elle had told me that before, but it hadn’t made sense earlier.

  I nodded and glanced at Maylon. “And…?”

  Elle sighed. “Maylon’s still Zinc Class, of course. We think--”

  “I want to be a blacksmith like dad!” the little boy interrupted.

  “Oh.” I glanced over at the wall dividing the living room from the garage. “Is that what he does?”

  “Father’s a Platinum Class metalworker,” Kaia explained. “There are only four Platinum Class citizens in Eon!”

  “So I wanna be just like dad!” Maylon smiled.

  I smiled back at the boy, but my eyes darted over to Elle, who didn’t share the same proud smile the other two children had. I raised an eyebrow at her. She picked up on my question and sighed.

  “Maylon would make a good smith, but I think he has a passion for art and quite a talent. I just worry he’s going to be unhappy trying to follow in dad’s footsteps.”

  I gave her an understanding nod. “What else about this place do I need to know? You said class was denoted by dress, right?”

  “Right,” she nodded. “And hair.”

  “Hair?”

  “Yes.” Elle laughed at my confused expression. “You noticed how long Kistro’s hair was. Father’s was almost as long. It’s not like it’s a rule, but traditionally, people in Eon use it as a symbol for their dedication and hard work.”

  “Oh.” I chuckled a bit, running a hand through my hair. “I guess that doesn’t look too good for me, then.”

  “We can train to get to Copper together!” The nine-year-old at the table grinned.

  I nodded slowly. “Um--”

  “We’re not going to worry about that right now,” Elle laughed. She stood and walked over to kiss Maylon on the top of his head. “May, can you
clean up? Come on, Ren. Let’s find some clothes that aren’t… whatever that is.”

  I rolled my eyes as I stood. “I’ll have you know my clothes are considered cool where I come from.”

  Elle looked me up and down before turning to head for the stairs.

  I laughed to myself as I followed her. Once I got to the stairs, I realized Kaia was following us. I gave her a cagey smile before ascending the stairs. Despite looking weak, they felt fairly sturdy.

  “Why do these stairs look so much different from the rest of the house?”

  “Our grandfather built them himself,” Kaia answered from behind me. “He wasn’t a carpenter. He should have hired one, but he was so excited that he was getting a second story, he wanted to build part of it himself.”

  I recalled the sharp divide in the appearance and size of the houses I’d seen yesterday and those further down the road. “Let me guess. The higher your class, the better your house?”

  “Mostly,” Elle said as we reached the second floor. This was a return to the polished, clean, professional design like the lower floor. “But if you inherit your parents’ house, it’s not like they force you to knock down the second story or bleach the paint on the walls.”

  “Doesn’t it feel weird? Living somewhere where something like your class determines what you wear, what your house looks like, or how even how your hair looks?”

  “Weird?” Kaia chuckled. “Not particularly.”

  Elle didn’t say anything, but instead gave a nondescript, “Hm.” She led us down the hallway to the last room on the left.

  “What are you going to give him?” Kaia asked.

  “Haven’t figured that out yet,” Elle muttered. The room, unlike the first floor, wasn’t particularly large. That made sense. The first floor was mostly one room while the second had five or six rooms in it.

  This room had a mattress on a short frame. While most of it was unassuming, the blankets and pillows looked rather lavish. There was a large mirror on one wall next to the closet, and other than that, the room was empty save for weapons leaning against the walls.

  “I’m guessing this is your room,” I said to Elle, looking around at the staff and blades that just sat next to her bed.

  “What gave it away?” she scoffed as she looked through the closet. “Hm…”

  “Why does he have to wear your clothes?” Kaia pouted, crossing her arms. “What if he doesn’t want to wear your gross training gear?”

  “Oh.” Elle smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that. That’s a good idea.”

  Kaia huffed as Elle knelt down and opened a trunk on the floor of the closet.

  I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall and couldn’t help but cringe. I hadn’t realized how bad I looked. My hair and clothes were covered in dirt, and small loose leaves and twigs had caught themselves on my t-shirt and jeans.

  “Here you go,” Elle stood, handing me a small stack of clothes. “They should fit. Training clothes are all loose or adjustable.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I nodded. “Elle, I don’t want to impose, but is there any way I could shower?”

  She nodded. “Follow--”

  “I can show him!” Kaia beamed.

  “I should hope so.” Elle rolled her eyes. “It’s down the hall.”

  Kaia ignored her older sister and slid her arm through the crook of my elbow. “Follow me!”

  5

  I gave Elle a look before Kaia yanked me out of the room, through the hall, and down the stairs. When we reached the first floor, we turned into the kitchen and left the house through the back door. I started to worry this shower might be a cold bucket of water dumped over my head.

  She took me around behind the garage where there were three small walls forming a stall. There was actually a faucet in the stall. I had to admit, that surprised me. The level of technology available in this place was completely confusing to me.

  “You just pull the knob, and it starts!” Kaia smiled. “You can put your clothes on this shelf, so they don’t get wet.”

  I nodded when I saw Elle come up behind Kaia, holding a towel and a pair of cloth boots. “Here. You forgot this, and you’ll need these.”

  “Thanks,” I nodded. “Thank you both.”

  “If you need anything else,” Kaia said brightly, “just let me know.”

  I nodded once again, though a bit awkwardly this time. I caught Elle rolling her eyes as she pulled her sister toward the house.

  Once the door shut behind them and I was alone, I put Elle’s clothes on the shelf and hung the towel up over the edge of the wall. After a slight moment of hesitation, I braced myself and pulled off my filthy clothes, setting them on the ground. The hardest thing was pulling off the bloody cloth, which was now practically solid with dried blood. Instead of trying to untie it, I just slid it down my arm. Of course, it caught on the wound, so it was just as bad an idea as it sounds.

  I backed into the corner of the stall, wishing there was some kind of door or curtain rather than just an open space, but at least I was mostly hidden, and the back of their yard was secluded.

  I clenched my jaw, already a bit chilly, and reached for the knob, expecting the water to be ice cold. To my pleasant surprise, the water that hit me was immediately warm. I was shocked for a second before I remembered Solem’s forge was on the other side of the wall. That must heat up the water.

  Every muscle felt as though it was melting under the warmth of the shower. Well, almost every muscle. The cut on my arm was screaming. Of all the miscellaneous topics I’d studied during my life, first aid was never one of them. Water was probably good for an open wound, right? I figured it would help to clean it. Granted, I wasn’t sure how dirty it would even be, considering it had only been cut by light. After about a minute of searing pain, I turned to the side and resolved to keep the injured arm out of direct water.

  I put my left hand in the water before wiping the dried blood off of my arm. It wasn’t still bleeding, but it was still bloody and open, so the water caused more blood to wash out of the wound. That seemed like it was probably a bad thing. I cringed and tried to wash off the rest of my body relatively quickly so I could attend to the cut again. Still, I couldn’t deny how relaxing it was to stand in the warm water with no immediate danger.

  Now that I didn’t feel completely alone in this strange place, it was easier to separate my thoughts and questions from one another in my mind. I still needed to ask about the mosaic, and I wanted to know more about the class system, but my immediate goal was to find Draco. If I could approach him without him knowing where I came from, if he saw he could trust me, then he could help me figure out how to leave. That had to be the best option, right?

  As relaxed as I was in the shower, it wasn’t long before my right arm throbbed. I took one final deep breath of the steamy air before turning the water off and grabbing the towel.

  A few minutes later, I walked back into the house carrying the towel and my dirty clothes, wearing an outfit almost exactly like Elle’s. The tan-colored pants tied together at the side, so I could make them fit well, while the dark green tank top was just large enough to fit without being tight. She’d given me a pair of cloth boots the same shade as the shirt that covered my shins. With the tattoos bare on my arm as well as the cut, paired with the simple clothes, I couldn’t help but feel like an NPC in some sort of fantasy video game.

  When I came in through the back door, Kaia was in the kitchen cooking something. She was all smiles the second she saw me.

  “Ren! How was the shower?”

  I smiled back a bit nervously at her. She didn’t make me nervous exactly, but I was generally uncomfortable with how happy she and her sister were able to be while I was fearful of my life.

  “It was great. Thank you very much. Um… if you’re an, uh, herbalist, would you know anything about wounds?”

  “Oh no!” She set down the spoon she was holding and rushed to close the mere three-foot gap between us, grabbing my arm, which made
me wince. “Elle said Kistro hurt you, but she didn’t say it was that bad.”

  “Whoa, whoa. Bad? She said it was okay!”

  “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Kaia frowned. “Go sit at the table. I’ll be right back.”

  Before I could say anything, she was rushing up the stairs back to the second floor. I let out a deep, frustrated sigh and went to sit at the table, setting the dirty laundry on the floor by my feet. I rested my elbow on the table so I could get a closer look at the cut. It looked a little puffier than it had before, and the surrounding skin was red, though to be fair, I couldn’t even see the skin before my shower because it was covered in dry blood, so for all I knew, it could have looked ten times better.

  Kaia bounced back down the stairs and ran over to sit next to me. She had a small metal tin, a glass flask, a roll of what looked like medical cotton bandages, scissors, and a small brown folded slip of paper.

  “You have to promise you aren’t going to hate me when this is over,” she smiled sweetly at me.

  For some frustrating reason, I found myself blushing. “I-I, um, yeah. Fine.”

  She cut off a rectangle of the bandage and folded it up before dousing it in the clear liquid from the flask. She went to dab it against my cut. Just before it touched my skin, I had the notion of asking what that was going to do, but I was far too late. As soon as the cotton hit the wound, it felt like she was dousing me in acid.

  “Agh,” I grunted. I immediately cringed and gritted my teeth.

  “Hold still,” she instructed as she pressed the cloth over and over to my wound. Surely I was overreacting, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit pissed off. That was easy to say when you didn’t feel like your skin was being eaten away.

  “What are you doing?” Elle asked. I heard her footsteps coming down the stairs. Normally I’d turn to look at her, but as it was, I just had my head down, and my eyes shut tight, trying to get through this hellish pain.

  Finally, Kaia removed the cloth, and I felt like I could breathe again. “You told him this wasn’t bad?”

  “Yeah, it’s not.” Elle nodded. She stayed standing behind Kaia’s shoulder.