Restart Again: Volume 2

by Adam Ladner Scott

  The second door behind the dais led to a council chamber with a large oval table surrounded by posh, high-backed chairs. It was less populated than the barracks, but I knew in an instant that the people inside were to be my judges. A young man sat at the head of the table, dressed in elegantly ornamented robes with an intricate crown of woven gold on his head. He leaned back against his chair with his feet kicked up on the table, clearly bored by the small council around him.

  Three men in simple habits stood at his sides in close proximity, all animated to different degrees of worry and distress. The man close on his right wrung his hands nervously as he spoke, and the other two watched the face of the apparent ruler with great anticipation. Although I couldn’t hear anything that was said, the constant fervent gestures towards the throne room indicated that I was most likely the topic of conversation.

  I relished the opportunity to gain the upper hand in the coming encounter, and watched the rest of the secret conversation carefully. After a long series of eye rolls and dismissive hand gestures, the young man stood from his chair and moved to the door where he addressed two soldiers standing guard. One bowed deeply before he left the room, crossed behind the dais before us, and entered the barracks. After a brief conversation, the soldiers filed out of the room and took up various positions around the dais.

  My eyes opened slowly as I withdrew my extended mana and took a small step forward, partially shielding Lia with my body from the line of men before us. Even though I knew it would do little for her if it came to a fight, the gesture comforted me. The council chamber door opened again, and the stairs behind the dais squeaked as the advisors took their places next to the throne. The counselor who had been most active in their previous conversation, a short, rotund man with a long white beard, approached the front of the raised platform.

  “You are now in the presence of His Royal Highness Virram Yorrell, King of Kaldan!” the man proclaimed in an airy, unsteady voice. Lia immediately dropped into an awkward kneel, but I stood unmoving. “Though you have committed great crimes against the people of Yoria, the King has shown the depths of his compassion by summoning you here for personal judgement.” I scoffed loudly, which drew harsh stares from the two seated councilors. The chamber door opened once more as the speaker took his seat beside the throne, and Virram Yorrell appeared from behind the dais, flanked by two guards.

  The young king took his seat and scanned us quietly. The imposing size of the throne made him look like a child sitting in his father’s chair. He had light brown hair that flowed down past his shoulders and framed his thin, angled face. His skin was overly pale, almost sickly looking to my eyes, and clearly showed how often he left the keep to walk in the sun among the common folk. His dark brown eyes were cold and emotionless as they bounced back and forth between Lia and myself.

  While he took his initial estimation of us, I finished my analysis of him. Judging by how intently his advisors attend to him, he’s either completely inept or new to the position. Maybe both. He’s certainly never heard the word ‘no’ before, if his discussion in the council chamber is any indication. If the people employed to give him advice are that submissive, I can’t imagine what he’s used to among the servants and common people. I resisted the urge to grin. This might actually be fun.

  “So this is the man I’ve heard so much about these past few weeks?” Virram said, glancing at his advisors. “I expected somebody more...impressive, based on the stories.” He paused for a moment to give us another once over, then motioned to Lia. “You should follow her example and show respect to the man judging you for your crimes.”

  “I’ve been told before that I’m not very good at showing respect, I’m afraid,” I said with a shrug. “Especially for royalty.”

  The room fell deadly silent as the councilors watched Virram. With my enhanced senses, I heard a slight click as his jaw clenched, but he recovered quickly with a dismissive laugh. “That may prove to be an unfortunate decision for you.” Every word dripped with arrogance, a clear display of his belief in his own absolute authority; the tone made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight.

  Virram extended his hand, and the closest advisor handed him a sheet of paper. He held it out with an exaggerated snap of his wrist and read the contents aloud. “Lux. Arrested for two counts of assault and attempted murder. Currently wanted for the crimes of evading judgement and the murder of seven guardsmen. Should be considered extremely dangerous.” He lowered the rap sheet and cocked his head. “Do you understand the severity of your situation now? Perhaps you’ve suddenly remembered your respect for royalty?”

  I smiled. “I fully understand the situation.” There was another round of silence as the men on the dais waited for a show of respect that never came.

  “The punishment for evading justice is double the original sentence,” Virram eventually responded. “The punishment for the murder of a city official is death. You murdered seven of my city guards.” He seemed to pause for dramatic effect as he watched me for a new reaction. “Guards, I might add, who were beloved by the citizens of Yoria.”

  He doesn’t seem to understand when a tactic has failed. “As I said, I fully understand the situation.” I watched with delight as one of the councilors stood in a huff and pointed at me angrily.

  “You are addressing the KING, you lowborn scum!” he shouted from his place at the right arm of the throne. “If you don’t show the proper respect, I’ll have the guards—” The man cut himself off abruptly as Virram raised a hand. The young king had a devious grin on his face as he shook his head.

  “Please, Gullen. As your king, I hoped you would have more faith in me. There are better ways to proceed than yelling,” he chided as if he were talking to a small child. The councilor sat down sheepishly, and Virram once again motioned to Lia. “You there, girl. I’ve been told that even after you were informed of this man’s crimes, you chose to fight my men instead of aiding in his capture. That is a serious crime. Tell me your name, and explain yourself.”

  Lia looked up from her kneeling position to address the king. “My name—”

  “She,” I interrupted loudly before she could give away her name, “is the girl your seven dead guardsmen kidnapped, wrongfully imprisoned in the dungeon, and intended to torture in order to gain leverage over her father.” The words echoed harshly across the hall. Even though I had expected he would attempt to leverage Lia against me, the tactic still rankled me, and my bitterness managed to break through my calm facade for a moment. I recovered quickly and continued. “I don’t see how she is relevant to my sentencing, though.”

  “I will decide what is relevant to your sentencing!” Virram snapped as he slammed his fist against the arm of the golden throne. I barely held back a smile as he attempted to compose himself. He cleared his throat and wiped a small drop of spittle from his lips, then spoke again in a more even tone. “You seem to have a death wish, Lux. Any sane man would know by now that the only way out of this chamber is by my good graces, yet here you stand insulting the most powerful man in Kaldan with witty quips. It appears nobody has ever told you that you are too smart for your own good, and that it will—”

  “We can leave this charade behind anytime you’re ready,” I interrupted loudly. “As much as I’m enjoying your lovely show, I’m more interested to hear exactly why you need my help, and what you’re willing to offer me to get it.” I knew my strategy was a gamble, but the odds were stacked in my favor from the two previous encounters in my two previous lives that had played out in the same way. If this works, I’ve won.

  Virram recoiled in shock, though whether it was due to my statement or the disrespect of being interrupted, I couldn’t tell. The advisor sitting at the left arm of the throne jumped up from his chair and rushed to the king’s side. He whispered into Virram’s ear so quickly, I could hardly keep up. “My king, I think it would be in your best interest to adjourn to the council chambers so we can discuss—”

  “Shut up, Olten.
By the Primes, shut up before I kill you,” Virram hissed. “How the fuck does he know?”

  “It’s impossible, sire. The only people that know are sitting beside you.” Olten’s eyes flicked nervously towards me as he spoke. “There is no way. It’s impossible.”

  “No, it’s clearly possible, because he just fucking said it!” Virram shot back. “One of you told somebody, and whoever you told got a message to him.”

  Olten shook his head vigorously. “Please, King Yorrell, if we could return to the council chambers...The guards can take him away, and once we’ve discussed this we can figure out—”

  “NO!” The king shoved Olten away with a hard strike to the shoulder, then stood and turned to me. “I should have you killed on the spot, you miserable shit!” The screech of a dozen swords being drawn rang out as the guards posted around the room all readied their weapons.

  Virram’s third councilor leapt from his seat in a panic and moved to the king’s side. “Please sire, think about what you’re doing! Remember what we discussed!”

  “Eppet, your king is speaking!” He waved away his advisor and took a step towards the edge of the dais. “If I give the word, my men will kill the both of you without mercy.” Virram raised his hand up over his head and looked at me expectantly.

  “I’d like to avoid bloodshed, if possible,” I said calmly. “It would be a shame if I had to injure your loyal guardsmen, especially when I’m willing to cooperate.”

  A look of pure puzzlement came to the young king’s face. He chewed on the statement for a moment before a twisted smile came to his face and he began to laugh. “This is the man you wanted?” Virram turned to his advisors. “Are you sure?” Another laugh seized him before he could continue. “He’s a madman!” His breath came in short, raspy gasps, and I could hear his heart pounding erratically in his chest.

  “You three!” Virram pointed down to the three guards nearest the raised platform. “Go teach the prisoner a lesson in respect. Let’s try to avoid permanent injuries, but make sure he understands his mistakes.” He turned and walked back to his throne, meeting my gaze with a smirk as he sat down. “When you’re finished, we can have that discussion about how exactly you’re willing to cooperate.”

  The chosen guards sheathed their weapons and made their way around the side of the dais. With a quick turn to Lia, I suffused my mana into the heavy shackles and whispered, “Shatter.” The metal surged with energy as a deep crack spread along the surface, and I easily shook free of the bonds. I placed a gentle hand on Lia’s shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. “I’m sorry about all this, Lia. I need you to back away now, okay?” I could see that she wanted to protest, but she instead gave me a small nod and shifted behind me.

  As the guards came into range, I shot a quick over to Commander Savitz. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away with a slight shake of his head. I laughed as I raised my freed hands and took a loose stance against the approaching trio. To their credit, my lack of restraints hadn’t slowed their advance, and they spread out to completely block any possible path towards the king. Behind them I saw Virram watching from his raised seat on the dais, clearly proud of his control over the situation.

  Before the guards decided how to press their numbers advantage, I launched ahead towards the center target. My combat enhancements flared to life, and I reveled in the new sensation of increased strength. Having lacked the ability to fully test the new spell on our wagon ride to Yoria, I had settled on the only proof of concept test I could think of: lifting Lia. Before the enhancement it had been a simple, though slightly awkward task to pick her up in a classic bridal carry. After using Lesser Strength I could raise her up with a bicep curl, with what felt like an equal amount of effort.

  The power of Greater Strength combined with my usual suite of enhancements propelled me forward so quickly, I didn’t have time to level a fist at my target’s head. Instead, I crashed into his chest with my shoulder and sent him spiraling backwards to impact hard against the dais. A dumb grin spread across my face as I processed the extent of the new power. This changes...everything! I slipped into a boxer’s stance and slid towards the guard on my right, who seemed momentarily stunned after watching his fully plate-armored companion get tossed like a ragdoll across the room.

  I struck out with a quick jab and caught him in the shoulder. The metal caved in around my fist and sunk into his flesh, which drew a roar of pain. He swung back with a wild haymaker from his empty hand, but I had already moved in anticipation. The strike flew above my head and carried the man towards me as I wrenched up with a devastating uppercut to his chest. I heard ribs snap as he lifted off the ground, then collapsed into a heap.

  My final opponent charged towards me and managed to connect a gauntleted punch with my side before I could reposition after the previous attack. I let the blow push me away and used the momentum to spin in a tight arc to re-engage him. I knew the punch had injured me, but between the adrenaline in my blood and the new Pain Reduction enhancement, I could hardly feel the wound. When he threw out a second punch, I caught the blow in my palm and stopped his arm easily. With a hard tug, I spun around and pulled him over my shoulder, then whipped him down to the floor with a heavy crunch. The wind hissed out of his lungs, and his limbs fell limp as he passed out.

  With the first set of threats initially dealt with, I took a moment to process my surroundings. The entire combat had lasted only a few seconds, and my audience was just starting to react to the scene before them. I confirmed that all three guards were incapacitated, then moved to a quick self-assessment. My right hand was slick with blood, and a numb pulsing in my side indicated a rib injury. I hadn’t noticed in the moment, but my punches against the second man’s plate armor had apparently dealt as much damage to my hand as it had to the metal. The severity of the wounds caught me off guard. Pain Reduction might be a more dangerous tool than it is useful.

  “Greater Healing, Wounds,” I muttered under my breath. There was a pronounced tug on my mana reserves as faint green energy wound itself around my hands and tingled over my side. I took a long, centering breath in and out, then casually strode back to my initial spot before the dais. Lia watched me with concern as I returned, and I gave her a reassuring smile. With a snappy spin on my heels, I turned to face the throne and clapped my hands which, though still covered in blood, were now completely healed. “So! Would you like me to give you my list of requests now, or should we start with an explanation of the situation?”

  Virram sat horrified against his high-backed golden chair. His head spun side to side as he looked to his councilors, all of whom held the same expression as their king. “What?...” Virram trailed off. “What just happened?” He looked to Commander Savitz and repeated the question with an increased level of distress in his voice. “What just happened?!”

  I smiled up at him. “At your orders, someone was taught a lesson in respect.” A stifled chortle of laughter came from my right, and I turned to find Savitz with a hand to his mouth. He coughed a few times, then turned to stare straight ahead at the wall across from him.

  The king’s councilors finally regained enough sense to counsel, and they quickly swarmed Virram’s throne to whisper furtively at him. Each of them spoke over the others, which made the conversation difficult to follow.

  “Sire, we should leave immediately. It’s no longer safe here—”

  “My king, this man cannot be allowed to leave here after what he’s done!”

  “No! This works to our benefit! If he’s willing to work with us, we can give him his trifles and be free of the situation!”

  “If we could just go back to the council chambers—”

  “His disrespect is too great to ignore! Would you have him rewarded for such insolence?!”

  The advisor named Gullen slapped the arm of the throne angrily, and the other men fell silent. “Your Grace, this situation is to your favor. We can grant him whatever small requests he wants now and send him off with the Th
ird Company to alleviate our issues in the South. While he’s away, we can decide what punishment he deserves upon his return to the capitol.”

  Olten’s face paled and his lip began to tremble while Eppet whispered meekly in response. “What about the girl?”

  Gullen scoffed. “Who cares about who he wenches with on his travels? Let him cut her hands off like the last one for all I care. As long as he agrees to the terms, give him whatever he wants!”

  Virram stared blankly at him for a long moment in silence before nodding weakly. The other councilors returned to their seats as Gullen approached the front of the dais. “The King has declared that you have passed his test! Your skills are indeed as great as we have heard, and he would now like to offer you his terms for a letter of full pardon.”

  I bit my tongue and nodded. The time for antagonizing has passed. Unfortunately.

  “Due to your unique and extensive set of skills, the King has chosen you to undertake an important mission for the good of the Kingdom. You will join an elite group of soldiers destined for the southern country of Attetsia.” Gullen paused as he weighed his next words. “There have been...disturbing reports from the border as of late. After years of a tenuous alliance brokered by King Yorrell, Attetsian officials have ceased communications with Kaldan and closed all entry to the country. Our sources in the area have reported…” There was another uncomfortable pause. “...Unnatural creatures.”

  There it is. With my suspicions finally confirmed as truth, I felt conflicted. This isn’t something I wanted to be right about.

  “The safety of his citizens is King Yorrell’s top priority. As such, we are only sending our very best to deal with the situation. Mobilizing the royal army would cause undue burden and stress on the country, and avoiding any panic over news that may be exaggerated is key.” Gullen spread a hollow grin across his face. “Of course, you will be compensated for your actions. In addition to a pardon for your crimes, the King will meet any reasonable requests you have in preparation for this important mission.”