We fought plenty more monsters on our journey through the cave. Finally, we came upon something man made: a door. It was covered in strange, glowing runes.
“The Bondcutting Blade must be in here,” Johana said. She tried pushing the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Step aside.” I cracked my knuckles. Time to put my high strength to use.
I pushed against the door. It seemed to push back against me just as hard.
Leric laughed. “So much for your high strength build.”
“It’s a magical door, okay?” I said as I grunted in frustration. “Clearly we have to figure out how to open it.” Which didn’t require strength, but rather intelligence. I was now intelligent enough to realize that.
“Well…” Johana scratched her head. “Can anyone read these runes?”
Esme, Ayla, and Maria all shrugged and shook their heads.
I stared at the door. My mind began to connect the runes, as if they were pieces of a puzzle.
I touched one of the runes. Like an icon on a touch screen, it followed my finger as I moved it around the door.
“Holy-moly,” Tara said. “It moves!”
I began connecting the runes together, as if I were playing a puzzle game on a tablet. Once they were all connected, the door glowed with a fierce, green light. The light was so bright, it was almost blinding. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, the door was gone.
Everyone jumped for joy.
Intelligence really was a useful stat. Perhaps I ought to pump it up some more.
The room we entered was nothing like the cave we’d been in this entire time. It glowed from the light of blue crystals jutting out of the walls and ceiling. The ground was paved with limestone, which was so polished, it reflected the light of the glowing crystals.
Something glimmered at the far end of the room: upon an altar sat a blade. It resembled a crusader style sword, but with an ovular cross guard instead of a T-shaped one.
“The Bondcutting Blade!” Johana said.
“And we didn’t even have to fight a boss to get it,” I remarked happily. “Such an important item, guarded by trash mobs.”
“You calling me a trash mob?” The voice came from behind us. “That’s a low blow.”
We all spun around to face the strange man who was standing at the threshold of the room. He was wearing a turban and was covered by a flowing, green robe.
I conjured my red sword and wielded it in his direction. “Who the hell are you?”
The man chuckled. “Relax. I’m not going to fight you, King Remy.”
“You know who I am?”
“Indeed I do. I have many eyes. Eyes that watch this world and others.”
“Are you… are you a Deep One?”
The man laughed and shook his head. “Oh no, I am not one among the gods. But I once aspired to be. I come from a small village, you see. A beautiful, stone-built haven amid a lush forest. We were all very devout. And it led us to our doom.”
With my higher intelligence, I somehow knew what he was talking about. I put away my red sword. “You’re from the 1st floor of the Underground Forest.”
“Indeed, the very place you now call home.” The man smiled. He had red eyebrows.
A collective gasp sounded from our group.
“How did you get stuck here?” Esme asked.
“I was one of the high priests,” he replied. “This is my punishment for leading my people astray. The gods I so adored tasked me to live in this cave and watch over this blade, for an eternity. A curse for being a good, worshipful servant, I suppose. Luckily, my eyes in the outside world do provide some entertainment. And no one has entertained me quite like you, King Remy. Should you defeat the Shadowsoul, perhaps my curse will be lifted, too.” He pointed to the Bondcutting Blade. “So take it, and do with it what you will.”
I nodded. “What’s your name, friend?”
“Alas, it has been so long since it was uttered, that even I have forgotten it.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Perhaps you’ll remember it, once I end the curse of the Shadowsoul.”
I made a fast travel point while Johana took the Bondcutting Blade. We returned to Whispering Waters.
We took the blade to Olana. When I held it in my hands, I could see the tethers connecting everyone. The tether connecting her to Adam was thin and purplish, like a sick vein. It throbbed with the pain it was pumping into Olana. By now, she was writhing in her sheets, her face covered in sweat.
I didn’t waste any time. I cut her bond to Adam as if I were cutting a string.
The bond dissolved and vanished.
Olana breathed out in relief. “The pain is gone. Thank you, Remy.”
I kissed her on her sweaty forehead. “You’re free of that asshole, now. Rest, my dear.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
I took a bath in the hot pool, then decided to make an overdue visit to Emperor Dukas and Samantha.
When I arrived at the palace in Heimdal, Dukas was having lunch. He invited me to join him.
“Regarding the wedding,” he said, “we need to set a date. How does just before the New Year sound?”
If I could clear the Vaulted Ceiling and marry Samantha just before the year’s end, I’d have achieved my two most important missions, all within the year.
“That sounds splendid,” I said. “How is Samantha doing?”
“Sam is just fine,” he replied. “She keeps asking about you. About when you’re going to visit. I keep reminding her that you’re a king, and that you’re busy. But it wouldn’t hurt for you to go and see her. She’ll feel like she matters, that way.”
“She does matter. Very much.”
Dukas chewed a piece of his steak, then wiped the sauce off his lips with a kerchief. “I know this is a political arrangement for the sake of peace, but I… I always wanted to see Sam happy. It wasn’t by choice that I imprisoned her, here. It was by necessity. I hope you understand that.”
I snickered, even though I knew it was rude to do so. “You call yourself emperor, and yet you bend to such an unjust necessity. You could have been a leader, instead. You could have made your people realize that curseborn deserve to live freely. You could have striven toward that end, for the sake of your daughter’s happiness. And yet you just…” I stopped myself from insulting him further.
Dukas waved for his attendants to leave the room. He pushed his plate away. “When you’re a ruler, whether it’s of a tiny island or an entire empire, you must pick your battles. And you must also realize that every single decision you make means more enemies. Sometimes it’s wiser to choose the decision that makes the least enemies, even if it means hurting someone you love very much.”
I understood what he meant, but I did not agree with it. “There are some battles worth fighting, Emperor Dukas. Since I came to this world, I’ve fought ceaselessly so that my curseborn wives can live freely. This battle is more important to me than the entire world, and I will not stop fighting it.” I stood up. “That’s why I must make my intentions crystal clear to you. I will walk away from this marriage if you do not declare that all curseborn are free within your realm.”
“If you walk away from this marriage, there will be war between us.”
“A war I’m willing to fight. The question is, are you?”
Dukas sat in silence for a moment. Then he let out a big sigh. “I am too old to fight you. Too old, too tired, and too scarred from the battles I’ve already fought.” Dukas stood and walked over to me. He looked me in the eyes. “Once you marry Samantha, I will declare you as my heir. Then I will abdicate the throne. After your ascension, as Emperor of the Twin Crescent Empire, you can declare whatever you like, as long as you’re prepared to fight for it.”
He held out his hand for me to shake. As much as I disagreed with how he’d ruled his empire, I had no choice but to respect him.
The weight of his decision hit me like a truck: ruling a tiny island was difficult enough, but an entire empire? How was I going to manage that?
Dukas was right. I had to pick my battles, and this was a battle I’d already picked. If I became emperor and declared that all curseborn should be free, it could begin the end of the subjugation of curseborn throughout Lumaria.
I took his hand and shook it.
We fought plenty more monsters on our journey through the cave. Finally, we came upon something man made: a door. It was covered in strange, glowing runes.
“The Bondcutting Blade must be in here,” Johana said. She tried pushing the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Step aside.” I cracked my knuckles. Time to put my high strength to use.
I pushed against the door. It seemed to push back against me just as hard.
Leric laughed. “So much for your high strength build.”
“It’s a magical door, okay?” I said as I grunted in frustration. “Clearly we have to figure out how to open it.” Which didn’t require strength, but rather intelligence. I was now intelligent enough to realize that.
“Well…” Johana scratched her head. “Can anyone read these runes?”
Esme, Ayla, and Maria all shrugged and shook their heads.
I stared at the door. My mind began to connect the runes, as if they were pieces of a puzzle.
I touched one of the runes. Like an icon on a touch screen, it followed my finger as I moved it around the door.
“Holy-moly,” Tara said. “It moves!”
I began connecting the runes together, as if I were playing a puzzle game on a tablet. Once they were all connected, the door glowed with a fierce, green light. The light was so bright, it was almost blinding. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, the door was gone.
Everyone jumped for joy.
Intelligence really was a useful stat. Perhaps I ought to pump it up some more.
The room we entered was nothing like the cave we’d been in this entire time. It glowed from the light of blue crystals jutting out of the walls and ceiling. The ground was paved with limestone, which was so polished, it reflected the light of the glowing crystals.
Something glimmered at the far end of the room: upon an altar sat a blade. It resembled a crusader style sword, but with an ovular cross guard instead of a T-shaped one.
“The Bondcutting Blade!” Johana said.
“And we didn’t even have to fight a boss to get it,” I remarked happily. “Such an important item, guarded by trash mobs.”
“You calling me a trash mob?” The voice came from behind us. “That’s a low blow.”
We all spun around to face the strange man who was standing at the threshold of the room. He was wearing a turban and was covered by a flowing, green robe.
I conjured my red sword and wielded it in his direction. “Who the hell are you?”
The man chuckled. “Relax. I’m not going to fight you, King Remy.”
“You know who I am?”
“Indeed I do. I have many eyes. Eyes that watch this world and others.”
“Are you… are you a Deep One?”
The man laughed and shook his head. “Oh no, I am not one among the gods. But I once aspired to be. I come from a small village, you see. A beautiful, stone-built haven amid a lush forest. We were all very devout. And it led us to our doom.”
With my higher intelligence, I somehow knew what he was talking about. I put away my red sword. “You’re from the 1st floor of the Underground Forest.”
“Indeed, the very place you now call home.” The man smiled. He had red eyebrows.
A collective gasp sounded from our group.
“How did you get stuck here?” Esme asked.
“I was one of the high priests,” he replied. “This is my punishment for leading my people astray. The gods I so adored tasked me to live in this cave and watch over this blade, for an eternity. A curse for being a good, worshipful servant, I suppose. Luckily, my eyes in the outside world do provide some entertainment. And no one has entertained me quite like you, King Remy. Should you defeat the Shadowsoul, perhaps my curse will be lifted, too.” He pointed to the Bondcutting Blade. “So take it, and do with it what you will.”
I nodded. “What’s your name, friend?”
“Alas, it has been so long since it was uttered, that even I have forgotten it.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Perhaps you’ll remember it, once I end the curse of the Shadowsoul.”
I made a fast travel point while Johana took the Bondcutting Blade. We returned to Whispering Waters.
We took the blade to Olana. When I held it in my hands, I could see the tethers connecting everyone. The tether connecting her to Adam was thin and purplish, like a sick vein. It throbbed with the pain it was pumping into Olana. By now, she was writhing in her sheets, her face covered in sweat.
I didn’t waste any time. I cut her bond to Adam as if I were cutting a string.
The bond dissolved and vanished.
Olana breathed out in relief. “The pain is gone. Thank you, Remy.”
I kissed her on her sweaty forehead. “You’re free of that asshole, now. Rest, my dear.”
She nodded and closed her eyes.
I took a bath in the hot pool, then decided to make an overdue visit to Emperor Dukas and Samantha.
When I arrived at the palace in Heimdal, Dukas was having lunch. He invited me to join him.
“Regarding the wedding,” he said, “we need to set a date. How does just before the New Year sound?”
If I could clear the Vaulted Ceiling and marry Samantha just before the year’s end, I’d have achieved my two most important missions, all within the year.
“That sounds splendid,” I said. “How is Samantha doing?”
“Sam is just fine,” he replied. “She keeps asking about you. About when you’re going to visit. I keep reminding her that you’re a king, and that you’re busy. But it wouldn’t hurt for you to go and see her. She’ll feel like she matters, that way.”
“She does matter. Very much.”
Dukas chewed a piece of his steak, then wiped the sauce off his lips with a kerchief. “I know this is a political arrangement for the sake of peace, but I… I always wanted to see Sam happy. It wasn’t by choice that I imprisoned her, here. It was by necessity. I hope you understand that.”
I snickered, even though I knew it was rude to do so. “You call yourself emperor, and yet you bend to such an unjust necessity. You could have been a leader, instead. You could have made your people realize that curseborn deserve to live freely. You could have striven toward that end, for the sake of your daughter’s happiness. And yet you just…” I stopped myself from insulting him further.
Dukas waved for his attendants to leave the room. He pushed his plate away. “When you’re a ruler, whether it’s of a tiny island or an entire empire, you must pick your battles. And you must also realize that every single decision you make means more enemies. Sometimes it’s wiser to choose the decision that makes the least enemies, even if it means hurting someone you love very much.”
I understood what he meant, but I did not agree with it. “There are some battles worth fighting, Emperor Dukas. Since I came to this world, I’ve fought ceaselessly so that my curseborn wives can live freely. This battle is more important to me than the entire world, and I will not stop fighting it.” I stood up. “That’s why I must make my intentions crystal clear to you. I will walk away from this marriage if you do not declare that all curseborn are free within your realm.”
“If you walk away from this marriage, there will be war between us.”
“A war I’m willing to fight. The question is, are you?”
Dukas sat in silence for a moment. Then he let out a big sigh. “I am too old to fight you. Too old, too tired, and too scarred from the battles I’ve already fought.” Dukas stood and walked over to me. He looked me in the eyes. “Once you marry Samantha, I will declare you as my heir. Then I will abdicate the throne. After your ascension, as Emperor of the Twin Crescent Empire, you can declare whatever you like, as long as you’re prepared to fight for it.”
He held out his hand for me to shake. As much as I disagreed with how he’d ruled his empire, I had no choice but to respect him.
The weight of his decision hit me like a truck: ruling a tiny island was difficult enough, but an entire empire? How was I going to manage that?
Dukas was right. I had to pick my battles, and this was a battle I’d already picked. If I became emperor and declared that all curseborn should be free, it could begin the end of the subjugation of curseborn throughout Lumaria.
I took his hand and shook it.
