by Jez Cajiao
I stood there, contemplating him with disgust. The date seemed to ring a bell for some reason. Thirteen forty-six; it wasn’t the great fire of London, it was before Columbus set sail, but after the battle of Hastings…. what happened around then… “The Black Death?” I asked suddenly, the date finally coming back to me. “You arrived during the Black Death?”
“Humph! Arrived during it? One of the Houses set it loose, you idiot. Not that they’d own up to it, but it was useful. It gave us a chance to secure lands on our arrival, despite the loss of a few of our servants to it.”
“You brought the Black Death, millions died, and it was merely an inconvenience to you.” I whispered, seeing for the first time what a monster he was. “How old were you when you came through?” I asked numbly.
“One thousand, six hundred and seventy-four.” He said the number as though it was nothing.
“The others you sent through… Have you tried to send any through with decent weapons yet? Explosives, or the latest alloys made into armor? Most of the stuff I’ve seen is pretty standard.”
“Which part of ‘why waste my investment’ are you having difficulty with, Jack? Are you really this stupid, or is it a ploy to annoy me?”
“What about magic weapons, then? Some of my opponents have had such things. The first one had an enhanced bow and cloak, and the second had poison daggers, while I got nothing like that from you.” He smirked at my observation.
“Of course not. You haven’t proven yourself yet. Why would I waste an invaluable, and possibly irreplaceable, item on you?”
“The others did!” I roared at him.
“And still they died, and House Sanguis has made a profit in taking their weapons. Well done, by the way.”
“You can keep your hands off them, ‘by the way,’ you prick! They’re mine!” I shouted, jabbing a finger toward him. His guards responded by lifting their rifles and taking aim at my chest. I was too angry to care.
“You can all fuck right off as well!” I shouted at them. “Yes, I have a plan. Yes, I’m going to win, and yes, I’m keeping MY spoils of battle ,you ancient shitbag! Now sod off while I prepare, or we can see how many of your guards survive when I come after you instead!”
He sneered at me but raised his hands placatingly. “Very well. I will leave, but remember, you were the one that cut our chat short. There is much I could have told you about that world…”
“Aye, and how much would be true?” I snapped back at him.
“At least some of it, probably,” he replied, “But you’ll never know now, will you?” He laughed and walked away, gesturing for his guards to open the door. Once they were gone, the servants returned and asked me what they could do to help. I ignored them and fumed as I gathered my gear and got ready.
A sudden knock on the door made me turn around, ready to tell the Baron to fuck right off again, when West poked his head in.
“There’s a woman here to see you, lad. Says you sent for her?” The question clear in his voice. He opened the door slightly so that I could see past him, and I recognized the woman that had been crying in Falco’s booth. She glared at me over West’s shoulder, and my mind went blank.
“Did you call for her, or do you want me to run her off?” he asked, and I shook myself out of my stupor.
“Ah…aye! Send her in, and er…you both leave us, please…” I stammered out, gesturing for Johan and Helena to leave the room. As they left, West gave me a pointed disapproving look and tapped his watch, then took up position on the other side of the door, keeping others away and giving us some privacy for what he clearly thought was a quickie before my fight.
Once the door closed, we looked at each other for several seconds before I spoke.
“So…want to tell me why you’re here and who you are?” I asked, trying not to stare at her. She was tall for a woman, six foot maybe, slim and clearly toned. Her partially unbuttoned cream blouse gave me a generous eyeful of creamy white cleavage. The tightness of the pencil skirt she wore only served to accentuate her figure and make me half hope she had come for a quickie…
“I’m Sintara, and my father sent me. With my brother killed, he thinks you are our best chance, although why, I don’t know.” She had a voice like honey, with a slight European accent, Nordic, maybe? A shiver ran up my spine at the sound of her voice.
“You…your father?” I asked, swallowing hard before forcing myself to look away. I grabbed a glass and gulped down some water. Come on, Jack! She’s just a pretty girl; not like you’ve not seen one before! I shouted at my own mind.
“Falco. You seemed to pick us out of the booths easily enough before. Is your brain damaged now?” she asked waspishly.
“I…Okay. Look, let’s start again. I wasn’t expecting a visitor, okay?” I said, taking a seat on the table and gesturing for her to sit on the chair.
She looked at it as though it was teeming with fleas and shook her head delicately.
“I’ll stand. This won’t take long, as neither of us has any time. We have….employees… in the Baron’s Citadel, which is how we know you have no loyalty to him, and why you’re here.”
“For Tommy!” I stated, the distraction gone from my mind. “I’m here for Tommy. Your note said you know something about him?”
“Yes, we do know something. We know which continent he likely arrived on, and can arrange for you to enter near the portal where he did, as well as provide a base of sorts for you to start with. In return, however, we want something.”
“Name it,” I snapped, all business.
“You give me the Baron’s portal stone now. I’ll give you one in return than looks similar, but that will instead open a portal to us, giving us access to our home, instead of him.” She held out her hand, a Glyphstone sitting in her palm that looked identical to the one the Baron had given me earlier. I compared the two and could see no difference.
“Tell me what you know of Tommy, and it’s a deal. The fat fuck won’t be getting a portal from me.” I said, throwing the Baron’s stone to her as I tucked hers into my belt pocket. It wasn’t a hard decision, as I’d planned on throwing the Baron’s stone at him and giving him the finger when I went through anyway.
“He didn’t go willingly,” she said. “No matter what you’ve been told, Tommy was taken the same way you were, and he fought it all the way. Our spy talked to him, and he agreed to help us. We discovered the portals in the first place, and we have certain tricks that the others don’t know about. Most of the portals are inactive, either destroyed, buried, or whatever, but we know Tommy made it through a portal that used to be in the city of Narkolt, on the continent of Dravith. We had a Tower close to there, one of the Great Towers, but it was under attack when the cataclysm forced us from our realm. Its portal is…. intact. We can send you there.”
“Okay, now cut the shit and tell me what’s wrong with it,” I asked, knowing from her pause that there was indeed something wrong.
“We sent my cousin through that portal sixty years ago. It worked, but he was never heard from again, and the Great Tower could still be in enemy hands. It would be a great prize for whoever possessed it. It is a magical structure, capable of remodeling itself according to its master’s wishes. It was intended as a garrison and the beginning of a new city to increase the Empire.”
“What enemy?” I asked, my mind racing.
“It was being constructed some hundred miles from the border of the Plague Lands, an area ruled over by necromancers and the undead. The tower could be inside that border now, or it could be a thousand miles from it. We have no way of knowing.”
“Okay, and where is Narkolt compared to the tower?” I asked, a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“It was further down the coast, maybe two hundred miles, but the portal he went through is no longer active. This is the closest portal you could use by at least a thousand miles. Without our help, you might end up on the other side of the realm, ten thousand or more miles in any direction, if not a hundred
thousand. The Great Towers as magical buildings were all created with defensive enchantments. They grow to a height of up to three miles, and up to a half mile wide at the base. They can provide housing and facilities for tens of thousands and are cloaked from unfriendly sight until within a mile of the base. As such, it may be there still. For all we know, you may arrive and find Tommy there waiting, but equally, you might find a Lich Lord sitting on the throne. There are some bonuses to a Great Tower though, if you’ll listen?” I nodded for her to continue and she smiled tiredly.
“The Great Towers, as well as being bastions in their own right, were created to be all we would need in a hostile area. They are built with room to house and equip a garrison, crafting facilities, even the Hall of Memories; a secure location filled with spellbooks and the preserved skills and knowledge of hundreds of individuals,” she said, sounding tired. “It was our intention to send Yeveth there, until he was killed in the first round. We had intended to have you surrender to him if you faced each other in the final. Now, you are our only hope.”
“Until five years pass, and you try this shit again, you mean.” I snapped at her.
“No. The others don’t know, but the Great Portal is failing. We have maybe six more cycles to go before it fails completely. At that point, we won’t have the parts we need to rebuild it; we barely had enough to build it the first time. When it fails, the portals will be available from the UnderVerse to here still, but we will be unable to go the other way.”
“Six cycles? So thirty years, yeah? You can have another couple kids and train them up, I’m sure…” I snarled at her, lashing out in anger, despite her having nothing to do with my situation.
“No. Twelve houses put forth a champion each time, but the pattern is set. We will not have another chance to put one forth until the eighth cycle, and we are… not popular. No other house would swap with us. My brother was…” She dashed tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath, “He was the best of us. The Baron is far from the worst, so I’ll let you decide who you want finding their way back there; one of my house, or….?”
I grunted at her and sat deep in thought for a long minute. “Maybe I don’t want any of you going. Have you thought about that?” I said.
“If they discover they can’t return, then they’ll have to face reality here. They’ll start wars again to increase their power. Millions died last time….”
“Fuck. Guilt trip much?” I muttered darkly. “Look, I’ll think about it. The deal is you send me there, and I’ll take your stone instead of the Baron’s, yeah?”
“Yes, but once you’re there…” she started, but I raised a hand to cut her off.
“Once I’m there, I’ll decide what I’m going to do. For now, the best you’re going to get is that I’ll take your stone, unless you have some spells…?” I asked hopefully.
Before she could reply, I heard West’s voice speaking to someone outside the door. We looked at each other, knowing we had run out of time. I grabbed her hand and spoke quickly.
“Do you trust me?”
“Not in a million years!” she replied, but she looked apprehensive.
“Then this isn’t going to help your opinion!” I said, grabbing the top of her shirt. The white silk fabric was overlaid with lace patterned with tiny birds in flight. The top few buttons already being undone allowed me to get a good grip. Her cleavage was further revealed when I tore it open, buttons popping off and flying everywhere.
“What…!” She gasped, covering herself indignantly. I could hear the voices outside the door more clearly now and I spoke quickly.
“I agree; now slap me!” She looked shocked and confused for a second, and then I saw it click into place for her. She slapped me hard just as the door opened then stormed out, stopping only to glare at the guards in passing and shriek at them that I “was an animal!”
West watched her stalk down the hall and then looked back at me. My reddening cheek indicated what I wanted him to think, and he frowned and shook his head. I’d clearly lost some of his respect, but at the end of the day, he worked for the Baron. I couldn’t risk him knowing the truth.
One of my guards called out and told me it was nearly time, and on impulse, I called Helena in and immediately sent her to get the Baron. I knew there was a chance he wouldn’t come, but I’d had an idea, and I had to try it. I was escorted back to the arena by the squad of guards that had been posted outside the room, but before we reached it, I heard a voice call out from behind me, and I let out a relieved breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Stop. I will have words with my son in private before he enters. Give us some space.” The guards backed away, moving to either end of the corridor to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on us.
“Well, boy, what is it?” he asked haughtily, his anger still apparent from my earlier dismissal.
“What do the other houses know about me?” I asked quickly.
“How should I know? And who cares what they know,” he replied.
“This is important. Do they know much about me? Would they know if I was a mage?” I asked urgently.
“A mage? You? You haven’t even begun to unlock your gifts. It’d take years for you to learn, if you even could.” He didn’t even attempt to hide his contempt.
“Yeah, yeah, you said that before. I get that, but do they know I’m not one?”
“Well…” he paused, considering me before continuing. “What have you got in mind?”
“If they don’t know I’m not a mage, and they don’t have much magic themselves, they won’t know if I’m casting a spell, will they?” I said quickly.
“Of course they will. It’s bloody obvious if you’re a mage, and if you were, you’d have a much bigger mana pool, and… hmmm.”
“But they don’t know! What do you have that could increase my chances? Make me look more like a mage?” I asked, sensing his reluctance.
“Hmmm, well, I have one item that might do. It creates a haze shield, but it requires a large amount of mana to keep it active. Trick is, you can’t tell its active until it’s being used…but you’re too weak to use it, both in levels and in Intelligence!”
“I don’t have to use it. I just need them to think I am! Now gimme!”
The Baron snarled at the impudent demand, but after a second, grunted and reached up to unpin a brooch from his tunic. It was an orb, about three inches in diameter, and glowed a lustrous white.
“The charge that’s in it now will dissipate over the next few minutes without me channeling mana into it, but it should last long enough for them to see it and draw the obvious conclusion. I’ll be clear though, boy; I’d better get this back, or those close to you will pay the price!” With that, he slammed it into my waiting hand and abruptly about-faced, hurrying off down the corridor away from me. I grunted and pinned it on my belt, making sure it was obvious, then continued down the corridor toward the arena with West and his men.
As I came to the entrance to the arena, West halted me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him and he stared me in the eyes before nodding.
“Good luck, lad, you can do it. The entire squad have bet on you.” He grinned at me. “We heard the Baron might not be betting on you, but we watched over you these last months and more. Just our way of saying that we believe in you. Even if you are an ugly arsehole.”
I grinned back at him.
“Thanks, mate. I’ll try not to let you down.” Then he backed up and I walked through the gate, hearing the iron portcullis drop behind me to lock me in to fight for my life for the third time tonight. This time, the other two were waiting for me. We all paused for a minute, eyeing each other warily.
“You better not, Jack! Kick their arses!” I heard West call from behind the gate.
I glanced to my right, finding Falco’s booth. His daughter sat by his side again, though she’d taken the time to change her shirt. When I met his eyes, he gave a slight nod, taking a drink from his glass and tapping his right
hand to his heart in salute.
I thought about the Baron and decided I would burn in hell before I let that asshole loose in another world, but if I ever wanted to come back, I’d need a safe place to portal to. Now I knew that Falco would at least give me a chance to talk if I opened it in his citadel instead of the Baron’s.
I shifted my attention back to the upcoming fight. Both of my opponents had noticed the brooch and were shifting their attention between each other and me, trying to judge the greatest threat.
I hoped the Baron knew what he was talking about, as the announcer called out across the room.
“My Lords and Ladies, it is the final round! Three of our scions stand before you, ready to battle to the death for the right to regain our home! Jack Sanguis, Ora Oyuntal, and Wilhelm Granth, are you ready?”
I lifted my naginata in response, and the other two lifted their weapons as well.
Wilhelm was a huge man, clad in shining steel from his helm to his boots, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other He hunched behind the shield, his blade held ready as he looked from myself to our other opponent.
Ora stood a few feet away in an archer’s stance, gripping her bow sideways with arrow already nocked. She looked every inch the stereotypical ranger, complete with woodland-hued clothing, until I noticed the mage gauntlets on both hands. Her face was veiled, and between that and her hooded cloak, all I could see was the occasional glint of her eyes.
