Book One – Prologue Two – Part Three – Hint of Betrayal

While Qina was having a heartfelt conversation with Veris, Claus was talking with his instructor.

After being scolded by his instructor for missing his class, the two walked off towards the training area. With every step Trerk took, the ground and earth vibrated. His dirty-brown, emerald-tipped tail, swaying with his body, produced quite a bit of wind. An easy way for the maids to take a break was to walk behind Trerk. Working in a castle meant long hours, and long hours meant exhaustion, and there was nothing more refreshing than standing behind Trerk while enjoying the nice breeze his tail manufactured.

Even now, as the two walked through the glorious halls of the castle, two maids were following them, enjoying the nice breeze cooling their warm faces.

They had two stops. The first was to reach the armory to gather their training swords and armor. The second was to go to the actual training area.

So they did just that. Claus made sure to grab the sword his sister used. A nearby set of children's training armor sat on a nearby dummy, so he grabbed that and swiftly changed.

Eventually, the pair reached a door that said ‘training room,’ and they said goodbye to the maids following them.

The sun illuminated the entire area as Claus took in what he saw. It was an open roof, allowing the elements to flow freely. Rain, snow, sun, or shine, this area could have it all, and that made for effecting training.

“Now then,” Trerk said as he walked over to a nearby wall and put his hand on a particular brick, “Are you ready for some practice?” a portion of the wall slid away to reveal weapons and armor that were much too large to be worn by a human.

They were, however, the perfect size for a Kobold.

“Even though it is training, one must always be prepared. For even a dangerous situation will arise when you least expect it,” Trerk said as he maneuvered his wooden armor on. He grabbed a wooden sword as well.

Trerk, now fully armored up, walked over to the middle of the training room. Ceramic tile covered the floor and offered little resistance in the case of falling.

Claus walked over to his instructor and drew the wooden sword hanging from his hip.

“Alright. To start, we’ll do a mock battle. After that, we’ll try to introduce some skills into your combat style. And as always, if you have any questions, make sure to ask them. If you think it’s a stupid question, then ask anyway. If knowledge imparted from a question you wish to know the answer to that keeps you alive, then it is no stupid question. Understood?” Trerk then performed the imperial salute. Hand across the chest and weapon held high.

Claus performed the same salute and lowered his weapon in front of him. Hand over hand, he held it firmly and perhaps a bit too tightly as he waited for his opponent’s first move.

Watch closely, observe their movements, and use their momentum against them. Strike when they’re off balance.

Trerk, on the other hand, knew how Claus would begin, and thus, he decided to test the young prince. He purposely adjusted his grip on the weapon and leaned to one side, causing his balance to be improperly distributed.

That’s it, an opening! Claus fell for the trap and went to strike. It’ll take too long to perform a vertical slice. By process of elimination, I should direct my attention towards his legs. A horizontal swipe is too slow, so I need to aim for his knees! Claus thrusted at his opponent, who quickly regained his grip. With a swipe of his wrist, Trerk was able to deflect the incoming sword. He followed it up with a slice of his own, but the deflect forced Claus to lose balance. He made the worst mistake one could commit when in a fight: panic.

The imperial prince lost his grip on his sword, and it slipped out. Though not knowing this, he still swung. Trerk’s real sword collided with Claus’s non-existent weapon, injuring his hand when the exchange finished.  With one attack, one deflect, and one counter-attack, the battle was over in seconds.

“Do you see where you went wrong?” Trerk said as Claus held his injured wrist.

“Yes, sir. I panicked and dropped my sword. And I realize that what I thought was an opening was fake. You were in control of this battle the entire time. And I should not have attacked without a weapon in my hand,” he swiftly replied with no hint of anger or remorse for losing. Claus was genuine. He welcomed this opportunity to fail and wanted to learn from it.

“Very good. When it comes to battles, you must always stay in control of your emotions. It is easier than you think to lose yourself in anger, fear, or panic. Now, let’s change topics while your hand stops hurting. Take out your ID," Trerk said while the pair walked to a nearby table.

Claus did as he was ordered and said the command.  Just like with Qina, a warm and beautiful yellow light flowed down Claus’s hands and into a ball before becoming the shape of a small stone tablet. At the top were his name and birthday. Below that was his blessed God's name.

“Is this the first time you’ve looked at it?” Trerk said as he lifted an ornamental bell from the table. It was magically connected with a bell in another room next to the training area.

A few seconds later, a maid walked into the room carrying a tray with two glasses of water.

“Thank you, my dear,” said Trerk.

“Thank you very much,” said the prince.

Claus drained his entire glass and handed it back to the maid.

The maid bowed and walked out, returning to her room to be on stand-by.

“It is. Qina and I wanted to look at them together, but she was afraid.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. Qina never told me. Instructor, can you go over it with me?” Claus asked timidly. Though he respected Trerk almost more than anyone, that also meant that he never wanted to ask something that would waste his time.

“That was the plan. Show it to me.” Trerk took a sip of his drink, wetting his large tongue in a blast of refreshing water.

Claus handed over his ID to Trerk, who quickly glanced it over.

He pointed to a name, Neiayo. A Major God of Fire and Light. “That is the name of the one who Blessed you. If I’m remembering right, he is the twin brother of Yoneia, Princess Qina’s Goddess. Now, if you put your finger to the name, you will see a list of skills that you can learn.” He tapped on the name, and the surface went blank before filling up with a list that was no shorter nor longer than Qina’s list.

Wait, how does Trerk know my sister's Goddess? Did father tell him? If I remember right, an ID is created when a parent names their child... I can't remember when I first met Trerk, but maybe Father trusted him enough to be present at our birth? Or perhaps he sought Trerk out after we were born?  It was an innocent enough question, but Claus believed the answer didn't matter.

Trerk glanced his eyes over the list and smiled.

“Be proud, Claus. If you manage to learn and master these, I do not doubt that you'll be one of the strongest in the world,” Trerk was a noble and kind Kobold, but he never praised anyone who he felt didn't deserve it. This was a good sign for Claus.

“Sir, really? In that case, just maybe...”

“Maybe what?” Trerk asked as he downed the rest of his glass, and he handed the ID back to its owner. Claus glanced over the list of skills, but he couldn’t understand anything. He dropped it, and it turned to yellow dust before it hit the ground, absorbing back into Claus’s body.

“Don’t laugh, sir, but I want to join the Imperial Guard,” Claus spoke as he had his head turned towards the ground.

Trerk closed his eyes and thought for a second.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“I said I wanted to join the Imperial Guard,” Claus was still staring down at the ground.

“Still can’t hear you.”

Claus repeated himself a little louder.

“Nope. Still can’t,”

Finally, Claus understood what his instructor was trying to do. He stopped looking down like a coward and stared at his instructor.

“Sir! I wish to join the Imperial Guard!”

“Very good! In times like this, when you state your wishes and hopes for the future, you must say them with pride and honor in your heart!”

“Yes, sir!” Claus said.

“Now, I do not want to sully your dreams, but have you asked your father yet?”

Claus nervously rubbed his wrist, and that was all that Trerk needed to see. He sighed.

“Do you want me to go with you to ask?” Trerk said.

“Please, sir, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all. In fact, my life would be worthwhile if someone I trained joined the prestigious Imperial Guard. Be warned, though, if your father agrees, then be prepared for brutal training the likes of which you never thought possible.”

“Of course, sir. I welcome the harsh training. I need to get stronger so that I may protect my sister.” Claus brightly  smiled and spoke fast. Maybe a bit faster than he would have liked.

“Oh ho, doing all of this for your sister?” The Kobold smiled the way only a Kobold could, with many teeth showing, and started to tease the young boy.

“You love your family a lot, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. I am a member of the imperial family. Since I can’t take the throne, I will defend them instead.”

The Kobold looked at this child, barely above ten years old, and smiled. In their culture, a child became an adult when they turned five, which signified they had completed their initial growth. They had a life span of hundreds of years. Though most never live that far. A vast majority of Kobolds die in a war somewhere, maybe in the mud or dirt, destined to become more than a thought but less than a memory.

In Keywater, a child became an adult at the age of 15, and a human lifespan was around 70 to 80 years.  With a proper diet, lifestyle choices, and access to the right doctors, one could almost live to 115.  But that was so far out of reach for regular nobles, let alone the peasants of the world, that it was nothing but a fleeting dream for one who still wanted to leave behind a legacy.

Trerk couldn’t help but compare the two rites of childhood.

“Alright. How about we go ask your father?” Trerk said as he finished off his glass and moved towards the door. Claus followed behind him.

“Yes, sir! Along the way, can I ask you something about my God?” Trerk opened the door and allowed Claus to proceed first before following behind him.

“You can, but I must admit that I do not know much. I am blessed by a Minor God of fire. I only know about Fire Skills. And even then, I only know a few. As a Kobold, my might is my strength, and skills are an afterthought.” Again, the ground shook slightly as the prince and the beast walked side by side. It was something out of a fairy tale.

“After you handed my ID back, I tried looking at the list, but I don’t really get it.”

“That is normal since you haven’t started learning. I can tell you this, however. Your God specializes in Fire and Light Skills. Your sister’s God specializes in Earth and Light Skills, much like the honorable Lady Veris.”

How does he know what skills my sister's God specializes in? Wait, why am I overanalyzing it? I'm sure father told him and Veris a while ago to prepare them for teaching us.

“Will you continue to be my instructor?”

“If the Emperor grants permission, then yes.”

“Then can you tell me about a few skills? I’ve never used them before,” Claus said.

“Very well. We still have a bit more walking ahead of us. and this will be a good way to pass the time.”

Trerk held his left hand in front of him. After chanting, a small line of fire appeared above the back of his hand. It slowly expanded and grew until it became something like a napkin. With a bit of finesse, Trerk maneuvered the flame around, almost as if he was dancing with it. Soon enough, the fiery object came to a halt in front of him. It slowly became bigger, only stopping when it became half as big as its wielder.

“This is called Fire Wall. Very useful if you ever find yourself outnumbered. By making the flame bigger and covering an area, you can effectively split a large group into two smaller groups. It’s also not bad for cooking. Haha!”

Trerk made a small joke, which was unusual for a Kobold.

“That’s amazing! And I can do that?” stars filled Claus’s eyes as he gazed upon the scorching flat wall of fire that bounced over Trerk’s hand. He closed his fist, and the fire disappeared.

"That's right. It'll take some time since learning the mechanics behind using skills from your God is different than learning it via Warden. But once you do, it is as easy as breathing."

The two enjoyed some more small talk before they found themselves in front of the door leading to the throne room.

“Ah, Prince Claus and Instructor Trerk,” the guard on the left said.

“What can we do for you?” the guard on the right asked.

“Is my father in? I want to ask him something.”

“Of course, allow us to open the door,” the two guards opened the door, and Claus and Trerk walked in.

His father, of course, sat on a glorious throne that was a highly valued treasure.  Even more than that, it was a symbol of the Empire itself.

The emperor, Virin Keywater, was an imposing man who gave off an aura of authority.

I always get nervous when I have to talk with him. But I have to be brave. It’s for my dream.

Claus walked up to the throne, and Trerk followed behind. If a servant walked beside a member of the imperial family, it would suggest that the servant or instructor was equal to the prince. The only exception to that unspoken rule was Veris, who carried the same authority as someone with imperial blood. Of course, Claus didn't care much for it and allowed Trerk to even walk in front of him when they were alone.

As the distance shrank between Virin and Claus, his father offered him a soft smile that was almost out of character. It was at this time that Claus noticed five other people stood nearby.

Parrel, his brother. Fia, his wife. Albert, their butler. And two people he didn’t know.

“How are you doing today, my son? I hope it finds you well,” his father spoke in a deep and masculine voice.

“I’m doing well, father. I hope you are too. Parrel, Fia, Albert, I’m glad to see that you are all looking well.”

“Thank you for those words, Master Claus,” Albert bowed. Fia offered a gentle smile but no words. The two unknowns ignored him like he was a common crook.

A bit disrespectful, I think. Claus thought about saying something or making a scene, but he ultimately decided that he didn’t care. He was never one for the standard and fake kindness that nobles were known to show.

“I wish I could say I’m doing well, brother,” Parrel sighed. It was plain for all around that he had seen better days.

“What’s wron—” Claus tried to ask, but he was interrupted by the door opening.

Claus looked back and noticed his sister walking down the carpet. Standing next to her was a Dryad. While this wasn’t the first time that Claus had seen Veris. He had known her all his life, but he still couldn’t take his eyes away from her. She was absolutely stunning, monopolizing his attention whenever she entered a room, much to the chagrin of his sister, who sometimes teased him about his crush on Veris. Somehow, he mustered the willpower to turn his head after smiling and waving to his sister.