Domain of the first Watcher—Lord Izren

  Lord Izren watches over those in his domain!

  You have entered the Hormfirth where Lord Izren rules over the multitudes. Here, the rule is to stay alive. The living is free, but the dead find themselves in Lord Izren’s pit of lamentations. To cross into the next domain, you must survive the day.

  Time Limit: One Day

  “That does not give us much,” Gis said, still shivering as the cold evening wind blew against them. They changed into dry clothes immediately they got into the city. David scratched at where the tunic he stole chafed at his neck. Every torment he felt turned into a curse at the bald man. He recited the tower’s message, trying to decipher whatever hidden meaning was in it. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were missing something. He could see the same skepticism in the others, except Carlos.

  “I say we rest or hide,” Carlos said, frowning at a beggar. The streets had them in every corner, even though the city looked extremely prosperous. The roads were wide, well-paved, and maintained. Banners of a red wyrm eating its tail hung on almost every street. Carts rolled by idly as if no one had an urgency for life. The pace was disturbing, and yet there was life in Hormfirth. David could feel it as they walked through the streets in search of a place to stay and think through their next course of action.

  The people looked happy, at peace. They smiled easily as if they had no worries.

  “I don’t feel any threat here either,” Gis said. “I could live here forever if that is allowed. Look how happy they are.”

  “That might be an illusion,” Elisha said, watching the people as they walked through a crowded part of the city. David led them into a run-down tavern. Its sign said One Eared Crook, but there was no one like that inside. A man sang something like a dirge, but the chattering crowd in the common area buried his voice. Their entry was ignored, perhaps because they were dressed like everyone else in the tavern.

  David led them to the edge of the hall, where the lanterns barely reached. They pulled chairs around one table and watched the others.

  “What kind of city is this?” Zoey asked, watching the crowd. Most of the men were laborers just back from a day of toiling, or small traders there to spend whatever coin they had profited on cheap drink, food, and a good time. There were none of the expected faces—the cutthroats and murderers. None of them looked like the sort to follow you out and rob you. They talked, drank, and laughed so loudly that David found it hard to believe it was all real.

  “This contradicts everything I expected when I saw the floor task,” Zoey said. “What do we need to fear if everyone is this jolly?”

  “We might be seeing only what the Watcher wants us to see,” David said. “I don’t think anyone working for Balek will be content with a place like this. It has none of the feel you would get from Balek.”

  “Or perhaps we are overthinking it?” Carlos asked. David held back the hiss and shook his head instead. “Maybe we simply just have to survive today by sleeping and waking up?”

  “If it was that good, Carlos, I would have bowed to Balek. No, there is something wrong here. Stay on your toes and keep your ears out. We might have to split up and spread around to get the gist of the city.”

  “And make ourselves look suspicious?” Carlos asked and Vith snickered at his sarcastic tone.

  “No, you stay here,” David said. “The rest can go. We just need to know if there is anything for us to worry about. Or something to fear. If all this is an illusion, then it is a trap. I don’t know if we have sprung any yet, but the fact that we are still alive makes me think otherwise. We have to be careful.”

  “Yes,” Gis said, “But can we do that after we eat?”

  “We don’t have any money,” Zoey pointed out. “Coming here was to get information. After that, we can find a way to get money. For now, we need to understand the dangers of this peaceful, happy city.”

  “I still don’t think there is a…”

  “Shut up, Carlos,” Zoey and Gis said at the same time. Carlos mumbled a curse and leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes as if he was asleep. David watched the other in the room, shocked that no one had turned to look at them after that. There was something weird going on and he wanted to know what it was.

  “Or we could ask the woman serving,” Elisha said, pointing to the woman walking towards them. Her hair was tied back in grey linen. She had that strange smile on that made David uncomfortable. And then she froze.

  David sensed the waves of essence before the others. It wasn’t very subtle. The spell wove through the entire common room, wrapping everyone in place. They all froze, as if time had simply stopped. David stood up, awed by the idea of the spell itself. It wasn’t really time that stopped, it was something else. He was distracted by the spell long enough to miss the moment the priests walked in.

  “Finally,” Elisha said, his shadow armor engulfing him. He sat up, his glowing eyes focused on the two walking toward their table. David sat back down, trying to guess who they were. Their robes were different from the Balek priests he saw in the first tower, but they weren’t from Amareth either—he could sense the power flowing from them. It was familiar, like a memory he wasn’t sure was his or real at all.

  “You were right to doubt,” one of the priests said as they got close to the table. He snapped his fingers and the lanterns brightened so the lights extended to their table.

  The one to the right was older, but he moved with such vigor that David wondered if there was a bit of magic there. Their robes seemed to emit light, the white and silver glowing. Large, blue pendants hung from their neck, dangling from heavy silver chains.

  The older priest bowed once they reached the table, his face mapped with laugh lines and wrinkles. The younger priest stared with intensity, his face pinched in an unchanging frown. David stared at them evenly.

  “Are you the orchestrator of this lie?” David asked, gesturing to the happy people in the tavern. The priests chuckled.

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  “It is not really a lie, Lord Ruler,” The man said. As if he’d caught himself, he bowed again. “I pay divine reverence to the Lord Ruler.”

  David felt a small thrum of power, a rush of essence that startled him. He’d never felt the direct impact of worship before. It was thrilling. He gave the man a nod, hoping his expression had betrayed nothing.

  “My name is Norm, Lord Ruler. And this is Delan. We are first circle priests in the temple of Lord Vish’Lir.”

  The name clicked and David almost laughed as he recalled where he’d felt that power. The angels. He gave Elisha a quick look, but it was hard to see what his brother was thinking through the helm of his shadow armor. David nodded to the priest again, gesturing for them to get themselves seats.

  “We will not sit at the table of those tainted by darkness,” Delan declared, his eyes spearing through Elisha. David waited to see what his brother would do.

  “Then sit somewhere else,” Zoey said before Elisha could respond.

  David knew what Delan was about to do before the priest did it. The blue pendant flashed and a heavy pressure descended on them like the heavens had dropped on their heads. David took a moment to see how each of them responded to the spiritual attack. Gis passed out almost immediately while Carlos gritted his teeth, groaning as the weight threatened to overwhelm him. He soon succumbed to the force and hit his face on the table on his way down.

  Elisha and Zoey did better, but that was to be expected. The shove against the power, the only sign of their discomfort was Zoey’s wide eye and Elisha’s armor peeling away slowly.

  Then David canceled the attack by simply pushing his own aura against it. He had expected it to be a struggle, but it vanished immediately, leaving Delan stunned.

  Norm chuckled, pulling a chair to their table to sit behind Gis. Zoey and Elisha looked exhausted and ready to pass out. Zoey’s eyes were red with shame and anger, and Elisha stood up as if to fight the priest.

  “I apologize on behalf of my friend, Lord Ruler. He is new and hot with passion for Lord Vish’Lir.”

  David waved Elisha back down, his gaze fixed on the old man. He knew what they were trying to do, he could tell that attack had been ordered even before they got here. It had been some kind of test.

  “What was that?” David asked, leaning back on his chair. “That power you just use. It wasn’t yours.”

  “Righteous King’s Force,” Norm answered for Delan. “It is a circle three spell.”

  “I thought you were circle one?”

  “Yes, but these are circle three artifacts,” Norm said, pointing to his pendant. “With this, we can share some of our Lord’s gifts. That is his divine blessing for us.”

  David nodded. “Cheer up, Zoey. You just brushed against a god’s power.” To Delan, “If you do something as stupid as that again, I will peel your eyes out and bury that stone in your skull.”

  Delan stared at him for a moment and David thought the man would dare him. The moment ended quickly. Delan walked over to stand behind Norm. The old priest smiled. His golden hair was cut short to hang just above his shoulders. He smiled too much, it made him easy to doubt. But David wanted information so he let them stay. Zoey stood up, walked over to where Gis was sprawled on the floor, and pulled her up to her seat. Carlos snored like a bull.

  “I apologize again,” Norm said. “We are not without nuance, Lord Ruler. Those still early in our teachings seem to think the shadow is the true dark, but those, like me, who have lived under the grace of Lord Vish’Lir longer… we understand that this isn’t true.”

  “How come you are still in circle one?” David asked, not sure how the circles worked in the temples. The power he could sense from the old man was smooth, like a calm sea. The younger man was raging. Dumb.

  “Don’t go easy on them,” Vith said and David noticed the malice in her voice. He would ask her about that later. He focused on the priests, wondering how he could get more information from them.

  “So Hormfirth is a peaceful city?” David asked. “Our task says to survive the day. What dangers are we to fear in a peaceful city?”

  The old priest grinned. “There are silent dangers, Lord Rulers. The ones you can’t perceive or sense. The one you have already walked into. This might just be one of them. But I can’t help you with your task, I am sure you know that. I can only tell you that there are dangers—ones the people of Hormfirth can’t see because they are blinded, just as they are now.”

  “What about the watcher?”

  “Izren is the lurker, Lord Ruler. He watches. He doesn’t interfere until his domain is compromised. And he takes only one side. It won’t be yours.”

  So don’t piss off the watcher, Ignis echoed.

  “Why are you here?” Elisha asked. “If you are so averse to darkness, shouldn’t you be far from this place? Balek is darkness itself, right?”

  Norm grinned, showing pearly white teeth. “Lord Balek is…complicated. You can’t look at gods the way you look at men, my friend. As to why we have come,” he reached out, with his hands open toward David. His wrists had thin tattoo bands around them. “We have come to invite you. Our Lord would like you in our ranks. You have a distinct soul and an unusual affinity for essence. Join us and we will help you conquer this tower. We can give this tower and the others.”

  “Another god asking me to bow,” David said, suddenly vexed.

  “We all bow, Lord Ruler. I bow to you, and others bow to me. Power is an interesting thing in that it is endless. There is always a realm above yours, a plane too high to travel. There are gods above gods above gods. There are unknowns. Why not join us and lessen the burden on you as you travel? You have seen our Lords. Our ranks are full of those who can help you better than your current company.”

  “That was rude,” Gis said, scratching her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “I meant no offense,” Norm said with a slick smile. “But in truth, you are weak for this path you have chosen.”

  “We were weak once, too,” Elisha said and Delan snorted. Elisha ignored the young priest, focusing instead on Norm. “They can grow.”

  “And if they don’t they will die. It matters not in the grand scheme of things. But what about you? Would it serve you to have them or have people who can support what you are trying to archive?”

  “Why?” Zoey asked. “Why does everyone want us?”

  “They want him,” Delan said, nodding at David. “You are just bagga…”

  Ruler Skill: Sovereign’s Reign

  David’s aura sliced through the common room, crushing everyone in the space. The room was not so large so it was easier to control and concentrate the force of his annoyance. Delan’s face cracked on the back of Norm’s chair as he crashed down. Norm pushed the power of his artifact against David and for a sliver of a second, it seemed like he could hold. David smirked and shoved the power aside with little effort and forced the old priest down. The chair he sat on shattered and Norm wailed as the force fell on him.

  Then David ended it.

  Norm groaned, mumbling a curse as he tried to stand up. David walked over to give him a hand.

  The old priest chuckled.

  “I knew bringing him was a bad gamble.”

  “Yet, you brought him anyway because he is easier to provoke,” David said.

  “Perhaps I didn’t think that strategy through enough.”

  The old priest glanced at Delan on the floor and smiled. “I was sure you would kill us.”

  “I am not one of your gods, Norm.” David crouched beside Delan. His face was bloody. His nose bleed down his face to his robe. He’d be mad whenever he woke up.

  “For sparing us, I will help you once. Not that it will do you any good. Balek’s shadows are coming. They are coming to get you.”

  The old man pulled his younger friend up. Delan groaned, saying something David couldn’t hear. Both priests staggered away from the tavern. And immediately they stepped out, the noise returned and the serving woman crashed down with a loud wail.

  “Wake Carlos,” David said. “We have to go.”

  Cultivation ? Progression ? Dark Fantasy