by Edward Brody
“He has a dragon,” I said pointedly.
The King froze, and the Queen’s face went pale. The Princess looked at the King and back towards me several times.
“Excuse me?” the robed man said. “What kind of lies did you come here to feed us?”
“Dragons serve men no longer,” the Queen said. “There’s no way he has a dragon.”
“He does, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” I said. “It nearly burned Dryden’s keep down with a single breath of fire.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jeremy staring at me with a slack jaw. I hadn’t told him everything about the Sands, so it was the first time he was hearing about dragons.
“Do you have proof of this so-called dragon?” the King asked.
I lowered my eyes. “No, I don’t have proof, but trust me.” I perked back up and stared at each one of them forcefully. “He plans on killing anyone who opposes him, burning any army that stands in his way. The dragon can’t fly yet, but when it can and the King is dead, he will sail the Bloodletters across the serpent sea. He’s building ships as we speak.”
“A dragon that can’t fly,” the robed man huffed. “This is hogwash.”
“No, it’s not!” I said firmly. “But even if you don’t believe in the dragon, believe everything else I have to say, your majesty.” I looked to his left and to his right. “When you’re gone, you’re leaving your daughter, your … um… wife, your people. If Dryden rules Highcastle the way that he rules the Bloodletters, everyone will suffer.”
The robed man sighed, rolled his eyes and tilted his head from side to side. “‘When the King’s gone. When the King dies.’ It sounds as if you’re expecting him to pass quickly.” He turned to the King. “Have you heard enough your highness? Shall we proceed with their sentencing?”
The King stared daggers into me, and he rattled his hand in his wheelchair as if he were shaking invisible dice. “No,” he said firmly. “I’m somewhat inclined to believe this man.”
“What?” the robe man snapped. “Why would you believe this criminal, your majesty?”
“There’s a reason why I’m the King and you’re the advisor, Windsor.” The King snorted. “I’ve stood judge over many trials, and I know a lie when I see one. The information that this man has given us doesn’t help his criminal case in any way, and he hasn’t asked for a pardon in exchange. He seems to have a genuine concern that Highcastle is in danger.”
I smiled and took a deep breath. I felt like my message may have finally gotten through.
“Don’t forget that he saved me, father,” Isabella said. “Grant him a pardon.”
The King took a deep breath. “Very well.” He held up a hand then flicked his wrist down towards me. “You are pardoned.”
“Thank you, your highness,” I said.
The robe man scowled.
“Whether you were involved in the murder of Percy is debatable,” the King said, “but please remember that kroka is not permitted in my Kingdom. I cannot forgive it again.”
As the King finished his sentence, he suddenly started coughing violently, rocking back and forth in his wheelchair with each wheeze. The Queen placed her hand on his shoulder to steady him in his chair but couldn’t prevent his crown from falling from his head and landing on the floor with a clang.
“Father!” the Princess whined.
“To the infirmary for one of your father’s potions, Isabella,” the Queen said. “Quickly now!”
The Princess bolted out of her chair and ran deep into the castle.
The robed man picked up the crown and moved to the side of the Queen. “Don’t try anything,” he said as he glanced back to us.
Jeremy and I watched as the King continued wheezing into his hand, and a mix of black and blue chunky blood splattered out of his mouth and onto his beard, his robe, and his hands. It looked like he was on the verge of dying right then and there.
The robed man and the Queen comforted the King during his coughing as best as they could, and when the coughing subsided, the King wheezed as he breathed. His chest heaved, and it looked like he was going to fall out of his wheelchair.
After a few short minutes, the Princess came running back into the chamber, and a man holding a vial of yellow liquid and a healing potion came running after her. I recognized the man as the same guy who had wheeled the King out into the Arena— short, bowl haircut of blond, and a plain white robe. He almost slipped as he slid in front of the King and kneeled down. He grabbed the King’s chin and poured the vial of yellow in to his mouth, and once the King swallowed, he followed it up by pouring in the healing potion.
The King’s wheezing slowly subsided, and the blond man started dabbing away the blood around the King’s mouth and on his robe. “Are you okay?” the man asked.
“Yes,” the King said with heavy breath. “Thank you.”
The man stood and looked to the Queen and the robed man. “If the coughing starts again today, he’ll need to return to the infirmary. It looked like he was getting better, but I’m afraid it may be getting worse.”
The Princess lowered her head, and the Queen nodded as she swallowed. “Thank you.”
The healer left the room, and the two women moved back to their chairs.
“Is that enough for today, your Highness?” the robed man asked. “We can continue with the trial another day if necessary.”
“Another day?!” Jeremy blurted. “Didn’t you just say we were pardoned?”
There was no guard to rough Jeremy up, but the robed man eyes were scalding. “I believe the King said that your friend was pardoned, not you.”
Jeremy and I glanced at each other, and he looked terrified.
The King waved his hand weakly. “I can finish this, Windsor.” He cleared his voice and pushed himself up in his wheelchair as best he could. “As my advisor stated, I have pardoned the man wearing the armor, however you—what’s your name again?”
“Jeremy...”
“You’ve committed a long list of crimes, and unlike Gunnar, you didn’t save my daughter’s life.”
“Please don’t execute me,” Jeremy pleaded.
The King sighed. “As the evidence that you killed Percy is circumstantial, I will lower your sentencing to life in Highcastle prison.” The King turned towards Windsor. “You can call the guards back to return him to his cell.”
“Wait! No!” Jeremy said. “That’s actually worse!”
Windsor raised an eyebrow. “You’d prefer to be executed?”
“No,” Jeremy whined, the fear in his voice was wrenching. “I’d prefer neither.”
I felt sorry for Jeremy. He attacked my guild, cut off my arm, and gotten me into a lot of trouble. He complicated my plans to meet the King via an Arena championship and had made my life a living hell, but the longer I knew him, the more I liked him. He was a good guy who had made some poor choices. Everyone had a little bit of Jeremy in them.
And besides that, he was a guild mate and hadn’t done anything wrong since he joined. It was my responsibility to help any member of my guild. I couldn’t let him go back to prison while I walked away.
“Your highness,” I said. “Surely, there’s a way work something out. A fine, maybe? We’ll pay for his crimes if needed.”
“You cannot pay your way out of murder,” Windsor said. “This is a noble Kingdom.”
“Father said that there’s no evidence,” the Princess countered.
Windsor snorted. “We all know what Percy’s armor looks like. It’s right there, and there’s a witness to him killing and looting his body.”
“Looting only,” I corrected. “Not killing.”
“I have a suggestion,” the Queen suddenly said. “You said that there’s a great serpent inside the cave in which you followed Percy?”
Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s a serpent, but it’s definitely a giant snake.”
“If that’s true, then bring us the venom of the giant,” the Queen said.
“Yes!�
�� the Princess said. “Can you bring the serpent’s venom? That’s what we need to help father!”
“That’s ridiculous,” Windsor said. “Percy was level 35 and had been poisoned over 1,000 times. He had a poison resistance of 50%! That’s why he was commissioned to gather venom.” He waved a hand to Jeremy. “You expect this low level to retrieve the venom of something that killed Percy? If there really is a great serpent in the cave, we can send a squad of soldiers to take care of it.”
“And lose more men?” the Queen asked. “We lose someone nearly every time we send soldiers into snakes’ dens to gather venom. That’s why we commissioned Percy. He always came back alive.” The Queen smiled. “I suggest we give Jeremy here a chance to redeem himself. He’ll either die by a snake, which will serve the purpose of his execution, or he’ll return to us with the venom of a great serpent.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” the Princess said. “But if he dies, we must send others.” She placed her hand on the King’s. “We must save father.”
“Umm…” Jeremy groaned. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there’s the slightest chance I can kill that thing.”
“I agree,” Windsor said.
“Then accept your life in prison,” the Queen said.
“I’ll help him,” I said. “We have to at least try, if that means you’ll pardon Jeremy too.”
The Queen smiled and turned towards the King as if seeking confirmation.
The King stared as us for several seconds, his hand shaking feebly as he thought.
“A serpent’s venom may be powerful enough to form an antidote, father,” the Princess said. “Let them try.”
“Very well,” the King finally said. “I will agree to that.”
The Queen snapped her lips and turned back to us. “Bring us six vials of snake venom and the venom of the great serpent. If you can do this, Jeremy will be pardoned of his crimes and given a clean record.”
You’ve received a quest offer: Shashana’s Gift
Retrieve 6 vials of giant snake venom and one vial of great serpent venom and return them to the King of Highcastle
Reward: Jeremy’s Pardon, Unknown, 4000 XP
Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline
“You just want the snake venom for proof?” Jeremy asked.
The Queen sighed. “My husband may be old, but age isn’t affecting his well-being. He has, however, been infected by a mysterious disease. We don’t know how.” She turned towards King Rutherford and scowled. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught it from one of his whores.”
The King glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and it looked as if he had shrunk in his chair.
“He has his good days,” the Queen continued. “But his health is deteriorating, and the only thing that seems to slow the disease down is an antidote concocted of giant snake venom, which he drinks daily along with numerous health potions. That’s why Percy was sent to the cave.”
“The venom of a great serpent might be strong enough to make a cure,” the Princess said. “Right mother?”
“In theory, it’s possible,” the Queen said, “but we won’t know unless we have the venom to try.”
I cleared my throat. “If we gather it, will you stop the Bloodletters?”
“Have you no shame?” Windsor asked. “Your friend has been granted a chance at freedom, and you’re trying to barter with the King’s kindness.”
“Relax, Windsor,” the Queen said without turning her head from me. “You said that Dryden wasn’t going to cross the Serpent Sea until after the King dies, correct?”
I nodded.
“Then if you want to stop him,” the Queen explained. “it’s in your best interest to retrieve the venom that may keep the King alive. We can worry about how to address Dryden once the serpent’s venom is in our hands.”
She made a good point. So long as the King stayed alive, I wouldn’t have to worry about Dryden, so it was in my best interest to make sure he lived. The King was old, so I wasn’t sure about her assessment that his age wasn’t affecting his well-being, but if he was diseased, curing that disease might buy us months or possibly even several years where we wouldn’t have to worry about Dryden. And if I could build some rapport with the King by doing him a favor, there was a chance I could sway him to take further action.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll do our best to get the venom.”
You have accepted the quest: Shashana’s Gift!
The robed man shook his head in disbelief. He clearly thought there was no chance we would be able to get it.
“Owen?” the Queen asked, turning towards the King.
“Windsor, call back the guards to release them,” the King said. “Give them back all their items.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Windsor said.
“But before you leave,” the King said towards me, “remove any pieces of heritage armor you’re wearing. It’s a special kind of armor designed to be passed down between family members. It will be returned to Percy’s next of kin.”
I groaned. I had just broken my sword in the Arena and now I was losing some of my best pieces of armor. That wouldn’t make killing snakes any easier.
“And in case you’re wondering,” the Queen said with her eyes glued to Jeremy, “if you attempt to run away, we’ll place warrants for your head on every bulletin board across Eden’s Gate. I suggest you fight for your life to retrieve the venom. If you come back with nothing, your original sentence will stand.”
The guards returned to the chamber, and our shackles were undone.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
2/1/0001
“Oh, my god!” Jeremy huffed, rubbing his wrists as we strode away from the castle. “Can you believe that shit? They were going to execute us!”
“Just be glad you’re free, asshole,” I said. “Hopefully that was a wakeup call for you.”
“Yeah man,” Jeremy said. “I already told you, I’m playing it straight now that I’m in the guild. Thanks for sticking up for me in there.”
“You’re a guild mate,” I said. “I’d do the same for any other guild member if it came down to it.”
Jeremy nodded. “And I will too. I appreciate what everyone’s done for me so far.” He wrinkled his brow. “Where’d you get that kroka by the way?”
As soon as he mentioned kroka, I felt a twinge in my body. “I bought it. Shit was expensive too, so shame they took it.”
Jeremy punched me on the shoulder. “Well, that means you committed a crime too!”
I couldn’t argue with that and didn’t try.
“How are we going to get this snake venom?” Jeremy asked. “I’m telling you, man—that Percy dude could fight. I don’t think there’s any chance we can kill that thing at our levels.”
“You’re right,” I said. “We probably can’t do it alone, but we have a guild. With the guild’s help, maybe we’ll stand a chance.”
“Oh, hey handsome!” a woman yelled to me as she leaned over the top of her balcony, pressing her breasts on a railing. Another girl wearing something akin to Rina’s old harem outfit was beside her waving and twirling her hair. “Are you looking for a good time?”
It was the first time I had been cat-called while traveling through Highcastle, but I was walking around with no pants or shirt after having the heritage armor confiscated. I must have looked like a freak with nothing but a pair of metal gloves, bracers, a flamboyant belt, and a furry hood around my neck.
“Let’s get back to Edgewood, fast,” I said. “I’m cold, half naked, and we need to let everyone know what’s going on.”
As we pushed through the last thick trees of Edgewood to enter the clearing of our village, there was lots of chattering in the air, and there was a gathering of people all standing in the center. Most of them were guild mates, but I recognized a slender blonde with pointy ears right away, even with her back turned.
“Adeelee?” I called.
The chattering stopped as soon a
s I spoke, and the entire crowd turned around.
“Gunnar!” Adeelee cried. “You’re free!?” She was flanked by two elven men, whom I could only assume were bodyguards.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. I gave Jeremy a quick slap and raised my eyebrows. “Kneel.”
I kneeled, and Jeremy followed suit.
“No, no!” Adeelee cried. “You don’t need to kneel now. Stand up. What happened?”
“Shit, dude!” Aaron said as he circled around Adeelee. “You’ve been gone for two days. I was worried you were going to pull another disappearing act.”
“Yeah, dude!” Ozzy said. “I came back here and told the others as soon as the guards took you away. Where have you been?”
“Are you okay?” Keysia asked.
I felt like I was being bombarded with all the questions flying and everyone’s eyes glued to me. “We were in prison,” I said. “We’re fine now.”
“Prison for what?” Ozzy asked.
I leaned my head towards Jeremy. “Our newest guild mate was charged with murder, and I was wearing the armor of the person he supposedly murdered.”
“I didn’t murder anyone, just to clarify,” Jeremy said.
“It was all a misunderstanding,” I affirmed and homed in on Adeelee. “What are you doing here?”
“Jax traveled to the Vale as soon as you were apprehended. I was planning to visit Highcastle to confront King Rutherford about your charges.”
“You came all the way here to find out what happened to me?” I asked.
Adeelee nodded. “You’re a member of our faction, Gunnar, and the ambassador between Edgewood and the Vale.” She smiled softly. “You’re also my friend.”
I felt touched and surprised. I had never imagined that Adeelee held me in such regard that she’d travel so far and confront the King of Highcastle over me. I didn’t know what to say other than, “Thank you.”
