Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

  Elle nodded and went up the stairs. Solem turned to Kaia, who looked as though she might cry.

  “Kaia, gather up some of your medicines, anything you think he might need,” he instructed. “Label them, write instructions, whatever. Bring it all here.”

  She headed for the stairs at a much slower, more somber pace than her sister. Finally, Solem turned to Maylon and knelt down to eye level with the nine-year-old. “Son, I have a big favor to ask you.”

  Maylon gave one determined nod, ready to do what it took to make his father happy.

  “Go get the bag on my door,” his father directed.

  Something shifted in the child. “But that belonged to--”

  “I know.” Solem nodded. “I know, and she’d kill me if we didn’t do everything we could do for this boy. You understand.”

  He was silent for a second before finally nodding and making his way up the stairs. Then Solem turned to me.

  “Follow me.” He turned and headed for the front door.

  “Solem,” I said as I walked behind him, “I don’t want you all to go to so much trouble, especially if it puts you in any danger. You’ve already done so much.”

  He shook his head as he pushed through the door. Before we stepped outside, he looked to either side of the road to make sure no one was around.

  “I’m not sending you anywhere when you aren’t properly prepared.”

  I followed him into his forge, where he headed for the back wall where all of his weapons were lined up. I must have been distracted because it took far too long for me to realize what was going on.

  “Solem, I can’t take--”

  “You can and you will,” he said firmly, picking up a small sword the length of my forearm and turning it over in his hands. “Come over here. Tell me what speaks to you. What have you trained with?”

  I walked up to the wall, staring at it in sheer confusion. “Um… I’ve never trained with a weapon before. I can use a penknife to open an envelope pretty smoothly, that’s about it.”

  Solem gave a deep sigh, but nodded. “Alright. Here.” He handed me the forearm-length sword.

  Instead of being completely straight or even just pointed, it fanned out just a bit before converging to a point. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. He continued looking over the weapons on the wall until he found a short dagger a little less than a foot long with a reddish tint to the metal. After handing me that, he went to a large barrel in the corner that had long sticks in it and pulled one out.

  “There. Now, what else…?”

  “Solem, I-I think that’s more than enough. Thank you.” I had no idea how to use any of these, let alone whatever else he was thinking of throwing at me. Luckily, before we left the forge, he grabbed a belt and sheaths for the blades.

  “Can I ask you something?” I asked as I tried balancing everything in my arms.

  He finally slowed to a stop at my question and nodded.

  “Your most revered figure says anyone like me is dangerous. There’s a reward for turning me in. Why are you helping me?” I asked.

  Solem was clearly someone who valued eye contact and respect. For the first time, he looked away while he was addressing me. He sighed and hesitated before answering. “The other one, the stranger who showed up here after Draco, before you… I saw him. I met him. He didn’t look dangerous. And when the soldiers came for him, they terrified him. I don’t make trouble, and I don’t care to. But… you don’t look too dangerous either.”

  I listened patiently and nodded when his story was finally over. I tried not to think about the other stranger. Instead, I focused on the fact that Solem was helping me. That was what really mattered.

  When we got back inside, all of his children sat at the table. Elle had the bag I assumed Maylon was sent for and was packing it with the clothes, small vials, and some fruits and vegetables. I felt a pang of guilt about how much trouble this family was going to just to make sure I was safe.

  Solem went to stand next to the table when his foot kicked a second bag on the floor next to Elle. He looked at her quizzically for a second before a look of realization seemed to hit him.

  “Ren,” he said. “You should go change.”

  “What you wore yesterday is fine.” Elle nodded. “We can pack those pajamas for you too.”

  I bit the inside of my lip but nodded and headed for the stairs. They were clearly going to have a conversation they didn’t want me to be a part of, but who was I to insist on anything more than they were already doing for me?

  Without a word, I hurried back up to the guest room and switched out of the sleeping clothes and back into the tan pants and the green shirt and boots. As much as I wanted them to have their privacy, I was hoping to get back down quickly and catch their conversation. After folding the pajamas, I headed back downstairs.

  Kaia was standing over by the wall, looking angry. Maylon still sat at the table, looking confused, and Elle stood next to her father. They all looked at me as I came down the stairs.

  “Is everything alright?” I asked carefully.

  “Yes,” Solem nodded. “Elle… She wants to go with you.”

  “Oh.” I stopped in my tracks from sheer surprise. “You do?”

  She took a step toward me. “After what happened with Kistro, now that the soldiers are looking for you, there’s no way you’ll be safe on your own. I know most of Solivann, but more importantly, I blend in enough to ask for directions without drawing attention.”

  I nodded slowly for a second. “Okay.”

  I wasn’t in a position to turn down that kind of help. Elle was likely the only reason I hadn’t already died. There was a high chance I’d be in even more dangerous situations in the coming days, especially with highly trained soldiers looking for me.

  “Before you leave, you need to figure out exactly what to do next,” Solem instructed.

  I took a deep breath. “Well, if Draco won’t see me unless I’m at least in Platinum Class, then I’ll just have to train until I’m there. We should go somewhere I could learn and practice.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” Kaia frowned. “It takes people decades to reach Platinum Class. You’re already behind. You don’t even have a trade to--”

  “I don’t have any other choice,” I cut her off. The last thing I wanted to hear right now was why this was a bad idea.

  Kaia shook her head then looked away, but she remained silent.

  “Grave.” Elle looked from me to her father. “August, in Grave.”

  “Now that’s not a bad idea,” he muttered.

  “I’m sorry,” I frowned. “What?”

  “Grave,” Solem answered. “It’s about a day and a half northeast of here. We’ve got an old friend who lives there, a fighter. He trained Elle when she was Maylon’s age. If anyone would help you, it would be him. He could help you find a teacher, at least.”

  I nodded as things began to piece together in my mind. Whatever hopes I’d had of being home in a few days vanished, and I needed to get over them fast.

  “Kaia, go make them something to eat, quickly. You’ll need to leave soon if you want to make it there by tomorrow night. Besides, the earlier you leave, the better a headstart you have over the soldiers.”

  That was it. We had a plan, we had a timeline, and I had an ally.

  Before we left, Elle grabbed another bag that apparently had some kind of travel equipment in it she said we would need. She also decided it would be safer, at least for now, to wrap my arms the way she wrapped hers. That way, we didn’t have to explain my tattoos. The blades went on the belt from Solem’s forge and the stick, which was apparently called a quarterstaff, strapped to my back.

  She swore with the training clothes on, there was nothing suspicious about me. We would say we were cousins, and I lived in a southern settlement and came to train with her. It would explain the clothes, why my hair was short, even the weapons. Elle promised it was foolproof.

  I wasn’t completely sure she could pro
mise that, but I tried to find solace in it, anyway.

  After Elle gave her family an emotional goodbye, we took the food Kaia had made us and set out on the road. It was a bit jarring to be out in the open, having been so worried about being seen just the day before. Apparently, the main road out of Eon was through the center of town, but we wanted to avoid anyone recognizing me, so we took a smaller dirt road at first to get out of town.

  Elle took a bite of the rolls Kaia had given us as we walked. I could tell she was trying not to get too emotional about leaving her family. It had been a rather abrupt goodbye, but she was the one who insisted on leaving quickly.

  I opened my mouth to say something to comfort her, but nothing came out. What she was going through was the exact same thing I’d been trying not to think about for the last two days. At least she’d chosen to leave. She knew exactly how to get back. I had no idea.

  “You’ll see them again,” I finally managed to say.

  She looked over at me for a second before looking back ahead. “I know. I’m okay.”

  “Okay. You just seem upset…”

  “I’m a lot of things right now,” she shrugged. “That’s not always a bad thing. My mom always said crying was good for you. I always thought she was lying. I hate crying.”

  “I think most people do.” I gave her an awkward half-smile, trying to seem reassuring. “But you usually feel better when it’s over.”

  “That’s not always worth it to me,” she sighed.

  I nodded. “That’s your decision.”

  “What about you?” Elle asked, turning the whole thing around.

  I blinked. “Hm?”

  “Is it worth it to you?” she pressed. “Crying?”

  I thought for a second before shaking my head. “Not usually. I’d rather spend my time finding a solution to the problem.”

  Elle nodded. “That explains why you don’t seem scared.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “Nothing. Just… If I woke up in a whole new world and got attacked and threatened by strangers, I think it’d scare me.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  She looked at me with a confused half-smile. “What?”

  “Nothing.” I shrugged. “I’m just impressed that you think I’m not scared.”

  Elle’s confusion grew. “You are scared?”

  “Yes,” I laughed again, “I’m trying not to think about it. I find avoidance to be a pretty effective method for dealing with things I don’t want to deal with. So I’d appreciate it if we changed the subject.”

  “Fine,” she chuckled, taking another bite of the roll. “We’re nearly to the main road.”

  7

  We walked for what felt like hours. Well, it was hours, but what I thought was closer to five hours was more like two, according to Elle.

  “I’m not used to telling time without a watch.” I raked my hand through my hair, regretting not sliding my phone in my pocket or making sure my watch was on my hand. Of course, there was no guarantee either would even work here, but still.

  “What’s a watch?” Elle asked curiously.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Obviously, it wasn’t her fault, but I was going to have to get used to explaining what were very basic concepts to me. Or I could just stop mentioning them, I supposed. “Do you guys have clocks? Maybe the ones that use shadows?”

  That rang a bell with her. “Sundials?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “So back home, they made clocks electronic. Um, that means automatic, it works by itself, and tiny so you can carry them around and see what time it is all day.”

  Elle tilted her head and smiled. “Huh. That sounds pretty convenient.”

  “It is,” I chuckled. “I’m used to being able to check it.”

  “You’ll have to get used to living without that, I suppose,” she mused.

  “Yeah, and a few other things…” I could tell one of the reasons I was going a little crazy on this long walk, besides the fact that I’d never just walked for miles before, was that I never even walked across campus without music blaring in my ears, much less any kind of lengthy trip. Not to mention, I was finding that I missed my capstone. It had been frustrating for a while, but the moment I’d made a breakthrough, it was torn from me.

  “So,” she began after a while, “are you planning to train as a fighter?”

  “Um, I don’t know,” I pondered. “What else is there?”

  “Oh, everything!” She smiled. “You can train through any trade imaginable. A butcher, a jeweler, bard, advisor, cook, um… A cheesemaker-”

  “Okay, okay, I get it. How would I train if I wanted to be an advisor?” That seemed to sound studious. Maybe that would give me a leg up when I finally met Drake.

  “You’d need a mentor to know how to train to the point that you’d level up,” Elle explained. “Every trade uses breath differently, and it would take too long to figure out on your own.”

  “Um, okay,” I furrowed my brow, a bit confused by the comment. “What would be the fastest?”

  She took a deep breath and sighed. “Honestly, Ren, it’s going to take a while, no matter what. Just prepare for that. But I’ll be here to help you as long as you need me.”

  “Are there any shortcuts?”

  She laughed again. “Unfortunately not. Don’t worry, though. You’re just the millionth person to ask that question. People have been trying to find ways to bypass the training process for years.”

  “Figures,” I huffed. “If training is my only option, I’ll do it if it means getting home, eventually.”

  “If you want my advice, I think you should consider fighting. I would trust August with my life.” There was utter honesty in her words, so I believed her when she said that. “And if you want to make it to Coil, you could be in danger without those skills. Have you ever trained in fighting?”

  “Um…” No. Not unless you counted video games like Super Smash Brothers and Tekken, and even those I sucked at. “A little.”

  “Okay,” Elle nodded, coming to a stop. The road we were on was through pretty open land. I couldn’t even see Eon behind us anymore. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see anything else either. It looked like we were the only ones in the entire world.

  “What?” I blinked.

  She set her bags on the ground and got into a fighting stance, one foot forward and her hands up like she was going to hit me. “Show me what you know.”

  I quickly stepped back. “U-um, Elle, when I say a little, I mean a little. Really, I-I don’t know anything technical.”

  She relaxed her arms. “Well, have you ever been in a fight?”

  “A fight?” I shook my head vigorously. “No way.”

  She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, standing up straight. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes!” I cried, a bit in disbelief that she was even asking. But then again, this was a very different world, so I calmed my tone a bit. “I’ve never had a reason to get in a fight.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” she scoffed.

  “Hey,” I frowned. “If you think it’s the best option, then I’m willing to train. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere.”

  She sighed, then nodded. “You’re right, so start here.”

  “Wait, what?”

  She untied the strap around her torso that kept her own quarterstaff on her back. “Let’s start here. Get your weapon.”

  I swallowed hard and took another step back. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Why not?” She gave me an innocent smile. “You have a lot to learn. Best to get started.”

  “Elle, I don’t know if I’m ready--”

  “Ren.” She set her staff against the ground and leaned against it. “You’re never going to wake up and just be ready, and the longer you wait to learn the basics, the more danger you’re putting yourself in.”

  I stared at her for a second before sighing and dropping my bag. “Fine!”

  She s
miled like she’d just gotten a Christmas present. Meanwhile, I drew my staff somewhat awkwardly. The thing was around six feet long.

  “Um, I might need a shorter one.”

  She scoffed. “No, you don’t, but you do need to hold it differently.”

  “What’s wrong?” I was holding the staff in the middle with my hands spaced about half a foot apart with my palms facing opposite directions.

  “For one thing, you can’t do much like that. You have a few different options with the staff. One is this: both palms down, spread further apart. If you do this, you’re going to need to be flexible with your grip, because if you strike…” She thrust the stick forward like she was going to hit me, and I flinched hard, but she stopped the weapon a few inches from my shoulder. “Notice the grip on my forward hand has shifted.”

  I slowly pushed the stick away from me. “Yeah. I noticed that.”

  “Good,” she smiled, returning to a resting position. “You have to have a tight enough grip not to drop the staff, but it can’t be so tight you can’t shift your grip. And that’s true with really every form using the staff. Another method is this.”

  She slid her hands closer to one end of the staff with one hand gripping it almost a foot from the end and the other one a foot and a half inward, almost to the middle of the staff.

  “See?” she explained. “My palms are both facing inward now rather than the same direction.”

  I nodded, but honestly, I was having trouble keeping track of how I was supposed to use this information. I pointed my staff like hers and positioned my hands in the same places.

  “Good!” Elle grinned, setting her staff down and coming over to stand behind me. “But your stance is poor.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t--”

  “Here.” She put her hands on my hips and twisted them so that my left side was forward. Once she’d done that, she knelt down and pressed her hands between my knees to separate them.

  I swallowed hard and felt myself blushing. I felt like the girl in one of those old rom-coms where the guy showed her how to swing a golf club or a bowling ball. She put her hands on my calves to adjust how I stood while I nervously complied.