Champions Vol 02

Volume Two: Trials

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. All characters that engage in sexual acts are of the legal age of consent. Any similarities between real people are purely coincidental.

This is the second installment of the Champions Saga. If you have not read the first story, go back and read it. If you have, go to the re-release (Champions Vol. 1) and re-read chapters 38-40. Some significant changes were made in the final revision.

After much deliberation I have decided to release the story I had intended as Volume Two in two separate parts, rather than as a single work. It will be released as this Volume Two, and the following Volume Three. I am unsure if this is the correct decision, but as with everything else in this series I am learning as I go. Hopefully this will ultimately prove to be the right call.

Also, if anyone catches the 10

th

Mountain reference let me know in the comments (my nod to the 'other' Air Assault command). It is hidden, but it's there if you know what you are looking for.

Copyright © 2017

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Volume 2 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Physical scars are our body's reminder of the cost of doing dumb shit.

Mental scars are our brain's vote on the matter.

*** Prologue ***

(Then)

Lykos knelt before the intimidating presence of the Shadow Lord. He was in the center of a darkened room, one which he had been brought to blindfolded. He assumed he was somewhere in Exitibus, but he could not be certain. He felt that he was underground, as he had been led down a series of steps before arriving here. He desperately wished to look around at his surroundings, but the Shadow Lord before him demanded his full attention.

"Lykos, do you know why you are here?" asked the Shadow Lord, Cassius, from beneath his hood.

"No, Lord," he replied.

"You must have some suspicions I wager," Cassius solicited.

"A few, Lord," Lykos offered cautiously.

"Then by all means share them with us," the Shadow Lord requested menacingly. His words were followed by a few soft chuckles from elsewhere in the room.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Lykos decided that honesty was the best approach. The Shadow Guild was an organization that prized deception of the outside world, but only the outside world. Within its ranks total honesty was the only safe course of action, and there were rumors that the Night Lord could detect any falsehood by pulling the truth directly from one's mind.

"Shadowmaster Whisper has been missing for a few days, after he failed an important mission for the Night Lord. In the guild that only means one thing...he was retired," Lykos explained. "I had expected a public 'retirement' given the nature of the failure, but after the arrest of Lysandros yesterday I suspect he has been off the job since that night."

There were a few rumbles in the darkness surrounding him at his words, but Cassius raised a hand to quiet them. "Continue," he commanded.

"I assume that Lysandros will do exactly as we are all instructed, and profess the lack of any surviving accomplices. This will eventually be a problem when an Inquisitor arrives -- as they will be able to see through the falsehood -- but until then the incompetent sheriff and his love-besotted bitch will be no threat to us," Lykos explained his assumptions with a growing sense of confidence.

That confidence was shattered by a deep, soulless chuckle from the darkness behind the Shadow Lord. The blood drained from Lykos' face as he realized only one person could possibly make such a sound.

The Night Lord is here!

he thought, suddenly very afraid.

No one but the Shadow Lord and the Shadowmasters ever met the Night Lord and lived. It was whispered -- always with fear -- that the only time a guild member met him was at the moment before their death.

The chuckling continued for a few moments, then a voice that Lykos prayed to never hear again spoke. "He is not a total idiot, Shadow Lord, but he could stand to learn a bit more respect for our adversaries."

"I agree my Lord," Cassius replied, turning his cowled head respectfully to face the shadows containing the unquestioned leader of the Shadow Guild. Returning his gaze to Lykos he continued, "As my Lord has mentioned you are not a total idiot. Please finish your thoughts, and we will decide if you are smart enough to be worthy of our further interest."

Realizing that these may be his last words in this life, Lykos continued carefully, "Because of the loss of so many Destroyers five nights ago, there are now too few of them to effectively perform their missions. Shadowmaster Blade's men have tried to assist when able, but they have their own jobs to do. In short, the Shadow Guild is weakened by the loss of so many men in a single night; and without a new Shadowmaster Whisper to recruit, train, and organize replacements the remaining men are becoming restless. Something has to be done to resolve the issue before it can worsen."

Murmurs of appreciation and approval flitted from the other occupants, but Lykos' gaze remained fixed on the Shadow Lord. From the response of those in the room he began to suspect why he was here, and he worked to keep his excitement from his face as the thrilling thought ran through his head.

"So, are you suggesting that we make an example of a few of the more vocal malcontents within the Destroyers?" the Shadow Lord baited him.

"No, Lord," Lykos replied, breaking his gaze from the man for the first time to shake his head emphatically. "The loss of more men at this time would only further weaken the guild. What they need is strong leadership, hopefully from someone smart enough to avoid the mistakes made by his predecessors."

The Shadow Lord nodded his head in recognition of Lykos' comment. The man was no fool, and unlike the other Destroyers, who were more brawn than brains, Lykos was a thinker and a schemer. He was a man that could be useful under the right circumstances, but he would need to be watched.

"Then I suggest you proceed cautiously, Shadowmaster Whisper," Cassius cautioned his new leader. "It would be an unfortunate annoyance if I were forced to 'retire' you as well."

Grinning, Lykos nodded in acceptance of his new promotion. The risks were high, Shadowmasters were not known for their longevity, but the power and opportunities that came with the position were things he had always dreamed of. He had confidence that he would be more successful than his predecessors.

Stepping from the shadows around Lykos, Shadowmaster Blade and Shadowmaster Hood greeted their newly promoted compatriot. As Lykos rose from his knees and shook hands with his peers, the Shadow Lord interrupted with a brief message.

"Lysandros will not be your concern Shadowmaster. I have taken steps to eliminate that problem. However, from now on all of your men are your responsibility. Their successes will be yours to claim, and their failures will be yours to answer for," Cassius cautioned Lykos.

Lykos took a nervous gulp and nodded.

The Night Lord then addressed his new lackey. "Tell me Shadowmaster, how will you rebuild?"

* * *

(Now)

"You have done well, Shadowmaster Whisper," the Shadow Lord congratulated Lykos.

They were standing in a back alley of Exitibus, and the recently promoted Shadowmaster was informing his superior of his recruitment efforts. At the Night Lord's command every Shadowmaster had been instructed to increase their numbers. Whisper's task was the hardest, given the additional losses that he had to replace, and his efforts in that regard had been exemplary.

"Thank you, Lord," Lykos accepted the compliment. "At this rate we should reach the Night Lord's goal of four score destroyers by the end of this season."

"I will inform the Night Lord of your efforts, and your estimates," Cassius informed him. "Know that the Night Lord does not appreciate idle boasts, and neither do I. You have little more than a month left."

Lykos nodded at the Shadow Lord's cautioning words. "It will be done, Lord."

"How goes the training?" the Shadow Lord inquired, moving the discussion along.

"Well, my Lord," Whisper assured him. "An experienced Destroyer has been paired with each of the new recruits, and some of them are already competent enough to be deployed in the city. The rest are coming along well. Thus far we have only had two recruits that did not work out, and Shadowmaster Blade arranged their 'accidents' with his usual efficiency."

Cassius nodded. Lykos seems to have been a good choice for the position.

"And how are you preparing them for The Inquisition?"

The new Shadowmaster Whisper hesitated at this question. With their powerful magic, especially their truth detection, The Inquisition was the greatest fear of the Shadow Guild. All members had specific instructions, given to them when they joined, that supposedly came directly from the Night Lord. They were to answer as truthfully as possible; and each member was trained on how to present their actions as 'versions' of the truth that were factually accurate, but also cast their actions in the most beneficial light. The hope was that doing so would allow them to pass idle scrutiny, but any manner of concerted investigation would likely see through their obfuscations.

"I am following the Night Lord's instructions to the letter, my Lord," began the Shadowmaster. "But I am concerned that our training will not succeed against an Inquisitor. Would it be possible to gain access to a skilled sorcerer or sorceress accomplished in mental magic to test a few of our men?"

"It is possible Shadowmaster," the Shadow Lord replied ominously. "But those accomplished with such magic are rare, and both the tester and the testees would likely need to be eliminated afterwards. Do you believe that the risk is great enough to warrant the loss of personnel and the exposure that such eliminations may bring?"

Lykos flinched at his tone. The idea that conducting such a test would result in the death of the sorcerer was a possibility that he had considered, but the loss of their own men was not. Upon considering the issue however, perhaps he could not only confirm some of his suspicions but also neutralize a few rivals within his own ranks.

"I believe the benefit would be worth the risk, my Lord," Whisper finally answered hesitantly.

"Then I shall pass your recommendation to the Night Lord. If he approves then selecting the magic-user and those to be tested will be your responsibility, as will ensuring the security of the testing and resolving any issues that occur," Cassius warned his subordinate. "This is your idea, which means that it is your mess to clean up if it fails."

Lykos began to smile at the increase in authority he had been granted, but was quickly brought back to reality by the Shadow Lord's next words.

"However, if the Night Lord does not approve of your ambitious plan I suspect he will visit you personally to convey his disappointment."

*** Chapter 1: A Conversation Concluded ***

151200APR13 DW

The Field of Woe, Erosius

"Yes, my child,

you

are the next Champion of Eros."

Eros' announcement that Laurena was his next Champion was received differently by each of the three travelers. Laurena had been shocked into silence by his statement. Sapphire was initially surprised, but then overcame it and happily congratulated her friend. She understood becoming the next Champion of Eros was a unique honor for the former acolyte, but also an overwhelming responsibility. David's response was less exuberant.

"Huh," he said laconically, "I didn't see that coming."

Less than impressed with his vote of confidence for her friend, Sapphire shot him a scathing look. He merely shrugged in return.

"Eros made an excellent choice in you Laurena," Sapphire offered, turning back to encourage her friend. "I know it'll take some time for you to fully accept this enormous responsibility, but I truly believe he could not have chosen a better person to take up the mantle of Champion."

Turning to her friend, Laurena finally broke from her silence at those words, "But what about David?" she blurted out, still having trouble processing that

she,

and not David, was the next Champion.

"He's already spoken for," Sapphire explained calmly. The Dracian missed the flash of jealousy and regret that momentarily ghosted across Laurena's face at these words. Eros and David did not. "The Creator had already claimed him before he came to us. David was

never

intended to be the next Champion of Eros, you were. We just didn't realize it at the time."

Laurena worked to clamp down on the jealously she felt after hearing the possible double meaning of Sapphire's statement. Then she thought about her friend's words, and they began to make sense. The previous Champion, Ophelia, had fallen less than full winter before she was born. Laurena's exceptional beauty was clearly granted to her because Eros had chosen her before birth to be the next Champion. It was her destiny.

However, a small, quiet voice in her head reminded her that if it had been her destiny, then why had she failed the tests for priestess twice? She tried to ignore it. It persisted, reminding her of what Astinus had said to her that final day in Wolfsvale. Annoyed by its persistence she chose to argue with it instead, suggesting that obviously it was the will of Eros that she should remain an acolyte until she took up the mantle of Champion. That had to be the answer. It took some amount of additional internal arguing, but the voice eventually faded into silence.

Suddenly feeling more confident about her god's revelation, she turned to Eros and asked, "Where is the Tomb of Champions?"

"It is on a small island northwest of Erosius," he explained. "Its location is only known by a small number of clergy, and the nearest one is in Calavius. Philotheos is the Senior Priest at my temple there, and also a historian. All of the historians have been eagerly hoping for a visit from my next Champion for over two decades, so I imagine he will be quite pleased to be the first of them to meet you."

Laurena cracked a small smile at the mental image of that meeting.

Yes

, she thought,

I imagine he will be quite pleased to see me

.

"Understand Laurena, while I have chosen you as my Champion you will not gain the full measure of power for this role until you complete the Trials," Eros cautioned her. "Part of that power is now already available to you, so that you might practice wielding it responsibly; but the rest will only be yours after you have been deemed worth."

Laurena's flaring jubilance was quenched by this announcement. She had thought that her selection as Eros' Champion was already decided, but this now sounded as though she could fail and possibly lose the position.

"What happens if I fail the Trials my Lord?" Laurena asked nervously.

"Then you will have to try again. The only way to fail is to not be ready. You may need to spend some time in private reflection, talk with the Keeper, or even leave the Isle entirely before you are prepared to return and make another attempt.

"However, I doubt that will be the case. There is a reason that I chose you, and I believe you might be able to pass the Trials even if you were to face them today. With two months of training and contemplation on the responsibilities of the role you now fulfill, I have complete faith you will only have to face the Trials once," Eros finished with a gentle smile.

"Unless you have any further questions for me, I believe it is time for me to go. Laurena, while I am certain you are excited to begin the next stage of your journey, keep in mind you must also rest and recover from the many things that have happened already," the god advised. "Also, remember what we spoke about last night. What you did was what you had to do, and I forgive you for it. Please try to forgive yourself as well."

Laurena's mood further plummeted hearing these words. She had been so happy that morning she had completely forgotten their desperate fight just a day and a half ago. Suddenly the image of a man charging her flashed in her mind. His face was unwashed, unshaven, and twisted in an expression of pure rage. Then, quite suddenly the image changed. Now she was looking down into his lifeless eyes, his face etched with the indescribable pain of his death. A death she had wrought, and sadly one of many that night.

Seeing her expression change so suddenly, Sapphire moved quickly to embrace her friend. The move was comforting to the new Champion, and she lowered her face to hide the tears forming in her eyes. "It will be ok, Laurena," Sapphire murmured. "We're here for you."

David just shook his head, allowing his love to console the new Champion. He would do what he could, when he could, for the young woman; but right now she needed comforting. It was something that he had never been particularly good at, and he was thankful that Sapphire was there to take on that burden. Fighting and killing were difficult things to experience, and they were even harder to live with after the fact.

"That is why she needs you, David," Eros had whispered to him softly, so that only the soldier could hear his words, "you and Sapphire. My Champion has great potential, but she is not ready for what lies ahead. Without you she will fail."

David was forced to agree. It was clear to him that Laurena was trying to change, and she had come a long way from the manipulative, self-indulgent narcissist he had met in the mountains a month ago. Unfortunately, her life up to this point had not prepared her for the burdens she now carried. He would have to do his best to guide her along the correct path until she was.

The hard part was 'How?' How exactly was he supposed to help her forgive herself for what she had done, and for what she would likely have to do in the future, when he had already given up on forgiving himself?

Lost in his own thoughts, David did not notice Eros' departure. Once he finally looked around for the God of Love the deity was already gone. Eros was a

god

, and he couldn't even be bothered to give them a lift to Calavius. Fucking typical.

Sighing with a mixture of resignation and irritation, David walked over to where the women were still firmly embracing and gathered them both up in his arms. He gave Laurena a comforting hug with his right arm, and pulled Sapphire tightly to his body with his left, leaning down to trap her lips in a loving kiss. Those few moments had helped Laurena recover, and when they separated they moved to break camp.

As they packed, each of the three thought on the momentous events of the morning.

David was trying to decide what to do now. They would have time for more training on their way to Calavius, but he also had a number of magical experiments he wanted to try. Should they focus on further weapons and tactics training, or magic? It was a difficult choice, with no answer readily available.

Laurena reflected on David's embrace. Caught up alongside Sapphire, Laurena had begun to flush from David's closeness. She very much enjoyed sleeping with him at night, cuddled up to his side opposite Sapphire. With her face pressed to his chest in the darkened tent, and his arm wrapped around her, she felt safe and comforted. However, during the hug earlier, as David kissed Sapphire, she had also felt aroused. She thought back to the night she watched David and Sapphire make love in the tent. Smiling fondly at the memory, she hoped they might do it again soon.

Interestingly enough, Sapphire was thinking the same thing.

As the Dracian sorceress packed away her tent and saddled Moonbeam, she watched Laurena. She had been encouraged when she saw how much comfort the new Champion had gained from her and David's joint embrace, but she had also noticed that her friend had not been very talkative since. She was worried Laurena was allowing her emotions to pull her back into a bad place.