The omen, p.22
The Omen, page 22
part #5 of Eden's Gate Series
“Hey, I want to see what happens with Trynzen though,” Jeremy protested. “I’ll meet you in Highcastle after I drop Keysia off, okay?”
I shrugged. “Alright, well wait for me outside the castle…somewhere near the trees where the path to the castle and prison split off. I should be out of there by the time you get back.” I pulled the shroud halfway out of my bag for him to see. “I’ll be wearing this.”
“Got it!” Jeremy said. After Keysia was mounted behind him, he gave Rarri a light pat and tapped his heels against him. The boar, rubbed its hoof against the ground, shook its head, snorted, then bolted off towards Edgewood with a loud squeal.
Goodness… Sora projected.
What’s wrong? I asked.
That boar is rather rude and unsophisticated.
How so?
The squealing, the snorting. Every time I talk to him, he moves to the topic to what he wants to eat. He was salivating over the dead goblins we left back there.
I chuckled as Sung climbed on behind me, and we continued our way to Highcastle.
After reaching Highcastle—just out of eyesight of the guards, we dismounted, and I placed the shroud on over my armor. I’ll need to ride you again soon, so find a safe place to wait. Please, try not to get captured or hurt this time.
I wouldn’t have been captured if I hadn’t been trying to save Betsy and the other horse. Sora looked up to me curiously. What happened to them anyway. Did you leave them in Barbarosia?
I frowned. In a way, Sora felt almost like a young daughter to me, so I hesitated to tell her what had happened. But she also felt like a best friend, so I decided it was best to just be honest. They were killed.
Killed?
I nodded. That’s why the tamer gave Jeremy the Great Boar.
Sora growled low. That makes me like that Rarri character even less. Betsy was stupid, but she had class.
Don’t blame Rarri. It wasn’t his fault. I patted Sora on the head, trying to calm her. Now go and hide somewhere safe until we get back.
I’ll wait for you, father.
I turned to Highcastle, and lightly tapped Sung with the back of my hand. “You ready?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll head straight for the castle without stopping. Act as normal as possible and try not to attract any attention. It’s best if no one notices me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
2/5/0001
Sung and I approached Outer Highcastle from the side, avoiding the main, guarded entrance. Once again, I wondered what the purpose of guarding Outer Highcastle’s entrance was when anyone could simply waltz right in from pretty much anywhere, due to the area having no walls.
The citizens of Outer Highcastle seemed to be behaving as they normally did, buzzing about, chatting, talking, guarding their wares. And though a few people looked up as we passed, no one seemed to notice me under my shroud, nor were they particularly worried.
I was feeling confident when we made it through the throngs of people in Outer Highcastle, but I was feeling a bit nervous when we began climbing the incline that led to the only entrance into Inner Highcastle. With the high walls that guarded the upper-class region of the city, there didn’t seem to be any alternate way to sneak our way in.
I straightened my shoulders and raised my chin as we approached the gate, trying to not look suspicious, which is quite hard when you’re simultaneously trying not to be recognized.
“Hey!” one of the guards barked right before we were about to pass.
Sung and I stopped, and I tilted my head slightly, making an effort to look at the guard without revealing too much of my face.
“That hood isn’t going to save you if you plan to commit any crimes.”
I swallowed and began to open my mouth to make up an excuse as to why I had my face covered, but just as my lips parted, the guard spoke again.
“Go on, and I don’t cause any trouble.”
Sung and I both nodded and stepped through the gate.
Like Outer Highcastle, Inner Highcastle seemed to be functioning as normal. It was a stark contrast to the chaos and fear in the streets the last time I was there. The rich folk and the mages were going about their business, but when we reached the center of the city where the market was held, I noticed that a fruit seller had erected a stall on the platform where Solomon once stood and yelled about Reborns and dragon’s fire.
“Things look to have calmed down,” Sung said.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod. “I was expecting much worse.”
We continued past the market and through the paths until we reached the clearing where the Arena stood. A rope was stretched across the Arena entrance, and a wooden sign was hanging beside it that said ’CLOSED‘ in large letters.
“That’s weird,” I said as I titled my head towards the sign.
There was a small, cream-shaded poster hanging near the entrance as well, and as we walked closer, I noticed a similar-colored paper laying on the ground. When I made out the word ’REBORN' written on the paper, I bent down and picked it up.
I inspected the paper, but it had been walked on several times, was missing a large chunk from the top half and the ink was smeared. It was impossible to make out anything but the large ’REBORN’ in the center.
I looked up again, scanning the area, and realized that the same cream-colored posters were hanging in at least three different places on various walls. We had been so focused on getting to the King and looking out for trouble that the posters had gone completely unnoticed.
Sung followed me as I stepped to a wall near a small alley to inspect one of the posters.
HIGHCASTLE DECREE 1-079
By order of the glorious King Rutherford, no man, woman, or child shall be discriminated against under the assumption of being a REBORN.
The maintain order and the good name of Highcastle and Freelander citizens, we must continue to welcome all visitors with good intent, until proven that those visitors seek or shall bring the Kingdom harm.
The word “Reborn” was written in huge letters that stretched across the center of the paper, likely so that it would attract the attention of passersby.
“I wonder how many people will honor the order?” I asked after reading the poster aloud. I turned to Sung to get his reply, but my heart jumped when I saw that standing behind him was Meijir. His arm was lightly over Sungs shoulder, and his index finger was pointed up as if hushing Sung’s lips. In his other hand, he held one of his strange black throwing stars near Sung’s heart.
A hulking human was with him, and before I had the chance to speak or take action, the man stepped forward, grabbed me by the throat and started pushing me back into the alley while he held my mouth closed with his other hand.
I recognized the man. He was another fighter I had passed a few times in the Arena but had never seen fight. He was massive—twice the size of Ozzy—and had some of the biggest most muscular arms I had ever seen. I wasn’t sure what kind of skills the guy had, but he was so strong that no matter how hard I tried to pry his hands away, they didn’t budge an inch.
My back thumped as the man turned and pressed me against the wall of the empty ally. I wasn’t sure if he realized he was suffocating me while simultaneously holding me down, but my breath-indicating bar appeared at the bottom of my view.
“Don’t scream or make a move or your friend dies,” Meijir warned.
Sung’s eyes were practically bugging out of his head. He was several levels below me, but he seemed wise enough to know the danger that we were in and didn’t make a move.
I gave my best nod and tried to say, “I can’t breathe” behind the hands of the large man.
“Shhh,” Meijir hissed. “Don’t raise your voice when he removes his hands, and if either of you try something stupid, this will get ugly very quickly.” He looked up to the man and nodded to him. “Go ahead.”
The man removed his hand from my mouth, and I took a deep gasp of air. Meijir flicked his finger, causing the magical star in his hand to disappear, and then he pushed Sung further in and beside me.
I coughed a bit then looked to Sung. “You okay?”
Sung nodded, though his face told me that he was about to soil his pants.
“You…” Meijir said sharply as he walked up to me. “You ruined everything.” He quickly placed his hands around my throat and pushed my head up, hard enough to feel uncomfortable but not enough to choke me. “So, you’re a Reborn?”
I ignored Meijir’s question and looked down into his angry, vertical pupils. “How did you recognize me?”
Meijir leaned forward, and put his damp nose near my face, so close that his whiskers brushed across my skin. He took a slow deep breath. “I drew your blood. I could never forget that scent.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Do you realize how much trouble you’ve caused me, Reborn? Do you realize how much work was ruined?” He released his hold on my neck and took a step back. “For weeks I stayed in Highcastle, training but careful not to gain any XP. I was determined to hold the top seat in Tier 1 and become the first Krazir to represent Highcastle and win a Highcastle championship. But you…” He lifted a finger and pointed his claw to me. “You ruined it all!”
“Meijir…” the large man said. “Watch your voice. There could be soldiers nearby.”
The Krazir turned to the man and snarled. “Shut up!”
Despite the man looking far stronger than Meijir, he bowed his head and quieted.
“Look, it’s not my fault that you killed me in the Arena,” I explained. “The Faithsworn set me up.”
Meijir opened his mouth to expose his sharp teeth and made a low growling sound. “Not only did you cause me to level, but you disgraced me as well. You—turned—your—back.”
“I was trying to stop the fight.”
Meijir nodded. “I know. I figured that out after the fight. But when you turned your back on me, I thought you were one of those arrogant fools, raising your hands to taunt me and rile the crowd. I wanted to quell that arrogance and show you what happens to those who turn their back to me.” He looked down suddenly and his face softened. “Do you know how humiliating it is to kill someone who doesn’t fight back? An innocent? In front of a crowd? To know you murdered someone with their back turned?”
I rattled my head. “I… ugh… I didn’t want it to happen any more than you did. Trust me, I didn’t want to die.”
Meijir exposed teeth again, but then took a deep breath and quickly dropped down to one knee. “Accept my apologies Reborn. I am an honorable fighter, and I want nothing more than to represent me and my people well.”
“Yeah…” I said shaking my head again. I got why he was apologizing but it felt unnecessary. I knew it wasn’t his fault. “It’s fine.”
Meijir shot back up to his feet and pointed his finger at me again. “Never turn your back in a fight! Especially in the Arena!”
“Meijir,” the big man said again. He placed his finger to his lip and tilted his head towards the entrance to the alley. There was the sound of heavy boots clanging against the stones somewhere nearby.
Meijir took a step back and leaned against the alley wall. He smiled and casually looked as if he were inspecting his claws as the footsteps grew closer. A second later a trio of soldiers ran by in a hurry.
“Faster!” one of the soldier yelled. Whatever was happening, it was important.
When we could no longer hear the sound of footsteps, Meijir pulled himself away from the wall and crossed his arms in front of him as he glared at me. “Did you hear the cheers of the people in the Arena when I entered?”
I nodded.
“They loved me. They respected me. Humans even. They knew that I was going to be champion. I was going to bring pride to my people by representing Highcastle in the championship fights. But now that I’m Ievel 21, I’m a nobody in tier 2, and once again I have to work my way all the way to the top.”
I shrugged lightly and shook my head. “Like I said, I’m sorry that it happened, but I don’t know what you want from me.”
Meijir straightened his shoulders, lifted his chin high, and stared me straight in the eyes. “I want a rematch. I want to beat you fair and square. I cannot accept an Arena win that I know I didn’t earn.”
“The King isn’t counting the match as a loss for me. It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me,” Meijir said. “I’ll be champion someday, and I can’t accept that title when I know that one of my opponents may have bested me.”
I rubbed my chin. “So you think I could’ve beaten you?”
Meijir chuckled and shook his head. “No, I don’t think you could. But the only way I can know is a fair fight. All I ask if for you to enter the Arena and fight me again in Tier 2.”
“I can’t fight in the Arena now,” I said. “Now that I’ve been exposed as a Reborn, I need to lay low… let people get used to the idea of us sharing the same space.”
“Not now, Reborn. The Arena is closed—repairing the damage that the dragon did to the outer edge of the Arena and what that Faithsworn did to the wall. Besides, I need time to hone my skills so that I can compete at the same level as the other Tier 2s. Just promise me that you’ll return to the Arena and let me have a fair fight.” He lifted his claw and slide it across the side of my face. “Oh, how I’d love to defeat a Reborn.”
You’ve received a quest offer: A Second Match
Meijir would like a rematch with you in the Arena.
Reward: 3,000 XP
Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline
I wasn’t sure when I’d feel safe enough to return to the Arena, but the quest offer didn’t seem to have a time limit for completion, and deep down, I wanted a chance to defeat Meijir as well. In Tier 1, I felt like my chances of defeating him were slim, but now I’d have more opportunity to gain more power and sculpt myself into a more formidable opponent. “I’ll give you a rematch.”
You have accepted the quest: A Second Match!
Meijir smiled. “The Arena should reopen soon, and I look forward to defeating you.” He turned and beckoned his friend with a single claw. Without another word the Krazir walked away with his hulking companion beside him.
“Uh, damn,” Sung said. “Is every day this intense?”
“Intense?” I asked. I tugged at the fabric of my shroud and rolled my shoulders to straighten it out.
“I was mostly just grinding MOBs before I linked up with you. Since then, it’s been deceptive quests, dungeon diving, rescuing pets, sneaking around cities, and now some guys threatening you if you don’t go fight them in the Arena. Yeah…” He nodded a couple times. “Intense.”
I chuckled and made a couple sucking sounds between my teeth. “And I’m about to take you with me to meet the King of Highcastle. Things might get a whole lot more intense.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
2/5/0001
“Stop right there,” one of the guards in front of the King’s castle said as we approached the door.
Sung and I stopped a few meters away.
“You on the left, remove the hood, and state your purpose before coming any closer.”
I pulled back the hood of my shroud and smiled. “I have freedom of passage in Highcastle. I’m sure you remember me.”
The guard glanced to the guard on the other side. “Of course. You are… the Reborn.”
I nodded and took another step.
“Your purpose?” the guard asked nervously.
“I’m not sure I need to tell you that,” I said as I continued ahead.
“And who is your friend?”
“Just a friend,” I answered.
The guard’s voice rattled anxiously, and his talking speed increased as I grabbed the handle of the castle door and pulled. “You’re free to enter, but you bear the responsibility of any visitors you bring into the castle! You shall behave with honor in front of the—“
“I got it,” I said, raising my hand to him. I glanced back to Sung. “Follow me and do whatever the King says.”
When we walked into the castle, Isabella and the Queen were both sitting in their usual chairs, and a square table had been moved to a few meters in front of the King’s throne. The King, Commander Eldrich, and three other soldiers were all leaning over the table studying a map. Windsor was standing behind the King, looking over his shoulder.
“You think they’re coming out over here, then?” the King asked, pointing down towards the map.
“Yes, my King,” the commander said. “We can only assume—“
Everyone stopped talking and turned to us when they heard the door to the castle slam closed behind Sung.
“Gunnar?” The King stood straight. “Weren’t you advised to avoid Highcastle for a while?”
“I’ve come to ask for a favor, your majesty.”
“Kneel before the King!” Windsor ordered.
I started to kneel, but the King held up his hand. “Not necessary, Windsor. What do you wish to ask, Gunnar?”
“You have a prisoner in your jail who I’d like to request you release,” I said.
The King lowered his eyes and shook his head. “Release a prisoner? On what grounds?”
“He got caught in a bad situation. From what I understand he’s a good—“
“You’re wasting my time, Gunnar,” the King said forcefully. “I pardoned you and your friend’s crimes…“ He suddenly seemed to hone in on Sung. “Who is this?”
“Another friend of mine.”
“Another Reborn?”
I glanced towards Sung and gave a light nod.
“What are you doing?” Sung asked low, trying to speak without moving his mouth.
