Drayden and Helvara

“YOU ARE ARTORY!” A voice boomed in the enormous open space of stone. “AND YOU ARE OUR CHOSEN!” I felt the stones shiver all around me. The ground I stood upon was not so. Beneath my feet was the back of a stone turtle.

“Oh, sorry,” I said and jumped off to the equally shaking stone ground of the walled off space. “This is starting a bit confusing.”

“Just go with it,” said a voice off to my side. “It’s better if you just lean into it.” It was a girl my age, but ever stranger than me.

“TAKE UPON A WEAPON!” Boomed the voice in the space. Six columns rose up from the giant floor. “AND YOU SHALL BE OUR CHAMPION!”

“Are you kidding?” I asked. “They’re like two miles apart. It’ll take me half a day to check all six of them before making a choice. Can I get a horse or something?”

“That’s after you choose a weapon,” the girl said with a sly little smile. “Get to it. Didn’t you say you wanted to go and fight monsters?” I looked to her. She was a few inches shorter than my five-ten, with mid-length dark hair to my burgundy short head of hair.

“Walk with me?” I asked, holding out my hand.

“Sure, why not,” she said and skipped off a stone turtle trying to shake her. “Just remember, the weapons may seem useless, but they aren’t.”

“Huh?” I asked. “What do you mean useless?” The open stone field was overgrown with plant life. While the sun was out, there was a charm to the area, but most people didn’t come here for one specific reason. The experience was cringy. Many went from determined to defeated through the encounter in this walled-off area of the old gods.

Some came here from distant lands, with requests for miracles. I wouldn't say that those tasks were impossible for these old gods, but the trek through their challenges was harrowing to say the least. It became a matter of ridicule, and the field of stone became ostracized for being a dead end because it wasn’t a simple spell or journey.

The girl’s name was Helvara, and she’d been through the whole thing with devotion. How she made it through this unreasonable venture, I’d have to ask her later. For now, the rest of the day would be wasted going to and picking a weapon among six stone pillars in the distance.

“Heads up,” she said and jumped into the air. I looked up, but she was gone. I scanned the grasses of the stone surface. They were actually vines with long leaves weaving over the surface of the stone floor. The wind parted them to find a few growling beasts ready to eat a dumbass that ventured out without anything to defend himself.

“Fuck!” I cursed. “Why’d you tell me not to bring any weapons? And why the hell is there creatures to fight BEFORE the damn weapon choice?” I looked around, but Hel was nowhere to be found.

The grass hounds showed up with fangs bared at me, but I knew the least bit to divert their attacks. After I caught one by the snout, I pinned his neck against the stone ground and cracked it with a knee. The others paused their assault to circle me. They tried to hide, but were intent on eating me, so charged again. This time, I had a weapon. Grass hounds had very sturdy tails, with a bladed piece on the very end they sharpened through their adolescence. It made for the simplest whip, but that was enough for now. Once they were all dispatched, Helvara appeared again from the sky.

“Were you seriously sky-walking all that time rather than help me deal with these?” I asked.

“Oh, Drayden,” she said. “I had to go through the same thing. If I didn’t think you could make it, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Let’s keep going.”

“TAKE UPON A WEAPON!” Boomed the pillar we departed from. “AND YOU SHALL BE OUR CHAMPION!” I scanned the fields of grassy stone to find the other pillars missing. There was a gleam of metal at the pillar where the voice came from.

“Oh, for fucks sake!” I exclaimed. “This thing is dicking me around. Couldn’t you have said so, Helvara?” She hid her mouth behind hands to snicker at the obvious mockery of the adventurer's spirit.

“Maybe you didn’t get there fast enough,” she said trying to contain laughter. I felt like she knew how to solve this and only chose to torture me with it, otherwise I’d shake the information out of her in a sparring match.

“They’re seriously too far to even run in that amount of time,” I said. “You’d have to skywalk me or something.”

“Remember, I made it through this waaaay before I could skywalk,” she said. “You’ll figure it out.”

“Alright, I guess we head back to the starting pillar for now. Ah, hell no.” Another pack of grass hounds approached from ahead. There was no time to fight them. I had to outrun them to browse the weapons. Armed with a small whip, I ran into the crowd of equal weapons, but only to pass right through. When I was close with hounds on my heels, the pillar started sinking just like the others.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” I said and jumped to grab hold of a weapon, finding a dead wooden branch. Thinking it was a dud, I let it go, to gaze into another angle revealing a beautiful great sword sinking just out of reach. There was no time to idle as the hounds swarmed. Anger at being dicked around amounted to a quick and brutal dispatching of the green beasts with the use of their friend’s tail.

“What’d you get,” Hel asked from above, walking on the air as if there was an invisible platform there. Though she didn’t intend, this see through piece of air exposed her to my gaze from below. I looked up between her legs to be disappointed by her wearing of shorts underneath her armored skirt.

“I grabbed some frail branch,” I said. “But that was a dud, right? I let it go.” Her eyes went wide.

“You managed to get the stick of truth, and you let it go?” She asked with exasperation. “What’d did I tell you, dummy? They don’t look like much, but are great things.”

“But I saw a superb weapon in there,” I said. “It was this amazing great sword with a shiny woven hilt and gems at the handle. Gods, it was stunning.” Helvara grimaced at his fascination and nudged her head toward the five pillars now up in the field.

“Five?” I asked.

“Well, you did grab hold of one and let it go, didn’t you?”

“Seriously?”

“Commit to it next time.”

The sequence of fighting grass hounds while running to and from the pillars repeated, but each time, I looked for the great sword instead of any other weapon. In that way, I was left with one weapon to choose from. It had to be it, but my stamina was all gone. Luckily, I had a stamina booster tonic. Thanks to that I finally grabbed onto the woven gem emblazoned handle with glee, only to pull out the tiniest dagger.

“That’s… that’s… so unfair,” I said.

“You’re the one that passed on the other five,” Helvara said dropping from the sky onto his shoulders. If he looked up now, he could see a close-up of the skin-tight short shorts, hoping for a peak at the folds beyond, but he studied the small dagger instead. “Be it justice for judging the other things by a filter of beauty. You have chosen, the blade of delusion.” She jumped down and pointed to the original pillar.

“YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE BLADE OF DELUSION!” The heavy voice boomed in the open space. “YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE MOST DIFFICULT TASK!”

“For real?” I asked. “I’m supposed to do some kind of task with this short little thing? He better mean something in the kitchen, but this is… even smaller than a kitchen knife.”

“Don’t be so down, Dray,” Hel said. “I told you not to judge the weapons by what they looked like.”

“Oh yeah? What’d you get then?”

Helvara smiled and pulled out the third to last weapon I encountered, a bundle of string with a pendant. She let the pendant loose, and swung it quickly in a circle until a time when the force launched the piece of metal right through a grass hound trying to sneak up on me from behind.

“This is the bladed necklace,” she said. “It can be worn like jewelry, but is quite deadly when used correctly. I looked at them all before making my choice, but was equally turned away from the stick of truth until I found out about it later on.”

“HA!” I burst out. “You screwed up, too. Good. So what’s this task that they want me to do?”

“You’ll have to go and present your weapon to the initial pillar,” Helvara said. “I just don’t know how you’re going to be able to reach inside with such a tiny blade.” I felt heat arrive to my face at the belittling weapon. If I were to throw it away now and give up, I’d just be like everyone else who have come here to appease these old gods.

“Who did you find out about the stick of truth from?” I asked.

“A traveling merchant had it to sell for one million golden moons,” she said. “I called it ridiculous, but when he demonstrated what it can do, I understood how it was worth that fortune. It was a pacifist’s weapon of never being lied to. He asked me things I didn’t want to share, but when the branch touched my skin, I spoke an answer without meaning to.” My interest was piqued.

“What sort of things did he ask?” I asked.

“Hehe, if you had the stick of truth, you’d know,” she said and put her bladed pendant away onto her neck to look like jewelry.

“A million golden moons…” I mused. “I could have had so many different sets of armor for that. I could even buy a house or something, marry some sexy woman and do so much more.”

“Better hurry,” Hel said. I knew not to take her words lightly anymore. I ran through the field, encountering grass hounds what were no longer a challenge. I didn’t use the dagger to fight them, only the whip tails I’ve acquired on the way through this intensive fighting PICKING OF A WEAPON! This wasn’t even the task yet. This was still the initial part.

When I got to the pillar, I studied it to find the hole where the blade could fit. Once it was inside, the pillar shook along with the ground. When the whole thing started sinking down just like the pillars have before, I pulled on my brand new weapon only to find it stuck. Helvara was laughing at me from above, but I struggled to pull the tiny blade from the stone jaws. When It came loose, I looked to the pillar where the sword was inserted. There was a large blade protruding from the stone, but when it met the ground, there was a groove that fit it perfectly.

“No fucking way,” I said looking at the handle that was just that now. It was a hollow piece of metal with no blade inside. “This is a nightmare. That’s not even a weapon anymore! This sucks, Hel!”

“Stop whining,” she said. “They about to tell you what to do.” Helvara jumped down from her skywalk and sat beside me in the grass. I felt the closeness to her as romantic, but doubted she felt that way. She often remarked that I was like her little brother, even though I’ve always been taller than her growing up.

“BRING US THE HEAD OF TAVERNA, THE WITCH OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS!” The voice boomed from underneath with a shaking of the ground. “DO THIS TO RECEIVE A PLACE AMONGST US IN CADENCE OF THE GODS!”

“Taverna?” I asked. “They don’t mean… the main boss of the hardest dungeon of the highest difficulty area, do they?”

“The very same,” Helvara replied.

“That’s insanity,” I said. “How the hell am I supposed to beat that insane boss with a HILT?”

“I wonder,” she said with that wicked smile on her lips. Something of it made me happy. She loved to torture me in that manner, but I enjoyed seeing her smile nonetheless. I leaned over to her while her eyes were closed and waited until they opened to kiss her.

“I love you,” I said without intending to. The words exited my mouth right after we parted from the kiss.

“You better,” she replied. “I’m spending way too much time with you not to have feelings for me. They are appreciated.”

“You’re so weird,” I said with a smile. “But I kinda love that.”

“Obviously!” She said and skywalked up above me. “You think I don’t see how you look at me? Let me give you a better incentive. If you can defeat Taverna with just that hilt of yours, I will take you into my bed.” I felt a shock from the admission of attraction. The task was impossible, but I wanted to give it my all nonetheless. There was no helping it now. I was caught in her web, fated to meet my end fighting for her, or struggle through into her bedsheets.

“While I believe it’s impossible,” I said. “I will give it my all. For you, Helvara.” She just smiled and set herself down in the sky of the stone space just as the wind took her hair up into the blues. I watched trying to imagine her in my arms.

“We should get going,” she said after a few minutes. “You need to gear up before going after Taverna. I know some people who can help, unless you’d like to attempt her without any armor. I did it with just the bladed necklace around my neck.”

“That’s insane,” I said. “I need gear for sure.”

She walked in the sky where I could not follow like always. I wanted to suggest she walk beside me, but ever since learning the ability, she felt that dirt roads got her dirty. If there was a way to avoid it, she was happy to do so. We walked together in that manner until I had to ask.

“Do you think I can defeat Taverna?” I asked while slowing down.

“Of course,” she said. “It’s about believing in yourself, after all. Don’t you believe in yourself?”

“I’m the guy who has been stuck in my home village ever since becoming a warrior,” I said. “You went off adventuring, experiencing the harsh world of monsters and organizations. I know you’re no longer the girl you were, but I’m still trying to…”

“Trying to what?” She asked, sitting on the edge of an invisible platform. “Trying to tell me something? Didn’t you do that with the kiss?”

“Trying to get your attention,” I said. “I’m still trying to have you notice me as more than just a friend. Now that you’re so much stronger than me, I feel I have no chance.” I looked down to the dirt until I saw her feet standing next to me.

“Don’t you think that’s something I should decide for myself?” She asked and put a hand under my chin to lift my head and meet my eyes. “I think there is something great in you, Drayden. I think you’re stifling it for some reason, but I just want you to see yourself the way I saw you back then.” I put a hand to hers at my chin.

“As what?”

“As a warrior that can help me get everything I’ve ever wanted,” she said. “You see, some places can’t be conquered alone. New lands await me, but I can’t leave the home continent without you.”

“Oh, so it’s about that,” I said.

“Not just about that, dummy,” she replied and flicked the tip of my nose before walking up to an invisible step. I thought she’d skywalk away, but she held out a hand. I tested the invisible step, and then stepped up with her. We walked up some invisible stairs together. If she wanted to, she could drop me from this height. “Dance with me.”

I held her in my arms over the amazing view that just a bit of height provided. The sun was drawing near the horizon, getting dimmer. She looked amazing in this light, but my heart was too uneasy about where the invisible platform ended to lead. Her hands pulled me along to a song from the village harvest festival she hummed.

“We danced to this before, haven’t we?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Long ago when we were just kids. The village was protected by other warriors. Do you remember?”

“Garvolin and Wosterio,” I said remembering the two amazing warriors who made a life in the village to protect it. They were admired and often used for other work in the fields when not busy. “I remember. I wanted to be just like Wost.”

“You can be,” Helvara said. “I want to help you achieve that dream. And in turn, you can help me with something I’ve wanted since I was a kid.”

“Oh? And that is?”

She was quiet, humming the rest of the song as we moved on the invisible platform. I wanted to ask again, but felt it was personal. I joined her humming the last part as our dance in the sky ended with the sunset. We remained in the sky in a close embrace until the stars came out. I smiled and pointed up when we parted. She looked above with glee and reflected the stars in her eyes at me.

“I’ll work to get you everything you want,” I said putting my hands underneath her armpits to lift her up, but when her feet left the invisible platform, I found no platform there any longer.

She was laughing all the way down, but I was truly afraid for my life until the moment she skywalked us back to a platform just a few feet off the ground. The surface was bouncy this time, to catch us like an invisible bed in the sky.

“Sorry,” I said after calming my heart a bit. Her smile was bright even at night.

“That was funny,” she said. “I was so surprised when you lifted me up, I forgot I need to concentrate to keep the platform intact underneath. That’s the basic principle of skywalking. Once you learn it, it demands great concentration.”

“Where do you learn it?” I asked.

“The Western Isles of Hilteran,” Helvara said. “It’s a pretty standard adventure. I can show you once you kill Taverna. For now, we should find a place to rest. There’s a town nearby where the adventurers go who gave up on the venture after getting a weapon.”

“You can do that?” I asked.

“You can,” Hel replied. “Some people just start it, get the weapon, and never do the task. Those six weapons are useful in many ways, and as you saw, you can even sell them like the merchant had in stock. I don’t want you to give up on it, just so we’re clear. The rewards are terrific from completing it.”

“I bet,” I said. “Taverna is a large boss. She probably drops a bunch of stuff that can be sold off or traded.”

“Well…” Helvara said with a half-smile. “For the purposes of the adventure, the regular loot is not available to drop. Just trust me, it’s worth getting done with it.” I felt uncertain about it as we headed off to find some place to rest for the rest of the night. As a last resort, we could make a fire and sleep in the wilds, though Hel might protest it.

“Oof,” I said. “That’s quite the ask of these old gods, but I trust you. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to question the way this adventure is structured. Are they all like that the stronger you get?” Helvara turned over to face me on the soft invisible surface.

“Nope, this one is unique that way,” she said. “That’s why I wanted you to experience it. Out of all the tasks I’ve adventured through in this land of ours, I remembered this one the most. It’s just a trip down memory lane for me, but I’m glad it’s by your side.” Our eyes met for a longer period of time without a word. I felt like I should have reached out to her, done something about how I felt about her, until she vanished the soft surface from beneath me to drop me to the ground.

She laughed at my surprised face and awkward landing. Her laughing face was always better than her blank stare off into the distance. No matter how much I wanted to believe that she was the same girl from years ago, Helvara was now a woman, and must have gone through struggles along her travels she didn’t want to bother me with. Not all places were fun and games. Even the training to become a warrior exposed me to this fact. I’ve made friends along the way, and lost some of them to what was meant to strengthen us. It could only get harder to trust new people if more adventures removed pieces of your heart.

Helvara led the way to a town with an averagely priced market. I had to hesitate over spending my savings of working in my hometown to buy gear. All those hard-earned moons were nothing to an adventurer. Sometimes when one would stop by, they’d flaunt their money found in some dungeon or from completing high difficulty tasks. It made me think of Hel every time, and wonder where she was at the time. Above all, I always prayed for her safety. When she showed up one day in the town’s tavern, I was shocked, and relieved.

We talked a lot that night. Hel drank half the bar thanks to her moons, but I saw pain in her eyes. Her stories never discussed what happened to others she grouped with, only narrow escapes she went through. I bought her a bed for the night after she was passed out drunk, and helped her sober up the morning after. In turn, she took an interest in my life, where it hasn’t led. She remarked that I had no wife, and prodded over why that was so. Just on a whim, I told her it was because I was still in love with her, much to her amusement. She quite literally burst out laughing, perhaps taking it as a joke.

From then on, we spent some time together in town. I did my job, defending the town from any wild animals and bandits that may have come to raid, but also settling disputes in town. It was mostly disputes. Helvara was entertained by my life here, but asked whether I wanted to go see the world with her eventually. Seeing as there were multiple warriors tending to the village, I had the freedom to do so, but hesitated. In the end, I came with her under promise of kiss. Thus we were on our way wherever she wanted to go, to show off what she knew best.

Now on the path to the Northern Plains where the boss of the area awaited my attempt to slay her for a task of possibly-disappointing rewards. Helvara wanted me to stake my life on her joke, but I was sure she wouldn’t let me die fighting that witch. Would she? I looked over a weapon in the shop where I bought my clothing gear. Having left my standard sword in the village blacksmith’s place, I’d need something to defend myself with better than a HILT.

“You don’t need a sword, silly,” Hel said leading me away from the display case with a nice variety. “You got the sword of delusion. Trust me, it will come in handy.”

“Hel, it’s a hilt,” I said. “There is nothing to use as a weapon. I could possibly throw it at something for some blunt damage, but that'd be throwing away some valuable gems embedded in the handle.”

“Drayden,” she said while leading me to a quiet spot in an alley. “You have to have faith. Do you believe me when I tell you that the hilt you got will be all that you need to slay Taverna?” I hesitated to meet her eyes until she held my chin and stared deeply within.

“You know more about this,” I said in witness of her intensity. “I just feel naked without some sort of weapon on me. I’m a warrior. I want to have a sword, or dagger, or something. Just in case. I do believe you, but it’s just hard to after being dicked around like that by those old gods.”

“You have to put all your faith into the weapon you chose,” she said, “Or it will always just be a hilt. The weapons of this task are… Damnit, Dray! Why can’t you just put your life in my hands? I even staked my own body on it!” I felt bad. I wanted her in bed, but not like that. She was beautiful and the years apart only made me want her more, as she became a beautiful, well-defined warrior of curves and strength. This way, it felt like she was selling herself to me at the cost of my undying loyalty.

“I don’t want you in that way,” I said, feeling stupid at the lie. “Don’t stake yourself on this. Why is it so important to you that I believe in what you’re trying to do? Are you in trouble from someone?” Hel folded up into a bundle, crouching close to the ground. Her head was encased in her arms, hiding from me.

“I… I need you with me, D,” she mumbled. I had to crouch close to hear her. “I’ve lost too many friends along the way. This world asks a lot of you, but all I’m asking is to believe in me. I need somebody to believe in me. Otherwise, how am I even alive? What’s the point? Am I supposed to be-”

I hugged her now on my knees. Something inside her was breaking apart, thought I didn’t understand entirely. I could hear her sobs, holding onto her until she stopped. We stood up together, still in a hug.

“Are you ok?” I asked. Her hands felt so fragile, but I knew there as great strength there in a fight. How could a great warrior like her hold onto all that sadness alone?

“I’m sorry, Drayden,” she said finally. “I’ve been through this too many times. I’ve asked friends to believe in me, but they only humored me all the way until their deaths. There is strength to giving yourself over to an idea. It grows within, expands your mind.” She slipped her bladed necklace off her neck and kissed the blade. Much to my surprise, the metal expanded, growing to a moonglaive before my very eyes. With a stroke to the surface, it turned back into a small bladed necklace.

“Whoa,” I said.

“That’s why I brought you here, Dray. I knew you never believed I could become a great champion. I know you wanted me to stay with you in town and defend the villagers.”

“Hey, now!” I protested. “It wasn’t that I didn’t BELIEVE that you could be a champion. I just wanted you around. I wanted to have a life with you, but you were more interested in the world beyond. I guess you still are.”

“Then why did you come with me?” She asked.

“I was afraid if I didn’t, you wouldn’t come back this time,” I said. “Either you would find something stronger than you and die in battle, or you’d just find some place in the world to make your home, somewhere beyond our landmass. I had to take a chance I didn’t take before.”

Helvara was silent, but found me in a hug.

“I’ll always come back to you, D,” she whispered. “You’re the last happy memory I’ve had. The world beyond isn’t that calm, so I hesitated coming back to drag you into it.”

“I decided to come, Hel,” I said. “Anything that happens to me is and should only be my responsibility. Don’t take the weight of the world on yourself, silly champion.” This was a rare sight, but I knew I was unlikely to see it again. In fact, I’d fight to never see her in such a state again.

When we parted our hug, I withdrew the sword of delusion handle and held it up to the dying light of day. With a heavy thought of protecting Helvara from future heartache, I kissed the gemmed handle and opened my eyes to a welling steel from the handle’s opening where the sword might be. The liquid rushed out into the open air of the alleyway, already sure what to look like. After a few mesmerizing seconds, I was staring at the great sword I saw in the illusion of the old gods.

“By the five above,” I said it without intending. “Now that’s a sword.” Helvara smiled and stood up from the ground.

“It’s getting late,” she said. “We should get a room for the night. Stroke the spot where you kissed it to revert it.” I ran a finger over the spot where I put my lips as the weapon compressed back into the handle.

“Thank you, Hel,” I said standing up next to her.

“For what?”

“Giving me something to fight for.”

“Does that mean that you believe in me?” She asked holding onto her necklace.

“I do,” I said. Without a moment lost, Helvara pressed her necklace to the sword of delusion producing a spark of white lightning shooting into the sky. I looked up as clouds gathered to where it entered the sky. They were dark, definitely full of rain, and ready to pour.

Without a second thought, I grabbed Helvara’s hand and ran for cover. If she wanted to remain, he strength would have held me back, but she ran with me laughing along while I looked for shelter. We ended up in some barn in the hay with Hel laughing at my reaction.

“Thank you, Drayden,” she said. “That was fun.”

You say the strangest things sometimes, Hel,” I said and paused as the torrent of rain dropped over the village. The droplets sounded heavy against the wood of the barn, but we were safe from it. “What was that magic? Did our weapons start that rainstorm?”

“I was testing it out,” she said. “After you complete the task, you get this guide to them. Since not many people have managed to beat Taverna with their chosen weapons of trust, not many know of this.” She withdrew a small red booklet from a pocket somewhere near the inner thigh.

“It needed two of the weapons,” she said opening it to a few pages within. “‘When two of trust do meet their blade, a light of white and power made.’ I guess they meant lightning, but I imagined it differently.” She rolled over in the hay with a smile. I sat up next to her and wanted to kiss her, but felt slightly used. It was never easy to read what drove her. Where I decided to protect her from pain, her faith in something else helped her bring out the necklace’s true form.

“Deciding whether to kiss me, huh?” She asked propping herself up on elbows to meet me gaze. “What if I told you I was thinking of something more?”

“Of what?”

“Something more,” she said, keeping vague. After a moment she sighed. “Let me give you a hint It involves your lips, but does not involve mine.” I thought for a moment of kissing her neck and was about to ask if that was what she meant, but her legs parted slightly at my gaze and I knew exactly what she meant by ‘“something more.”

We stayed in the barn that night, trading mouth-orchestrated pleasures. It wasn’t the night alone talking about our future that I wanted, but maybe it was a step towards it in some way. The wildness of the situation felt like a good memory. We caused a thunderstorm in a village not expecting one, but seeing as it was the warm period, any rain was welcome.

“Worried about fighting Taverna?” She asked when awake from the stupor of enjoyment. “Don’t worry, I got through it. It’s just about knowing how to move, dodging and what-not.”

“Well, excuse me if ‘what-not’ doesn’t inspire confidence in me,” I said. “Will you be there with me, or is that a part I have to face alone?” She was too quiet for it to be the former. I had a feeling that she wouldn’t be there alongside me. It felt like I was just another lamb to the slaughter, as if she’d done this whole routine with others. Was I just a fool in love?

“No,” she said. “I’m afraid Taverna is one part you have to face alone, but I’ll fight with you up to her chamber to make it easier. Trust me, and believe in me like you already did. It’s the key to this whole thing.” I wanted to ask, but didn’t want to break this fragile balance we have attained. It would nag me later if I didn’t expand the effort now.

“Is that what you said to all the others you lead down this path?” I asked feeling as though I was attacking her fragile heart. Her face said it all. She was shocked for a moment, but twisted to sadness. She didn’t have to answer, or she already did with her expression. “Doesn’t mean I won’t do it for you, Helvara. I do believe in you, and I believe in what I’ve seen the sword of delusion do. The part that bothers me the most is your playacting of any affection toward me.” It hurt to say, but I knew it was a dagger to her heart on the other end.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t be what you want me to be for you. I don’t think of a future spent with one person in some small village. I want to go out there, explore beyond our world and take on challenges until I’m wet with sweat and blood. It’s the spice of life, Drayden! Come with me!” Her naked frame stood up in the barn among the gear we shed around the area. She still had the necklace around her neck, gleaming silver on a leather cord in the crevasse of her chest. The sight stole my doubt.

“Ok,” I said. There was nothing more to say. I wanted to be by her side, even if she had no feelings toward me. A sense of protecting her drove me forward, to guard the caged heart afraid to reach out feelings for fear of losing another piece. This was a better alternative than worrying about her day after day. I’d be there whenever she needed me, and become the person who would never lose. Her eyes watered with a smile on her face.

There was nothing left to say, so she laid herself down atop me while I was too satisfied to do anything else. Her head rested on my chest, with skin upon my skin to warm together. I threw her cloak over the both of us as we slept into the night. The morning arrived with new vitality between her legs, but I did nothing while she still slept. I nodded off and was only woken up with her hand guiding me within. That morning after the rain had stopped will forever live in my mind as the first time we made love.

Around midday, we ventured out to look for horses. The way to Taverna’s dungeon was long and treacherous, filled with bandits and monsters to ward off, but I knew there was nothing to worry alongside Helvara. Armed with just a hilt and a necklace, we’d slay our way into the most difficult dungeon of the area, of our continent. There, I’d muster everything I could to defeat Taverna and take Hel out beyond the limitations of our landmass. That was the plan, at least.

Just in the first leg of the journey to the mountain dungeon, we encountered great resistance. Helvara pressed on, wielding her moonglaive with deadly precision. She liked to throw it spinning into the air like a boomerang. Her weapon was so easily drawn out, but producing the sword felt a lot harder for me. I wondered if that meant I was hesitant about believing in her. She was so powerful, I had no idea why she needed another to sail away from the home continent.

The surrounding islands held great treasures, but the whole area was but a tiny blip on the map explored by the old warriors who ventured out beyond through legends, felled by the beasts they encountered. The records explained how vast the world beyond our small continent was, noting strong kingdoms who welcomed travelers. All was naught unless you defeated the three defenders of the Everlin continent, complete with Everlin City in the center. The three to defeat before moving onward were: Galion, the king of the seas, Holden, the aerial prince of clouds, and Taverna, the witch of the mountains.

We rode on the road toward the third, without rushing. When rushing, beasts and bandits could take you off guard. It was best to remain alert and go slowly. Seeing as the sun was drawing close to the horizon. We’d need to make camp before long. I watched her expression gazing out beyond the sea as we rode by the cliffs. Unlike her, I was content here.

The order for most begun with completing tasks in Everlin, but once I was done with those, I decided to take my earnings and head back home. Helvara no doubt defeated all three and could simply board the ship to the islands now, but it felt as if she’d already tried that. Maybe she was afraid to be out there alone. Something drove her onward, but I wasn’t sure what. All I could do was succumb to her devotion, become something she needed.

“We should make camp,” I said.

“You’re right,” she said, spurring her horse slightly to gallop ahead for a moment and find a spot. I slapped on the soft rear to speed up a bit and catch up to her after she’d already built a fire a bit off the road.

“Wow, you made that fast,” I said settling my horse at a nearby tree beside her steed. “Or did you use some sort of spell you learned along the way.”

“Just flint and a bit of oil,” she said. “The wood was already here, so be ready for anything.” I trained my hand on the empty hilt. It took a bit of effort to draw out the full sword, but I’ve had no trouble producing a single-handed version instantly.

“No cause for alarm,” spoke a voice in the distance. Even with those words, we both set ourselves on him as he walked closer to the fire. It was an older man with a gray beard. He walked closer with his arms up. “I have no weapons. I was just looking for something to help me start the fire, but you seem to have that taken care of. Thank you. Do you mind if I warm up beside it?” Helvara released her hand around the bladed necklace.

“It is your tinder after all,” she said, and motioned a hand while walking to sit beside it as well. I was still wound up for a fight, but released the hilt and joined them. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “It’s wonderful to meet new folks. I live nearby, making my living as a woodcutter. You two adventurers?”

“Warriors,” I said. “But I suppose so. We’re heading for Taverna of the mountain in hopes of defeating her.” The old man drew out a pipe, stuffed it with dried leaf and lit it with a stick partially in the fire. After a few tokes on his pipe, he smiled.

“Don’t you need a whole group of people to take her on?” He asked. “She’s one of the three defenders of our island. Pardon my ignorance, but are you really as strong to take her on with your duo.”

“I hope so,” I said and looked over to Helvara.

“He’s going to be fighting her alone,” she said. “And he will win.” The old man chuckled at the determination in her eyes. She was talking about me as if I was on her level, but I was still uncertain that I could take her on and survive. I had to give it my best effort to try and save her from the thoughts I sometimes found swarming her mind.

“Wonderful devotion!” He exclaimed. “I’m glad there are still such people on Everlin, but if I may, why do you wish to defeat her?”

“I have to get beyond Everlin,” Hel said. “There is a vast world beyond this small landmass, so much to see and learn. I want to go there, but not alone.”

“I see,” the old man said, puffed a plume of smoke and struck a nearby rock to empty out the ash from his pipe. “I assume that’s who you are pulling from a life comfortable.” He pointed the pipe at me.

“I’m going with her,” I said without hesitation.

“Ah, yes, but is it because you want to, or because you love her?” He asked. My eyes travelled to meet hers for a second, then back to the fire with an aire of uncertainty.