by Michael Ryan
Dale launched his spell and it exploded in a bright burst of light.
Jara had protected herself with both physical cover and an enchanted protection charm. She approached Dale without showing any fear.
“I’m going to kill you,” Dale said.
“No, Dale, you aren’t,” Jara said. “I’m more powerful. I’m less injured. I haven’t watched all my friends die. I don’t have your weaknesses.”
Dale stuck his head out from the edge of the rock, saw Jara walking toward him, and warmed up another spell. He counted down the last three seconds of the warm-up…three…two…and stood and fired at her as he mouthed the word, one.
She fired an Ice Magic Spell at the same moment.
When the two opposite spells hit, the chamber exploded.
A series of flashes lit the room, and waves of oven-like heat and freezer-like cold washed over him in waves.
He closed his eyes, temporarily blinded by the light show. When he opened them again he was lying on the ground.
His head hurt, his muscles ached, and he realized the shock waves had literally knocked him like he’d been hit by the paw of a great grizzly bear.
He searched the field for Jara.
She was also sitting on the ground, rubbing her head. The explosion had knocked her down, as well.
Dale stood and approached her.
She rose and fired an arrow at him.
It wasn’t imbued, and Dale dodged it. He raised a longsword and approached Jara with the weapon on his shoulder.
His mana had been depleted in the charms that had kept him alive in the explosion. He assumed Jara was in the same position. If not, she’d easily kill him.
Jara put away her bow and brought out an elven sword. It wasn’t as long or heavy as Dale’s, but she was more than competent handling it. Her weapon was wicked-looking, curved, and covered with runes. No doubt it had enchantments, perhaps even a curse or two for those it would kill.
Dale shuddered, and his gaze drifted to her cold eyes.
She walked forward three steps and adopted a defensive stance.
Don’t let your anger work to her advantage.
Dale had observed how cunning Jara was, how she used people, how she manipulated and lied.
Dale swung his sword and Jara deflected the blow. She countered with a jab, which Dale blocked. He slashed. She countered and slashed back.
Dale feigned a move; Jara adjusted.
She kicked dirt at his face. He reacted in time to shut his eyes and drop below her swing. She’d nearly taken off his head.
He countered with a low swing at her legs.
She jumped over his sword.
Dale was tiring, but so was Jara. Her swings, attacks, and defense slowed.
He attempted to take advantage of her exhaustion. Jara blocked a blow and took two steps backward. Breathing heavily, she eyed him. “We wear each other down, Dale. One of us is going to die soon. Perhaps a parlay?”
“There’s nothing to negotiate. Unless you’re willing to give me the jewel?”
“I don’t have the jewel,” Jara said. “I know you have it.”
“I don’t have the jewel,” Dale said.
Why was she lying about this?
“You picked it up from Yingtai,” she said. “I’m not a naive fool, Dale.”
Dale paused. What was this? Did Yingtai really have the jewel before she died? That couldn’t be; she would have dropped it. But did she give the jewel to Jara?
If she had, why hadn’t Jara simply escaped? She had nothing to gain by fighting Dale. Even if she had the advantage, why take the risk if she already had the jewel?
“I don’t want to die here,” Dale said.
“Then give me the jewel,” Jara said.
“What guarantee do I have that you’ll not take the jewel and then kill me anyway?”
“Dale, think. If I had the jewel, why would I risk a fight with you?” she asked. “Why? My goal is the same as yours, to secure the gemstone for my faction. We are on opposite sides, but the motives we have are identical. Give me the jewel and I’ll leave you.”
“I need more assurance. How do you get out of this place?”
“If I show you, do I have your word, as a man of honor, that you’ll surrender the jewel to me?”
“Do I have your word you’ll leave me in peace?” Dale asked.
“I swear,” Jara said.
Unbelievably, she actually sounded sincere to him.
“Then I swear as well,” Dale said.
He hoped he sounded sincere to her, especially since he was lying.
Dale put his sword away. He brought out the cursed Grandidierite Gem, a beautiful five-carat stone.
It was stunningly beautiful, and charmed.
Jara’s mouth dropped open. Greed radiated from her face.
Dale hoped that she’d never heard of King Cerion or his twin daughters. He held up the gemstone and turned it slightly. The facets channeled points of light and splashed Jara’s face with sparkles of multicolored luminescence.
“Show me the way to the exit,” he said. “No tricks.”
Jara put away her sword. She walked in the opposite direction, occasionally glancing over her shoulder to check on Dale.
He kept the gem out in the open and did not bring out a weapon, and followed her to the back of the chamber.
“Here,” she said. She pushed on an oddly shaped stone on the wall, and an opening appeared. “You follow this and end up several kilometers downriver from the Three Queens, on the road to the sea. Now give me the jewel and I’ll be on my way.”
“I want something in return,” Dale said.
“I give you your life,” Jara said. “That’s not enough?”
“I don’t really believe you think you can simply kill me without risk,” Dale said. “Or you would do so.”
“You weren’t fighting with a shield,” Jara said. “I have a dragonling armor shield I’ll trade you.”
Dale considered for a moment, to give credence to his ploy. “Okay,” he said.
Dale and Jara agreed to the swap.
He gave her the gem and she gave him the shield.
It took Jara less than a fraction of a second to realize Dale had outplayed her.
“You black-hearted scum!” she shouted.
She threw the gem at Dale.
He ducked. The five-carat stone rolled along the ground, and he armed himself with his assassin’s rapier and his new dragonling armor shield.
She rushed him with her elven sword swinging wildly.
Dale raised the shield.
Jara swung her sword, and he deflected her attack.
He brought the rapier up in a smooth, powerful stroke, running it from her lower abdomen up into her lungs.
She fell.
Unable to overcome the curse brought by the gem, Jara gasped for air, blood frothing from her mouth.
“End it quickly,” she said.
Dale brought out the Ice Knife, the assassin’s weapon received from the Nokken spirit creature.
Jara screamed, but only for an instant.
Jara’s face froze. Her body followed, and after cracking into a thousand pieces, what remained melted and the dirt absorbed her remains.
+20,000XP
Killed: The Princess Jara
Dropped: 3 Ice Magic Books
Dropped: 5 Health Potions
Dropped: 3 Crystal Light Orbs
Dropped: 2 Carat Fiery Red Diamond: Rare Unique Quality
Dropped: Undead Adder Battle Pet
Dropped: 2000 bars of Gold
Congratulations!
You have reached Level 11.
Dale had watched all of his platoon, his friends, die.
He’d watched Amy die twice.
He’d rejected her.
The shock of watching Smith die hit him like a falling tree. Dale had fought alongside Smith since the very beginning when he and Brian had run the Mount Dog training tutorial.
He remind
ed himself that his friends had resurrected back on the Jabez. They might even be a day away from meeting him. They might even already be at the Pierstone Castle, looking for him. But these thoughts didn’t comfort him. Watching them die, knowing what death was like, caused him emotional anguish.
He wasn’t the same after he’d been killed by the Queen black widow.
He couldn’t put his finger on what was different, but he knew his personal universe had altered.
Dale felt a dull ache when he thought about Amy. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe she’d done her duty and hadn’t betrayed him? What would he have done in her shoes? Why did it hurt so badly?
Dale stood and walked to the spot where Yingtai had died.
Where Smith had fallen.
Where did the Jewel of Sartozel go?
Why didn’t Yingtai drop it? Hadn’t she picked it up from the ground right in front of Dale?
The Princess didn’t have the jewel, and Yingtai didn’t have the jewel…
Weird.
Dale brought Gingo out. He wanted someone to keep him company.
“Hey girl,” he said. He patted her head and gave her a treat. “Good dog.”
Gingo wagged her tail and barked for more treats.
“Woof!”
“Okay, girl,” Dale said, and gave her another snack. “I think we need to get outside. Come on girl.”
But Gingo wouldn’t follow him. She was sniffing the ground and circling a spot in the dirt she liked, and started digging with her front paws.
“What did you find, girl?” Dale asked.
Gingo dug up the Jewel of Sartozel.
Yingtai had buried it as a precaution before she died. Smart.
Dale picked up the jewel. He’d heard that it was over five carats, and stunningly beautiful. It was true. Even partially covered in dirt and mud, it was the most impressive faceted gemstone he’d ever seen.
“So, this is what the war is all about…” he muttered to himself.
Dale put the stone in his inventory, called Gingo to follow him, and headed to the exit.
When Dale left the mountain tunnels and chambers into the night, he was beyond tired and exhausted. He felt three-quarters dead.
He found a secure spot, hoped that Gingo would make a good guard dog, and fell asleep under the stars, not waking the next day until the sun was already high in the sky.
Dale’s return to Irkalla was uneventful.
He avoided enemies, and Robur, who had defeated the Declanian force, accompanied him through the mines so he could return to Evelake without much danger. Dale spent the night in the village and then made his way back without seeking any adventure at all. He wanted to get the jewel back without incident, and he couldn’t risk dying and dropping the stone – he’d worked far too hard to obtain it.
That also meant he didn’t want to any delays in Irkalla when he caught up with his platoon.
He needed to convince them to return to the Jabez without explaining why. He didn’t want to tell anyone about the jewel. It seemed safer that way.
“But Dale, we have time to go on some quests and get loot,” Sergeant Dyfrig said. “We don’t have an official mission right now. I’m not ordering you to do anything, but why wouldn’t you want to go with us?”
“I don’t know, Sergeant,” Dale said. “Maybe I just need a break…”
“Those treacherous women beat you up pretty bad, didn’t they?” The lizard-man looked at Dale with a sideways glance. A questioning look. “You didn’t die…”
“It was tough. I don’t really want to talk about it,” Dale said.
“So, the Princess Jara lives?” Lieutenant Brinkmann asked.
“I’m not totally sure, sir,” Dale said. He felt safer telling lies until he got back to the safety of the Jabez. He didn’t trust anyone except for Smith, but telling his friend might put him in danger, so it was better to lie to him, too. Dale told his platoon that Jara escaped after Yingtai died. Everyone assumed that she escaped with the jewel. That had been her plan, so it was close to the truth.
“I’ll go back with him in the morning,” Smith said.
“Me, too,” Sanjay said.
“That’s not necessary, guys. But I appreciate it.”
“Okay. Fair enough,” the lieutenant said. “So, tonight we feast with the king. He’s holding a ceremony to honor Princess Talargo,” Brinkmann said.
“She’s respawned?” Dale asked. “And returned here?”
“No, she’s not here, but her father is throwing a banquet to honor her memory.”
“This is a weird world,” Tom Kapralov said. “But the razordillo sure is fantastic.”
“All you care about is eating,” Kim Ayanna said.
“And hunting,” Tom added.
“And—” Kim checked herself and blushed.
Dale had never seen her look so cute. Her serious demeanor had given way to her feminine side. It was nice, he thought, and he was happy for her and Tom, even as it reminded him of his own losses.
“Dale, could I join you tomorrow?” Rikuto Setsu asked.
“Yeah, sure.”
“He probably wants Amy to go with him,” Galina Rasulova said.
“I don’t think he does,” Emi Himura said. “Amy’s been in her room all morning. I don’t think she’s eaten in a day.”
“I’m sorry,” Dale said, mostly to himself.
“Not my place to judge,” Emi said. “But maybe you should at least talk to her…”
“I will.”
The platoon was all together except for Yingtai, who Dale had killed, and Amy, who had a broken heart.
An hour before the feast, Dale knocked on her door.
“Come in,” she said.
“I’m sorry about everything,” Dale said.
“I am, too.”
“I wish we could go back,” Dale said. “I can’t get over—”
“I didn’t mean for you to feel betrayed, I—”
“It’s not how I felt, it’s what you did, you—”
“I had a duty—”
“You picked—”
“I’m sorry,” Amy said. “If I could go back…” She put her face into her hands and sobbed quietly.
“I guess we can never go back,” Dale said. “Can we? I’m sorry, Amy. I wish things were different.”
There were two empty chairs at the feast. Neither Amy, nor Emi, joined the rest of the platoon.
It was awkward for the lieutenant; he had to make excuses for their absence when they were awarded commendations from the king for bravery and fortitude. He gave them all gifts. Amy and Emi’s he gave to the lieutenant for safekeeping.
He talked about how setbacks and failure were always part of war.
Dale wondered why he’d been so smitten by his daughter, considering she must be an NPC.
Or was she? He wondered, but the thought faded from his mind when he realized that he’d never even bothered to asked her name. Her real name, that is, assuming she had one.
“We lost much,” the King said. “But we didn’t lose the war. The war will wage on. We must learn from our mistakes, and build on those things. We must become stronger, wiser, more resolute. I trust that the Third Platoon has learned lessons from this mission that they will carry for the duration of the war. Remember that a war, or even a life, is never about just one battle, one mission, one love, or even one jewel. It’s always about the entire campaign.”
The crowd cheered. After an obligatory applause, Dale tuned out the speeches and drank another mug of beer. When the official part of the feast ended, Dale told Smith to be ready at first light. He returned to his room, and slept without dreaming.
Dale, Smith, Sanjay, and Rikuto left at dawn for the Jabez. The trip was safe. Another two ships were in orbit, not far from the Jabez, and when they approached their base, they could see two additional space elevators in use.
“That’s a lot of troops,” Dale said.
“Yes. They arrived while we were on our mission,”
Rikuto said. “I don’t think our leaders have been completely forthright about the nature of this planet or the importance of being here.”
“Of course not,” Sanjay said. “The military is never honest. It’s like politics; they’re basically the same thing.”
“Amen to that,” Smith said. “Military actions, politics, and love. Never assume anything.”
Dale noticed that Amy and Emi were already in line at the space elevator. They’d left Irkalla before dawn. Dale ached. His chest felt heavy. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to move on. He didn’t know what he wanted. He wanted Amy. He didn’t want Amy. He wanted to heal. He wanted to cry. He wanted to love. He wanted to be loved. He felt sick.
“Women…” Dale whispered to himself.
“What’s that?” Smith asked.
“Nothing. Let’s get in line.” Dale dismounted and checked in for a spot.
When they exited the elevator, Smith asked Dale if he was up for a movie.
“No. Thanks. I’m not myself. You guys go. If I change my mind, I’ll find you,” Dale said.
Dale left them and went to his pod.
It seemed so sterile and cold after being out in the woods and staying in castles and inns. He undressed, showered, and checked his email. Nothing except unimportant ship messages. He wondered about his family back home, but he worried about Amy. He decided to email her.
Subject: It’s me
To: Lyang, Amy
From: Brown, Dale
Hey Amy,
This is hard. I’m sorry about all that happened. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I realize I was wrong. You were doing your job, acting in the best interest of our side. I’d have done the same thing.
Actually, I kind of lied to my friends and everyone. I have the jewel. I wanted to tell you. I almost did, but I was afraid I’d put people in danger. I didn’t even tell Smith, my best friend, who I trust completely. I have to go to leadership and turn it over. I guess if they knew I was writing you about it and not going to command first, I’d be in trouble. But I wanted you to know.
We did it. We brought the jewel back safely. I couldn’t have done it without you helping me behind the scenes. I know now what you did and why you did it.
Can we try again? I’m sorry.
