Defiant Guardians Anthology

by Jacob Peppers

  “There are no talks in the scriptures of the devil waging war on the world. Plus, it simply isn’t possible.”

  Gauss did not drop his burning eyes from me and I couldn’t help but look away, yet I could still feel his eyes on my cheek.

  “You will speak to Samuel and you will see. You will read the scriptures only given to the judges. He will explain that it is because of you that these tidings are upon us.”

  I shook my head, but not enough that Gauss would notice. This man was obviously insane. This was just some strange cult who were using knowledge of my mother to get to me. To turn me into one of them. If I was going to survive this, then I was going to have to play along. Then, I could ask Mother for answers… if I ever saw her again.

  “And what am I doing here?” I asked.

  “Pick one,” Gauss commanded, again waving his arm across the room. “Pick the one that calls to you.”

  I looked at Gauss who looked to be completely serious. I then looked back at the wall of weapons. Apparently, I was supposed to feel something from one of these inanimate pieces of steel and wood. I would have to fake it, of course.

  I walked to the dagger first, and placed my good hand over it, careful not to touch. I acted like nothing happened. I moved it to the gauntlets next and shrugged. Nothing. Once I got to the sword, I would pretend that it had given me a jolt and then we could be done with this.

  Dear Almighty, what is going on with my life? Please, get me out of here.

  I placed my hand over the bo staff. Shook my head. One weapon was between me and the sword now and I placed my hand over it. Nothing happened at first, but then, my demonic hand pushed my left hand out of the way and grasped onto it. And… it wouldn’t let go!

  “Ahah!” exclaimed Gauss. “Again, Judge Samuel has predicted the truth! You have chosen the holiest of weapons!”

  It was a long bo staff, but at the tip it held a long curved golden blade with a spike at the very end of it. The haft was also a little longer than any staff I had ever trained with in the past.

  “What is this? A spear?”

  “No!” said Gauss, actually putting his hand on my shoulder. “This is a polearm!”

  He put a sheet of paper in front of my face and I swallowed and choked.

  “Dear Almighty,” I said.

  There, drawn on the paper in charcoal, was a picture that depicted a dark-haired boy holding the same weapon I held now.

  11

  The slash of Gauss’s blade would easily have taken my head off if I hadn’t tripped on a rock and fell to my knees. The man was relentless, already pulling back and getting ready for another swing at my head. I rolled to the left but he stopped me by placing a heavy boot on my upper thigh. His blade was coming down now and my only option was to roll up and grasp him by the waist like a small child.

  How had it come to this? Hadn’t Mother taught me to be a better fighter? All of those sword forms, all of those hours of practice were now gone. The polearm I had abandoned only moments before was nothing like the sword. It was like I had never held a weapon in my life. It didn’t help that this heavy armored man, obviously a master at dueling, was trying to kill me in the most brutal way possible.

  “I yield, I yield!” I cried, gripping tightly to his greaves.

  Gauss pulled back his leg and kicked me off of him with ease. I landed on my side, another rock in the training field buried itself into my ribs which were still very tender. Maybe it would be best if I just laid there and died. Then I would for sure be done with this living hell.

  But wait, that was suicide and suicide was a mortal sin. I wouldn’t be accepted into the gates of heaven. But was it suicide if there was literally nothing else I could do to fight this beast of a man? But down deep, I knew this wasn’t true. I still had fight in me, even though it wouldn’t be near enough.

  Gauss took two giant strides towards me, his greatsword dragging on the ground which was a clear maneuver to intimidate me. It worked.

  Suddenly, I felt the urge to piss myself and would have if it wasn’t for Gauss already coming down with yet another strike. How in the world did he handle such a heavy sword with so much ease?

  I rolled as quickly as I could but was not fast enough. The sword caught my linen shirt, pinning it to the ground. I tried to pull the shirt over my head but felt a hard kick to my ribs which ripped the caught shirt and ejected me a few feet. The aching of my poor ribs was back and I prayed to the Almighty that they hadn’t broken once more.

  And again, Gauss was on me like a relentless animal. Lucky for me, the oncoming swipe of his blade would kill me and I decided that the Almighty surely wouldn’t count this as suicide. This final attack would be my ticket out of this mess.

  I closed my eyes and waited to be met by angels to take my spirit into heaven. I heard the swish of his blade and surprised myself when a small smile crept across my face. However, something strange happened in that moment. Without any help from my brain, my right arm moved on its own placing itself right in front of my face. I caught Gauss’s steel on my forearm which came back and slammed me in the nose.

  Blood shot out from my nostrils in a thin red stream as I turned to my side and then onto my hands and knees. I bent my head onto the ground but cursed when my horns stuck in the dirt. Their presence was always a stiff awkward feeling. The only way to describe what it was like having horns, besides the dreadful appearance of them, was like that of two large teeth sticking out of your skull that just wouldn’t stop growing. I hadn’t had a chance to look at my appearance as of yet but doubted I really wanted to.

  “I’ve seen enough,” came a voice that was not near as deep as Gauss’s. “The boy has proven to me that he isn’t a danger to Leader Nagheed. Now please, train him properly.”

  “Yes, Captain Adino,” Gauss said, bowing his head.

  “And Gauss,” added the voice with no face. I decided I didn’t even care to look up at the man who was talking. What would be the point? He was just another stranger who would most likely end up my enemy.

  “Yes, Captain Adino?”

  “Give this boy a proper rest. Make certain he is comfortable, fully healed, properly fed and dressed. He’s one of us now.”

  Did he say rest? Food? Who was this person? I pulled my horns from the ground and watched the man place his hand on the shoulder of Gauss who was only slightly taller than him. The man had long semi-curly brown hair and a dark brown beard that covered most of his face. He looked kind although he had one nasty vertical scar on his lips and a nose that looked to have been broken more than once.

  “Of course, Captain Adino.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you, Gauss? You’re at a high enough rank and can just call me Adino.”

  The man turned to me and winked. “You’re in good hands, kid. Gauss will make you the best warrior the Order of Refuge has seen yet!” Adino winked again and shouted, “For the Almighty!”

  And with that, he walked away.

  I was stunned, resting there on my hands and knees panting like a dog. That man had been the epitome of glory and what was I? Some dirty wretch with bull-like horns sticking out of my head. What did they want with me? Why not find someone less… satanic?

  Gauss spun his greatsword in one hand and placed it into the sheath on his back with one crisp movement. He bent low and helped me to my feet. Why was everyone treating me so nicely now? Couldn’t they just make up their minds? I was getting sick of thinking I was going to die, I mean REALLY believing my life was at an end, just to be shown mercy and kindness.

  “Deborah will see you to your room,” Gauss said, lifting me to my feet. “You will rest now and begin your mental training soon.”

  “What’s mental training?” I asked him, a little bit of the blood from my nose making it into my mouth. The taste of iron made me want to vomit.

  “You know. Books and scripture. You will study in our library. I will come to you when it is time to wield your polearm once again.”

 
Deborah was leaning against the wall near the exit of the arena. She was the same girl from the first night who had killed Jonni’s demon, but this time she didn’t wear a hood over her face. She wasn’t looking at me but I was looking at her. She was a very beautiful girl indeed. Long locks of golden blond hair, a pointy nose sprinkled with a few freckles, and bright green eyes that doubled as acid when she finally glared at me. I couldn’t help but gulp. I made a small prayer to the Almighty to reduce the lust in my heart.

  Feeling embarrassed at how weak and puny I looked, I glanced away, not wishing to meet her eyes anymore. We didn’t say a word to one another as she started to walk off. Gauss gestured for me to follow and so I did.

  She led me down unfamiliar halls that were completely empty aside from the rats that squeaked and ran away as we got close to them. Deborah stopped at a tall red door with a brass doorknob that had long ago turned green.

  “Here,” she said, turning and walking away. I didn’t even have a chance to thank her.

  I opened the door without caution. Nothing could have been worse than fighting Gauss on the sands of their training arena. The door slid open with ease and without a creak. The room was dark for only a moment before candles flicked on without me having to light them. This would have shocked me if I hadn’t been so damned tired.

  However, the room itself was beautiful and like nothing I had ever seen before. The floor was carpeted red and the walls were covered with paintings of people that were most likely dead. I noticed a small altar that held a pile of old parchments which I guessed to be scriptures. The best part of the room was the ginormous bed! One that I would become acquainted with very soon.

  As I entered the room, I noticed a goblet that held an array of different sized spheres. There was a variety of colors including orange, blue, green, red, yellow, and even black and white if one considered those actual colors.

  They looked like little candies and, like a child, I reached out to grab one… but a wrinkled hand caught mine before I could do so.

  I had figured nothing could have scared me any longer but I was wrong. I yelped and fell on my backside, scrambling back to get away. An elderly man’s face came out of the shadows and smiled at me. How had I not noticed him before?

  “I thought I heard someone come in!” said the man, his eyes a foggy blue.

  “Are you… are you blind?” I asked him, my voice a little shaky.

  The man frowned and shook his head. “Damn this youth of today. So rude! You meet a man for the first time and all you can do is speak of his ailments! I’m only half blind if that makes you happy.”

  “Sorry,” I said, standing up. My knees wobbled a bit and I was afraid I may fall over. “You’re in my room without permission. Wouldn’t you call that rude?”

  “Oh, this is your room, is it? I thought it was the latrine.” The old man gave a smile and I saw that he was missing a few of his teeth.

  “Who exactly are you?” I asked.

  The old man chuckled, “Why, I’m Judge Samuel! But please, just call me Sam. I’ll be taking over your studies in alchemy and the Almighty!”

  Sam, as he called himself, laughed at his own joke realizing that things like alchemy and the Almighty didn’t quite mix. His laugh turned into a sigh and he gave me a crazed look as if expecting me to laugh as well. It didn’t look like I was going to be getting any sleep tonight.

  12

  I had been terrified that Samuel was going to stay in my room that night and start his tutoring. However, the old man had been merciful and left me soon after explaining what it was he was going to teach me.

  He told me how very important the alchemy was that swirled within each sphere and that it was a very difficult process to procure them. However, he explained that they had been doing so for years and years and that they wouldn’t be running out of them anytime soon. In fact, he believed there to be an abundance last time he’d checked their wares.

  He’d called these balls of magic alchemy spheres but said that most people of the Refuge just called them spheres. He then went on to crack a horrible joke, saying that the alchemy spheres should have been given the nickname ‘The Magician’s Balls’ but when he saw that I wasn’t laughing, he kindly made his leave.

  I was expected to see him that next evening. I’d asked him why not the next morning and he reminded me that tomorrow was actually the Day of Gratitude! A day celebrated by all the people of Auracle and even some of the neighboring kingdoms. This was a day to be thankful for all that the Almighty had given his children, but those ideals were lost a long time ago. Now, in my opinion, it had turned mostly to a day to gorge on food and get as drunk as possible.

  Exactly how long had I been in that damned dungeon? Was time in this reality the same as the outside worlds? Perhaps Samuel would answer these questions for me. Right now though, I could smell something delicious wafting into my bedroom where I laid up in a bed that was way too big for me.

  Perhaps Deborah would want to join me one of these nights?

  I slapped my face hard. What had gotten into me? Was I no longer a young man of the Almighty? Where were these thoughts of lust coming from? I let my hand caress the strangely smooth horns that sprouted from my head. Of course, I knew where these thoughts came from.

  A knocking came to my door but I didn’t rush to open it. It wasn’t that my body was achy from the day before, in fact, I felt downright energetic today! But… I just didn’t trust anything or anyone in this place. For all I knew, whatever had made that knock was there simply to bring me even more misfortune.

  And so I waited for whoever it was to leave before I dared open the door. It turns out that there had been no need to be fearful. A note was stuck to the outside of my door using a mixture of what looked like honey and wax. I shut the door behind me before reading the message.

  Ira,

  You are cordially invited to dine with Leader Nagheed on this fabulous and wonderful day of gratefulness. This will be a three-course meal beginning with a light salad, followed by a honey glazed ham of hearty proportions. For dessert, expect an airy cake with a thin creamy frosting. All of this will be prepared by Chef Arloc who will also be saying this evening’s prayer. We hope to see you there!

  -Judge Samuel

  Dressing Attire: Birthday Suit (Just kidding! Please wear formal attire. Do not come naked.)

  The thought of food made my mouth water and my stomach growl. Was I really considering going to this dinner of theirs? What if it was a trap? Just another one of their ways to test my abilities? Maybe it really was just a meal and I could relax. Either way, I didn’t have anything to wear.

  I walked over to the closet and opened it. The inside was filled with clothing of all types. Long sleeves, shirts with ruffles, and even a onesie it appeared. I picked a white linen cloth shirt from one of the rungs and held it up to my body. It was a perfect fit. Had these people of Refuge been waiting for me? How long had these clothes been here?

  In the back of the closet was a black and white formal button down with a fresh flower clipped to the shoulder as was customary for men of the Kingdom of Auracle. The color of the flower was also important because it signified how important the wearer was. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw that the flower was blue which was WAY more than a priest boy should be wearing. This told me that I was merely borrowing the room from someone else. Surely, these people didn’t think I was worthy of a blue flower. But then again, these people were weird. Did Samuel really crack a nudity joke? Wasn’t he too old for that? What kind of priest was he?

  I waited the rest of the day in my room, expecting someone else to come knocking and wishing my presence elsewhere, but no one did. I was left in my room for an entire day of peace and it was amazing. To wonder that I had taken these kinds of days for granted in the past. Not any longer! I took this time to take a few naps, read some of the scriptures that had been left on the podium, and even found a cupboard filled with snacks that I helped myself to.

  The ne
xt set of knocking came right when I guessed it to be dinner time. Feeling a bit bored, I clothed myself in the dress attire and hoped no one would laugh at the fact that I had a blue flower on my shoulder. I was just about to walk out the door when my eye caught the goblet of strange spheres. Something inside me told me to take a few of them. I decided that it must have been my instinct rather than my inner demon and so I did and shoved them into my pocket.

  A blue one. A green one. A white one. A red one.

  If I managed to somehow escape this place, then maybe I could prove to Mother that what I had experienced wasn’t a dream and that I had truly entered a new and strange world. As if the horns on the top of my head wouldn’t be strange or reason enough to believe me.

  I exited my room and found that candles had been lit on the walls down one direction of the corridor and not the other. I took this as their bizarre way of showing me to dinner. As I walked, I passed through two spider webs and was constantly slapping my skin where I thought I was being crawled on by the owner of said webs. This was a very creepy place to be alone. I wondered why the person who had lit the candles hadn’t already walked through the webs himself, clearing a path for me.

  The candles ended at an open entrance, the sound of happy occupants coming from the inside. I took in a deep breath and rounded the corner. The table before me was long and covered in all sorts of colorful and wonderful smelling foods. The chatting people did not stop their conversations as I entered but only gave me kind nods, acknowledging my existence.

  Samuel was there. Of course he was. He waved to me to have a seat in front of him. Right beside Deborah who didn’t look up from her empty plate. Was she always this unhappy?

  I walked across to that side of the table and sat next to the solemn looking girl. Samuel reached over and plopped a handful of leaves onto my plate.

  “Eat your salad! Hurry, now, you’re late! And the next course is arriving soon!”