《Adventures in Balkania》 Welcome to Balkania In the mountainous peninsula to the west of the Great Continent, far from the riches of Santara, the orderly dominion of Tionghoa, and the intrigue of Mata Hari, lied the Kingdom of Balkania. Ruled by King Dubrovnik, second of his name, Balkania was a realm of adventurers. Here was the winds of magic at their strongest, where monsters of all kinds and sizes still roamed the roads. The men and women of Balkania were as hardy as their realm was humble. Theirs was a realm of faith, where the worship of the God of the gods - Bogan as He was known here - remained strong even as the world as large was corrupting towards idolatry. Those who could etch their names in this realm could surely do so anywhere else in the world. Sombor son of Adrianopol hailed not from Balkania; he instead came from the east, from the mercantile marches of Pontica. The second son of a noble, he left his father¡¯s estate to become a knight-errant, to defend the innocent in distress and fight evil wherever he could find. Armed with his armor, his sword, and his faith, the journey of Sombor the Paladin soon led him to Balkania, where the Army of Darkness from the north was preparing to descend upon and make way for the rise of the Demon King. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The realm of Balkania had many towns and villages but only one city, named also Balkania. Here at the capital adventurers gathered at the Guild Hall, merchants sold their wares in the market, the King maintained order from the Royal Palace, and the Great Sage kept watch from his tower. Tirana daughter of Skopje was powerful in magic - too powerful. Her father, Skopje the Great Sage, tried to teach her restraint, to mold her into a worthy successor, to protect Balkania through magic. Yet she rejected her father¡¯s path, and instead chose the path of the warrior. Having left her father¡¯s estate in rebellion, Tirana the Mage Knight entered the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to make her name and prove her strength. From this point on, the paths of Sombor and Tirana soon merged into one, that of the adventurers of Balkania.
First Meeting with Tirana The floor guardian had been taken down, but the job was not finished. The paladin shook his head. A mix of concern and amusement emanated from his face as he saw the fallen mage knight. ¡°First dungeon?¡± Kneeling beside her, he took out his stick of Phoenix Salts and placed it just above her nose. The revival item, a staple for adventurers of Balkania, soon did its job. The mage knight stirred, her eyes opened weakly. ¡°Ouch,¡± she groaned, looking up to her rescuer. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that dying dragon would lash out its tail like that. I should have been more alert. My apologies for being such a burden, umm¡­¡± ¡°Sombor,¡± he said, reaching out a hand to her; eagerly, she took it. ¡°And don¡¯t apologize, my lady. Your magic was instrumental in taking down that guardian. You are a rookie, but your potential is as clear as your fire magic. What is your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Tirana,¡± she said, now back up on her feet. She bowed with respect. ¡°I thank you, Sir Sombor. The way you fight¡­ I can tell tell you¡¯re no ordinary knight. Care to share your story?¡± Sombor shook his head. ¡°My tale is a lengthy one. And judging by your attire, you struck me as no ordinary adventurer either.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Tirana smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a long story as well. Let¡¯s make a deal. You tell your story, and I¡¯ll tell mine. What says you?¡± ¡°No time, my lady. I need to get going.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean, we need to get going?¡± Sombor¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t take on students. Nor do I stick in one place. Once true peace returns to this kingdom, I shall move on.¡± The mage knight smirked, her eyes sizing up the paladin. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to keep up won¡¯t I?¡± Seemingly accepting the arrangement, Sombor said nothing; he looked around, and soon found what he was looking for. He reached down and grabbed the serpentine skull that was on the floor. Tirana gasped; flashes of her father, the Great Sage, entered her mind. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± ¡°Dragon bone, yes,¡± responded Sombor. He threw it to his newfound companion, forcing her to catch it. ¡°It¡¯s yours now.¡± Tirana gazed upon the dragon bone she held. ¡°But this beast¡­¡± ¡°...was taken down by your fire,¡± Sombor finished. ¡°The one with the killing boot gets the real loot. That¡¯s the third article of the Adventurers¡¯ Code, right?¡± ¡°Well of course, but¡­.¡± Tirana¡¯s eyes widened; the mage knight¡¯s hold on her newfound treasure tightened as the implication finally set in. ¡°Sir Sombor, you could have taken the dragon bone for yourself and left me lying on the ground¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± responded Sombor, his face impassive. ¡°I only did what is right in the eyes of Bogan.¡± He turned around, his hand beckoning his new companion, unsolicited but not unwelcomed. ¡°Now let us move on, the next floor awaits.¡± Tirana straightened her posture, trying her best not to give away her excitement. ¡°O-of course. I¡¯m right behind you, boss!¡± Time to Fall Back Tirana woke up suddenly - almost violently - to a pungent, yet alluring smell. Her eyes opened weakly, her head banging like it was about to explode. Her bare arms felt the cold stone of the floor. Over her head was a stick of white material - Phoenix Salts - held by her companion. She looked up to see her rescuer, Sombor, taking a deep breath - his relief evident. She groaned, ¡°W-what happened?¡± The mage knight desperately tried to recall what led to her incapacitation but her headache was too strong for coherent thoughts. ¡°The floor guardian life-drained you,¡± responded the paladin. ¡°But worry not, I took it down. You¡¯ll have your loot when we get back.¡± Tirana stood up, hand on her head. ¡°Thanks, boss. Time to push on?¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Sombor said, shaking his head. ¡°That was your fifth KO. We should definitely go back. Remember the disclaimer?¡± * Going Dungeon Crawling? Don¡¯t forget your Phoenix Salts! Revive your KO-ed party members back to consciousness in no time. DISCLAIMER: Only use Phoenix Salts when absolutely necessary. Phoenix Salts does NOT heal your wounds. Heavy use of Phoenix Salts may disguise serious injuries. After revival, go see a medicine man as soon as possible. Do NOT go further in your dungeon crawling. The Phoenix Salts Guilds Alliance (PSGA) and their merchants are NOT responsible for any deaths or serious injuries of adventurers on account of their abuse of Phoenix Salts. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. WARNING: Side effects include headache, loss of smell, and addiction. * Tirana frowned. ¡°You mean the PSGA crap? I don¡¯t read that, no one does.¡± ¡°Well you should have, you dumb damsel!¡± he cried. ¡°Phoenix Salts don¡¯t heal your wound, they only wake you up.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it,¡± she said, picking up her sword. ¡°I seem to feel worse every time I wake up.¡± Sombor nodded. ¡°Sounds about right. Anything else? What about your sense of smell?¡± Tirana narrowed her eyes. ¡°What about it? I don¡¯t remember smelling anything, other than the salts. Something about them really draws me in, so much so that¡­..¡± She stopped. ¡°Well?¡± said Sombor, furrowing his brows. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°But it sounds kind of weird.¡± ¡°I understand, just go on.¡± ¡°O-okay. So much so that I look forward to getting KO¡¯ed so I can smell it again,¡± Tirana finally said. Sombor took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s time to fall back.¡± He took her hand, holding the teleporter crystal. ¡°And I¡¯m getting you to a medicine man.¡± Tirana frowned. ¡°T-trust me, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°No, Rana!¡± responded Sombor, his tone sharp. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, not when it comes to this.¡± As he said this, he wrapped his arm around her waist. ¡°We¡¯re going back, and that¡¯s final!¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Tirana did not resist; if anything, she melted into Sombor¡¯s embrace. Fully understanding how tightly held she was, her face was red as a tomato. ¡°You always look out for me, Som¡ªboss. Thank you.¡± Sombor looked away, his face a mix of happiness and discomfort. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Rana. After all we¡¯ve been through, I admit I¡¯ve grown a little fond of you. So I¡¯d hate to lose your pretty face.¡± The End of Tirana ¡°Ten years, O Paladin. That¡¯s how much time your pitiful kingdom will have until I return once more.¡± Such were the Demon King¡¯s words as he was disappearing into the void, leaving only the paladin¡¯s holy blade pointing in the air. But Sombor the paladin cared not, instead he turned his eyes to the fallen Tirana. The mage knight lied prone on the ground, unresponsive. Sombor flipped her over, only to be greeted by her lifeless eyes and open gaping mouth. The paladin looked away from that haunting sight, closing his companion¡¯s eyes and mouth with his hand. He took out a stick of Phoenix Salts and, despite being all but certain of the outcome, he waved it in a futile attempt to revive her. ¡°Rana! Rana! Wake up!¡± Yet she didn¡¯t. The paladin¡¯s worst nightmare seemed to have come, and he struggled to accept it. He dug through Tirana¡¯s belongings in the hopes of finding a clue, anything to fix her. And his eyes widened as soon as he found a small white vial, and what it contained¡­ Raw Phoenix Salts. And it all made sense now. Her magic, already powerful, had been unnaturally so as of late. Her newfound endurance, how she was able to take all those hits that would have knocked her out over and over and over again¡­ yet she was still standing, fighting. Regular Phoenix Salts gave just enough boost to revive, nothing more. But in its raw form, it gave unparalleled powers to its users at the cost of stronger side effects, and the risk of sudden death through cardiac arrest. Sombor figured something was off, but he didn¡¯t question it. The Demon King was his priority. And he thought little of it until the mage knight collapsed in the fight, seemingly out of nowhere, no enemy attacks, none. She just¡­ fell. A mixture of regret and desperation was now overtaking the paladin. From afar, he saw a group of men in white coats¡­ medicine men and clerics. The paladin shouted at them with the panicked tone that not even the Demon King and his assorted gallery of horrors were able to elicit. Yet despite the best efforts of the medicine men, it was no good. They looked at Sombor with pity. One of them shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s gone, sir. I¡¯m sorry.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Sombor shouted in agony, and he began to pound on Tirana¡¯s chest. ¡°No! Live, damn you. Live!¡± The paladin¡¯s thoughts wandered, It¡¯s all my fault, if only I had been¡­ God of the gods, please¡­ And he heard a gasp, low and feminine. Sombor stopped. He put a finger on Tirana¡¯s neck, and hope returned. A heartbeat. Putting his face closer to hers, his hope - just a flicker - became a flame. Tirana was breathing steadily. Tears began flowing through the paladin¡¯s eyes as he looked up, his hands spread. ¡°Thank you.¡± The medicine men were stunned. They knew full well that it wasn¡¯t their actions that brought the mage knight back, and they were sure that she was lost. Tirana opened her eyes, her expression weak. ¡°B-boss? What¡¯s going on? Are we victorious?¡± Sombor held her tightly. ¡°Yes, Rana. We are victorious. More than you know. Now let us leave this accursed place.¡± Tirana¡¯s face was red; she was not used to being held tightly by her companion. Yet she didn¡¯t question it; she just nodded. *** All of Balkania celebrated the defeat of the Demon King, and the Adventurers¡¯ Guild Hall was no exception. But Sombor knew he needed a heart-to-heart with Tirana. The mage knight looked down, a guilty look on her face. She knew she had failed; she had told Sombor that she overcame her Phoenix salt addiction long ago. Now it was clear that was a complete lie. Sombor crossed his arms. ¡°Well, Rana. Go on.¡± ¡°I have no excuse,¡± Tirana said. ¡°When the Demon King arrived, the monsters became more powerful¡­ more dangerous¡­¡± ¡°¡­and more numerous,¡± Sombor completed. Tirana nodded. ¡°Yes. You know as well as I am¡ªno, I stand corrected. You know better than I am. How many times had I been knocked out after the Blood Sun appeared on the sky? How many times did you come to my rescue? Again and again and again.¡± Sombor sighed. ¡°And that¡¯s why you procured the raw Phoenix Salts.¡± ¡°It was the only way I can keep up with you,¡± Tirana said, tears in her eyes. ¡°But now it¡¯s clear that I¡¯m simply not strong enough for you. And now that peace had returned to Balkania, you¡¯ll leave me behind won¡¯t you? Off to your next errantry.¡± The paladin took a deep breath before he took Tirana in his arms. The mage knight gasped in surprise, but she didn¡¯t resist. ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m staying, Rana.¡± Tirana¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡± Sombor nodded. ¡°In his death throes, the Demon King told me¡­ ten years he will return.¡± ¡°I¡­I see.¡± ¡°More importantly¡­.¡± Sombor put his face close to Tirana¡¯s, then he kissed her. ¡°I love you, Rana. Not because of your strength, but because of who you are. Tirana, will you marry me?¡± For Tirana, this was her breaking point; she melted into his arms. ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯ll marry you, Sir Sombor. As if there was ever any doubt.¡±