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<div>
Name: John
Title: Summoned Hero*
Class: None
General Skills:
<blockquote>
Language of men - Lvl 10 - Passive
Identify Lvl 5 - Active
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Special Skills:
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Hide Presence Lvl 2 - Active
Void Walker Lvl 1 - Passive
Blessing of Forgotten Gods Lvl 5 - Passive
</blockquote>
Status:
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Vitality: 18
Endurance: 25
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 21
Intelligence: 45
Wisdom: 52
</blockquote>
Health: 10/50
Stamina: 6/20
Mana: 98/100
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Health: 9/50
Stamina: 5/20
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Health: 8/50
Stamina: 4/20
....
Again." He commanded.
Speak."
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That''s what it was, then: one more chance.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Face to face, I knew there was no lying to this man. Already, I''d seen enough to label the Baron as dangerous. Unpredictable and maybe even a little unhinged- the Baron might well have been those, too, but he was also being honest with me. So, depending on my answer, I''d live, or I''d die.
The question now, really, was what he wanted to hear.
"There was no shipwreck." I started with that, judging for a reaction.
Beyond a slight nod for me to continue, his face revealed nothing.
"But, there was an accident that allowed me a chance to escape." I chose my words carefully. "And I have no plans to return."
His eyes narrowed.
I hadn''t lied. No... I had simply omitted.
Hopefully, that distinction was enough.
"Desertion, is it? You... you are an interesting one." The Baron stated, as he rose back to full height. "The Empire isn''t known for letting their prized possessions off the leash so easily."
"You''re right." I answered. "It wasn''t easy."
There wasn''t much else I could say to that. The true story behind my arrival wasn''t going to do me much in the way of favors.
A botched teleport scroll, landing in the Forest of Madness... Even for a world like this, I doubted anyone was going to believe what had happened to me without proof. Muddying the waters with that story, was probably not in my best interest.
"It has been many years, but when I was a [Soldier] for the Kingdom, a Hero gave me this in battle." The Baron ran a finger along his scar. "I was lucky to have come away with my life, that first time."
He let the silence in our conversation lapse.
"And the second?" I asked, daring to speak, only after a moment had passed. "What happened then?"
"Then, I lost nearly every [Soldier] under my command." The Baron answered. "And, it was celebrated as a victory. The Kingdom has no love for the Empire, Hero. Neither do we, here in the Free Lands."
I swallowed, throat as dry as sand, as the silence stretched, again.
There was no safe ground, in this conversation. Metaphorically speaking, there were landmines and pitfalls at every corner, and I knew that if I said the wrong thing, it was over.
Should I try to leverage my value as a Hero? The thought seemed to be my best option, but I wasn''t certain I wanted to take it. Would doing so backfire? Would it give the Baron as a true reason to see me as a threat?
I felt my thoughts drifting back to the sparks of flame, as I tried to find an answer: anything, that might help.
Before I could find one, though, the Baron spoke again.
"That is how it has to be, I suppose. How they mold you. Indoctinate you." The Baron mused. "Heroes, always serving the Empire. Willing to do anything, for the Empire."
He gestured to someone, beckoning their approach.
It was a Guard, large- if not larger than Bruiser, who seemed to be visibly shaking with effort. Their arms were straining, muscles bulging, as they handed the Baron a massive piece of steel.
"The chosen warriors, who have crushed cities, who have burned entire nations." He lifted it from their grip with ease: war hammer glinting in the stone lights above. "Always, in the name of the Empire." He finished.
I felt hope deflate.
It hadn''t been much, just a fleeting, desperate thing: but for a second, I''d thought I might have a chance. One last shot at survival.
But, this was the end.
"Tell me, do you have any final words, John the [Hero]?"
The hammer rose to its apex, and I could see the strength imbued in that weapon. There, above my head, rested pure power. Swirling through the air, until the metal glowed with violence.
Watching it, I couldn''t help but think of those sparks, those fires, one last time.
I felt robbed, in some sense. Not just of my life, but that there was something, just barely at the edge of my reach. A secret, I would never get a chance to grasp. Power I''d never get to hold.
But, at least I''d seen it.
Raining down from the sky. That ferocity and destruction, built on hating something so much, that you burned it away until there was nothing left.
Even if I wouldn''t ever get to learn to hold that power: I felt could understand the sentiment behind it, completely.
"Fuck the Empire." I said, as the hammer came down. "And fuck you."