Sorardia, the Tale of an Outcast, King, and Inventor

Chapter 3: Mysterious Visit (The Knight's Wing [Ben])

          Svictoran. A dusty place with dusty buildings and dusty everything. The only thing not dusty was the palace's interior. Broad walls, painted blue, golden doorways, a glass chandelier, it's just lots of royal, regal, items. I'm not of royal descent, I'm just the son of an inventor who is good at making practically anything, and grandson to an even greater inventor. Except worlds of course, that's God's work. Currently I've built exactly nothing and working on two things at once. Nth metal escrima cores, with an Imbirian obsidian casing, and some Kevlar armor, the escrima core material named after a material from old earth. A made up material, from something called a comic book and Batman. The Kevlar was easily made in earth, but in Sorardia, there's little material and time for its construction. Currently I wore some black clothing, with a black mask, apparently a name in another comic book for a villain, with a rusty old blade on my back. I'm skilled enough with it but I want to try using the escrima for a while.

          "Hey Ben!" a voice said over a speaker. "Someone's here to see you, named Salli Rindo...know her?" This was unexpected. I expected someone but not the teenage girl. I was offered a rather cryptic job by the girl and she said someone else would come to give him the full run down of the job. Apparently not. I picked up a mic on a desk I was walking by to speak.

          "Send her to my room. She offered me something and I intend to see what happened to the person I actually was supposed to meet," I replied.

          "Understood. Sending now," the man said. I started walking towards my room. I reached the door and found it already open. Upon walking in, I saw the girl sitting on the coach.

          "This couch is not very comfortable," she stated. "Thought the guests were supposed to feel welcomed with nice furniture."

          "The King of this place never really cared much for anyone other than himself. I just got here and he's threatening to kill me if I try to leave," I informed. "So why isn't someone else here other than you?" She looked at me as if she were offended. She was obviously playful.

          "Am I not enough to meet your needs...Knight's Wing?" She said, smirking. How did she know my parentage? That should be almost impossible. She must've had an informant.

          "How?" I said blatantly. "No one but myself and the King here knows my parentage."

          "Oh don't worry, your secret is safe with me and my allies. I'm the only one without parentage from Old Earth, but my father is a leader in our very small group. I do dearly hope you want to defend Sorardia," she said rather quickly. "For Sorardia's sake and not just ours and yours."

          "I'm working on weapons to defend myself. Not Sorardia. Find someone else. And anyways..." I replied, then started asking,"why would Sorardia require defending? The Dark King is gone, banished! How can he come back?"

          "That's the thing we don't know," she replied coolly. "All we know is that he's coming, and we can't stop him with those we have now. Which only amounts to four, but soon enough five with the prince, and hopefully, six with you. All we need is at least ten." She was pleading. Why was she pleading?

          "Stop pleading. This is making it sound like desperation!" I commanded. "I'll join your group if you actually introduce me to the leader of your group."

          "And what if I've been listening for half the time?" A voice said. A man in odd pauldrons, and a scarf. He was a blonde haired man with blue eyes. "I had been considering you as a man who would defend other people if he saw someone under attack or being threatened."

"Which I would defend those people, as long as I have the time," I replied.

          "That is the wrong way of thinking," The man replied. "So perhaps I'll just find someone else to take your place." He started walking away.

          "Hey!" I yelled. "I challenge you to a duel! If you beat me I'll join you! If not, well...I'll turn you over to the Svictoran King." That stopped him in his tracks. He turned around.

          "I accept. Shall we do it now? Or some other time?" He asked.

          "Now. Out in the training yard," I replied slyly. He didn't expect I would be extremely difficult to beat. Impossible more likely on his level. He looked like a kid dressing up to play a game. We walked out of the training yard and got into our stance. His stance was odd, him holding the back of his left hand up and his index, middle, and thumb were in a half fist, his other two fingers fully fisted. His sword was held in his other hand, diagonally at his side, pointing towards the ground, his arm straight. My stance was simple...I leveled my sword just slightly tilted downward, with my free hand in front of me. I counted aloud. "3...2...1...GO!" And the battle began.