Aldburg Chronicles: Knighthood In Another World

Eric took slow, heavy steps through the cobbled streets of Veldia. He knew his time as a free man was running out. Like sand sliding down an hour glass, his life slipped out of his hands. 

"I mean, I was always stupid but that's got to be some kind of new record." He muttered out loud.

He heard a gasp from the darkness and whipped his head around, desperate to find its source. Hidden in the shadows, tucked into an alley unseen, was a little boy. His face was sunken and covered in dirt, his hair matted and disheveled. All manners of cuts and bruises lined the boy's emaciated body. Eric couldn't help it, he soon found himself crouched in front of him, the boy recoiled into the fetal position.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm not-" Eric raised up his open hands to show they were empty, "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you okay? Why are you out here all alone."

"I ain' got nowhere else to say m'lord." The boy answered.

Eric saw the fear in his face and his heart sank. The boy's eyes expressed a lonesomeness far beyond his years. Eric had never seen eyes like them, they were an odd shade of brown that looked more orange than any other color, they were fascinating to see.

"No lords here." Eric replied, "Is there anywhere you could stay? If you had the opportunity, that is. Like an Inn that's still open or?"

"Well, there's Murphie's place. But he charges a fortune he does. Says he wan's to keep us gutter folk out." The boy replied.

"Walk me there. I don't have anywhere to stay either." Eric explained, "I'll give you some coins for being a guide as well."

The boy got up slowly, barely strong enough to move his body. The pair walked through the city's back alleys and grime-covered slums. Doors made of rotten wood barely clung to rusty hinges, windows were boarded up instead of having shutters and the smell was truly horrific. All the while, Eric could, if only for brief moments, hear a third set of footsteps trailing behind them.

"Wonder if I'm about to get robbed." Eric thought, letting air out of his nose in that half-laughing way.

The boy seemed fairly unbothered by that, likely too focused on prospect of a few coins just for walking somebody to their destination.

"'Ere we are m'lord." The boy said, ignoring Eric's previous clarification that he, in fact, was not a lord.

In front of them was, all things considered, a fairly nice looking inn. It had hand carved timber framing and the walls were as clean as they could be in such a dilapidated alleyway. The faint glow of candlelight crept out of the slats in the wooden shutters.

"Thank you... sorry I didn't catch your name." Eric said.

"Jenson, m'lord." Jenson replied.

"That's a nice name." Eric said with a smile, "Here, I won't be needing it."

Eric reached into the inside pocket of his leather waistcoat and pulled out his coin purse. 

"Damn, never did get that reward money, did I. Oh well." He thought.

He held the purse out in front of Jenson, pushed it into his hands and nodded, letting him know that he could keep the entire thing. The poor boy could barely hold up the bag and his eyes glittered with excitement. 

"Actually, take this as well. It's going to be too big for you but, at least it's something for now." Eric added.

He took of his waistcoat and handed it to Jenson, who's stunned expression made Eric giggle. 

"C'mon, try it on, I've been meaning to get a new one." He lied.

Putting it on, Jenson looked as though he simply had a leather tunic, it actually looked pretty good on him, if a fair bit too loose for him.

"There you go, you're looking handsome now. Go on, spend the night here, spend as many as you need, get cleaned up to. Should be enough there to last you until you get some kind of apprenticeship, try pestering people at the markets once you're all cleaned up and respectable looking." Eric said with a laugh, before walking back down the alley the two had come from.

Hearing the boy cry out his appreciation brought the first feeling of true joy since he came to this world. As he stepped back out onto the main street, he was met by a shrouded figure and a group of heavily armed guards. Each brandished a bardiche on their shoulder, before setting them at point towards Eric.

"For your crimes against the Aldburg family and the people of Veldia you are under arrest. Please do not resist." The shrouded figure said in a deep, commanding voice.

Eric did not resist, instead, he put his hands above his head and said, "Yeah, figures. I surrender."

Just as soon as he did, the figure approached him and brandished a pair of iron shackles. With the turn of a key and a metallic 'clack' they were fixed upon his wrists, they were unbearably tight, digging into his flesh over time. 

As they marched him back to Castle Veldia, citizens gathered at their windows and doorways, drawn by the sound of rattling armor and marching feet, they whispered about the stranger, shackled, stood a head taller than the guards of the city. They wondered what he had done and who he was, Eric couldn't help but smile at just how outlandish his life had become. The guards did not appreciate that, jabbing the wooden end of their pole arm into his back. The remainder of the march was the same, people looking, gossiping, wondering.

By the time they reached Castle Veldia, Eric was quite tired of all the whispering, finally, once they entered the looming gate, they turned left, down a winding set of stairs and into what was clearly a dungeon.

A long corridor of thick metal doors stretched for a truly colossal distance, he was marched, together with the shrouded figure and two guards, to the very end of the hallway, before being shoved into a five by five meter box.

"Your trial is tomorrow morning, you can confess to your heinous crimes then." The deep voice said. 

He was alone. It was dark and his cheek ached from where he had been hit. He lay on his back and stared into the pitch black darkness. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

He was ripped from sleep by the banging on his metal door, it was so loud that it filled the entire room and made his ears ring in pain, he covered his ears as best as he could with his wrists still bound by shackles and waited for the door to open.

"Get up." A guard with a mace in his hand demanded.

Eric complied and stood up.

"Follow." The guard said before turning and walking off at a pace that was uncomfortable for Eric to keep pace with.

They walked through the back passages of the castle, poorly maintained compared to the ornate main passages he had explored with Alren just the day before. He walked through the low ceiling corridors and passages, ducking his head through doors yet again until he reached a small room with a pair of wooden benches. 

"Don't know who you are, but I've never seen a confessional like this." The guard said.

As he moved from the doorway, Father Elianas stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well my boy, you are in quite a spot of bother." Elianas said, a smile growing on his face, "Don't you worry child, there's no need for a confession. You are not dying today, not if I can help it."

"Is that so?" Eric replied, "I would thank you but I'm not sure just how safe I am, even with your help."

"Not my help boy, my testimony. Make no mistake, a sentence will have to be carried out, however, Lord Veldin is sympathetic to our cause." Elianas replied.

"And which cause is that?" Eric asked.

"The specifics are not your concern, but let it be known that Veldin is on the side of the church." Elianas said, his face growing stern in a way that made it clear he was trying to convey something beyond words.

"Oh, I see, this is about the church versus the Aldburg family." Eric realized.

"And you're saying you're willing to testify?" Eric asked dubiously.

"I am."

The courtroom was huge. Eric had never been in one on Earth but he knew they didn't look like this. Any wooden bench was intricately carved with religious scenes and floral borders, gold crests lined the walls and capped the judges chair. 

The judge was the fattest man Eric had ever seen in person. It was truly remarkable the way this man filled up a chair and spilled out of it. He wore a black robe with a crescent moon symbol on the chest and looked as though he could fall through the floor at any minute.

"I mean, what? How?" Eric marveled at his size in his thoughts.

The judged banged a gavel and the murmurs from the sizeable crowd that sat viewing the trial of the man who beat up a prince simmered down to silence. Eric stood behind the defense podium, to his left, on the prosecution podium was Aldros Van Aldburg, face no worse for wear, healed as soon as Eric left no doubt.

"All rise." The judge bellowed, people stood for a moment, "Rest." He added, the crowd sitting back down.

"We are hear to hear the case of Aldros Van Aldburg, third heir to the realm, who was viciously assaulted by this commoner, called..." He checked a piece of parchment, "Eric." He blubbered with distain, "How do you plea."

"Not guilty." Eric said with conviction, the room gasped.

"On what grounds?" The judge asked.

"On what grounds am I accused? It was Van Aldburg himself who challenged me to a duel, this can hardly be ruled an assault." Eric said definitively. 

The crowd erupted into laughter, even the judge let out a chuckle.

"A duel between a prince and a commoner is an outrageous suggestion, even if this were the case, and I remind you that lying as you have will certainly not help your case, the station of a commoner means you should be fully aware to never lay hands on royalty." The judge chortled.

Aldros stood, arms crossed with a smirk etched into his face.

"Ah but see, I have a witness who'll attest that his royal highness was quite insistent." Eric stated.

"And who might this 'witness' be?" The judge asked mockingly. 

"Father Elianas of the Veldia cathedral." Eric replied.

As he said this, as if waiting on his command, Elianas walked, slowly, carefully, into the courtroom from a side door. The room stopped and looked at him as he took deliberate paces towards Eric, arriving besides him.

"Your grace!" The judge said, bowing his head down into the folds of his neck.

"This trial is an outrage!" Elianas cried out, "His royal highness insulted this man terribly, he insulted myself and as a result of this tremendous rudeness, Eric, a most noble of persons, declined Aldros Van Aldburg's request for him to enlist in the royal guard. Upon which, Aldros did challenge this common man, a man celebrating at a feast held in his honor for saving countless men from the orc menace, to a duel right there in the hall of Castle Veldia itself!"

"Nonsense!" Aldros cried out, "I challenged him to a duel only after this wretch insulted my honor and the honor of the Aldburg family itseld!"

"Do you accuse me of dishonesty?" Elianas asked, "Do you accuse me, the high priest of Veldia, of dishonesty?" His voice grew sharp.

"High priest? He was that important?" Eric thought in astonishment.

"I- well, what you say is-" Aldros was interupted.

"Accusing a high priest of dishonesty is a serious offence." The voice came out, seemingly from nowhere.

Stood right behind Aldros was a man familiar to Eric. It was Alren. Aldros jumped back, almost hopping onto the podium he was stood behind.

"I trust you will recant here, in front of witnesses." Alren added.

"Y-yes, I recant." Aldros added

"Well, if he recants, I suppose that means we're in agreement on the turn of events." Elianas spoke.

"Indeed. However, we must look at this objectively. While the commoner did not instigate this event, it is undeniable that he was particularly brutal according to all witness accounts. Particular brutality against a member of the royal family cannot go unpunished. Given that we have established he is not at fault for the instigation we cannot instate an execution..." He paused to think, "Perhaps the crippling of his hands would suffice..."

"Yes! That will be an exceptional act of justice!" Aldros cried.

"If I may." Alren interjected, "I was one of the men saved, no, perhaps the most directly rescued by Eric. I have seen him engage in combat twice now and, despite how he will personally protest the matter, he has a tremendous degree of combative talent. Talent that has never been harnessed. Indeed, it would surely take divine talent to kill three orcs with no training, but to kill an orc chief and two orcs? Perhaps we are dealing with somebody of divine blessing."

"To destroy the ability of one blessed by Satre would be a crime of crimes. To do so would to be to mock him. At a time where Helenia raises its forces against us we cannot afford to anger the lord of flame and war. Surely you understand." Elianas pleaded.

The judge looked concerned.

"Only the most high can verify divine blessings. However... as we all know, he passed last year and the Gods have yet to decide on his successor." Elianas said mounfully, making the sign of the moon across his chest.

"So what? We let him go? The honor of my family is not something that can be igno-" Aldros was interrupted again.

"Nothing of the sort, my child." Elianas said, "Given the honor of the royal family has been slighted, I present a different solution."

"Which is?" The judge asked.

"Have him join His Royal Majesty's army. He will be sent through training, then sent out in service of the realm for no less than three years." Elianas offered.

"Wait, wait, wait, army!? No, no, no, I'm not cut out for the army! Make me be a monk or a porter or something!" Eric thought in panic.

"Interesting..." The judge trailed off, pondering the issue, "The court finds these terms acceptable on the condition that his service is done in the Linebreaker Division once his training is complete."

Aldros let out a hearty laugh, "Well, I certainly find that acceptable."

"That'll take years of additional training! Surely you can't expect him to join The Linebreakers after just six months! The man has no weapons training!" Alren couldn't contain his outrage.

"If he is as talented as Father Elianas and yourself suggest, I doubt this to be a problem" The judge replied.

"Perhaps arrangements should be made for more rigorous training. The captain is right, no man, no matter his talents, could be taken from no training at all to a Linebreaker in just six months." Elianas proposed.

Aldros tutted in frustration at the suggestion.

"I find this acceptable. Does the accused party accept this punishment for slighting royal honor?" The judge glared at Eric.

Eric didn't know what to say. On one hand, the prospect of the army seemed bad enough, and this division was getting the type of reaction he knew suggested immense danger. However, the alternative was permanent loss of the use of his hands. As he thought on the issue, Elianas kicked his ankle discretely under the table and shot him a look that told him everything he needed to know.

"I accept." Eric said.

With the bang of a gavel his fate was sealed.

As he left the courtroom, Elianas leaned into his ear and said, "Full disclosure, you're not carrying a divine blessing. Trust me, they're really obvious, a novice could spot them, it's only procedure for the most high to verify them, if you were blessed by Satre, you would be able to send fire swinging out your weapon on instinct, there hasn't been a divine blessing in a millennia." He laughed as he finished speaking, "Had to save your hands somehow."

He was met by the same guard who had brought him in once he returned to the room in which he had received 'confession'.

"Lucky man. You're free to roam the rest of the day, you've got to be at the gate at sunrise. Don't think of running, you won't make it out, they never do."

Eric soon found himself in the company of Father Elianas and Alren, sat in Elianas' personal study, books surrounded them.

"It isn't the best outcome." Alren said to the room.

"It is not." Elianas responded.

"Okay, I have to ask, what's a Linebreaker?" Eric asked.

The room fell silent, the two men stared at him in pure shock, even through Alren's mask, his shock was apparent.

"I- you've never heard of them?" Alren broke the silence, "You may be the only man in Aldburg to never hear of the Linebreakers."

"Shit. I really need to stop asking questions." Eric thought.

"They're, well, they're shock troops. Their normal duties are operating behind enemy lines, be it monster subjugation, crusades against demons or war against kingdoms. Their duty in a state of open warfare is to, as the name implies, break enemy lines with overwhelming violence. They're some of the most skilled soldiers in existence but they have..." Alren looked down mournfully, "They have the highest casualty rates of any armed group."

"Oh for fuck sake." Eric thought.

"And I, a man with no military training, no weapons training... and a limp. Am expected to be ready and active in this division? In six months?" Eric looked at the floor for a moment then spoke to the room, as if thinking aloud, "Wow, I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Not if I can help it." Elianas spoke, "I have friends in the army, boy. I'm going to get you a personal instructor after the first two months of training. Make no mistake, you will not be up to the task after this, it will, never the less, be excruciating training. It is the best chance you have of being capable of surviving long enough to learn on excursions."

"Well, that's reassuring." Eric said sarcastically, met with a glare from Elianas, "So, who is this instructor?"

"Deseen Vankeros. Finest axeman in history, the captain tells me you're fond of them, so that is a spot of luck. He has written the finest and most extensive treatises into the the use of the two handed axe, he was also the only Linebreaker to survive the subjugation of the Soulreaver twenty years ago. He is sublime." Elianas vouched.

"Do you have these treatises?" Eric asked.

"Indeed I do... Why?" Elianas asked.

"I don't mean to overstep but, perhaps I could borrow them for my time in training?" Eric asked, then realized his admission, "Oh yeah, I've never mentioned I can read, have I?"

Elianas looked at him with pleasant surprise.

"You get more interesting by the day, Eric." Alren said.

"Indeed he does." Elianas agreed. 

Come next morning, Eric found himself at the entrance gate to Veldia, Alren at his side. On Eric's shoulder, a bag containing the axe treatises he requested from Elianas. 

"Well, this is it." Eric said.

"It is." Alren replied.

"Think I'm gonna make it?" Eric asked.

"I think you're more capable than you think." Alren said.

"I think my life has become unreasonably terrifying since I met you." Eric laughed.

"Probably." Alren laughed back, "I've never been saved before, you know? I'm not really used to it."

"I've never killed an orc, I'm not really used to that."

The two men looked at each other then broke down laughing.

"Ah, what the hell, nobody's here." Alren said, looking around.

He reached his hand up and gave his mask a hard pull, revealing his face. He was so much younger than Eric has expected, and frankly, unreasonably handsome. His jaw was sharp and his nose was well sculpted, he had blonde hair and emerald green eyes. His face, protected by the mask his entire career, showed no sign of being a warrior.

"My name is Alren Von Karthstieg. I want you to know who I was too." He said, before pulling Eric into a hug, "I have to see you again, you understand? You have to make it."

With that final parting message, he whipped his body around and walked off slowly, putting his mask back on as he left.

Leaving the gate, he saw men in armor waiting by a small horse drawn carriage. From it leapt a knight with his helmet off, he was a gruff looking man with heavy scars in his face and a shaved head.

"Listen up welp! You are now exclusive property of his majesty's royal army! You will sleep when we say, eat when we say, you will kill when we say and when the time is right you will die when we say! IS that understood, worm?" Before Eric could reply, the knight continued, "We were warned of your behemoth size in advance, but we did NOT have time to get you special issue equipment, as such, you will wear these boots until we can get you real ones do you understand?" He threw a pair of boots into Eric's chest, "Now get. In. The. Cart!"

Eric rushed to the cart and sat down on the wooden seat, it creaked and groaned under his weight, the knight swiftly followed him in, sitting down opposite him.

Eric looked at the boots in his hands.

"There's no way these will fit."