Bonus Short Story

The Knights of Shurule

Catherine, captain of the Knights of Shurule, could scarcely believe her ears. Her Holiness, the pope, had just informed her that not only had Luciel conquered a labyrinth in Yenice, but he had become a dragonslayer in the process.

The captain was well aware of the young healer’s uncharacteristic skill in combat, but was it enough to fell a drake? She wasn’t even confident in her own ability to accomplish such a feat, much less that of a young spellcaster. Dragons were not to be trifled with. No amount of luck would be able to save you should you ever be unfortunate enough to come face-to-face with one. And yet, she was certain that Luciel wouldn’t have stood a chance against her one-on-one. What was this strange incongruence?

“How did he accomplish it, Your Holiness?”

“As I hear it, the boy flung a barrel of Substance X into the beast’s maw moments before its jaws clamped down on him.”

The utterance of its name made Catherine break into a cold sweat. Once, when she had heard of the benefits that drinking the substance offered, she had given it a try, but that was a short-lived experiment. After waking up from her unwelcome nap (that is, she had completely blacked out), she swore to never go down that road again.

She took a deep breath. “What happened then?”

“The dragon shrieked and fell. While it lay inert, seizing, he delivered the final blow.”

“It seems we can add ‘bringing miracles’ to Substance X’s list of capabilities.” And list of concerns, she added in her head.

“Indeed. However, let the credit not stray from Luciel’s indomitable spirit.”

“Of course. Still, I wonder about the safety of drinking a liquid that makes even dragons fall.”

Catherine greatly wanted to move on from the subject of Substance X, but its effects were important to make note of.

“Rest assured, it has been proven harmless. One may even make use of it to raise one’s attributes without the need for leveling up.”

“So I’ve heard. But we simply can’t employ it among the knights as long as there are mysteries surrounding the extent of its effects.”

Despite that claim, the captain knew there was one regiment that was taking great efforts to stomach it: the Valkyries. Seeing Luciel’s Order of Healing learn to endure the substance’s rancidness, and the leaps they were making as a result, had inspired them. His team had apparently made great strides during their time in Merratoni, and now they were a force to rival even Lumina’s. So Lumina had introduced Substance X to her own troop after comparing her unit’s routine to Luciel’s, in an attempt to imitate the healer’s regimen.

“What say you to a test run of sorts?” Her Holiness suggested. It was unclear whether she was aware of the Valkyries’ current endeavors. “It could prove useful even for healers, as it did for Luciel.”

“Lumina’s Valkyries are already conducting such a test. If it produces results, we may very well be able to use it on a larger scale.”

“I do hear it makes leveling up rather difficult. Do what you must.”

“Yes, Your Holiness. If you’ll excuse me, I will return to training the knights.”

“You may go. While Luciel’s role is to be the face of the Church, yours is to see to our defense. Make our knights strong.”

“As you wish.”

And so the proposal was shelved...for the moment. Yet none could know the impact this would have on the fate of the Knights of Shurule.