"Stay down," Harald said, jumping up and sprinting toward his family. I watched as the soldiers raised their swords, poised to strike. Fear and panic surged through me, and I began sprinting as well.

  As Harald neared, I heard him yell to the guards. "Hey, I'm here!" He waved his hands as he ran. The guards immediately turned, swords at the ready. I stopped and fell to my stomach. The grass concealed me, but I was close enough now to hear what they were saying.

  "Identify yourself!" the leader shouted as Harald approached.

  "I am Harald, and this is my family," Harald said, stepping in front of them.

  The leader moved closer, grabbing Harald by the chin and inspecting him closely. Harald struggled to catch his breath.

  "I used to know a Harald," the leader said. "He was a great man, one who served his Warden with honor." He stared into Harald’s eyes for a moment before releasing his grip. "The man before me is but a shadow of that man. My, how far you’ve fallen."

  The leader took a step back, and Harald, now breathing steadily, stood upright. "What is this about, Keiran?" he asked.

  The guardsman slapped Harald with his armored hand. I watched as Harald's' head shot to the side and he spit out blood. Alyndra started to rush over to him, but one of the guardsmen held his sword out, forcing her to stop. Harald rubbed his face briefly before lifting his head to the leader again.

  "You will address me with respect and remember your place as a lesser," he said firmly.

  I felt my fear begin to shift into anger. Harald continued, "I apologize, sir," giving a slight bow. "I forgot myself for a moment. What I meant to say was, how can I help serve the Warden's brave guardsmen?"

  The leader stood still for a moment, taking it all in, then spoke again. "I was sent to investigate suspicious activity. There have been reports of a man staying with you who is not part of your family."

  He began pacing back and forth, the way a general might as he gives a speech to his troops. "I asked your family about him, and no one seems to know what I’m talking about."

  He stopped and fixed Harald with a piercing gaze. "Maybe you can tell me where he is, so I may bring him to the Warden for questioning."

  Harald shook his head. "I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir. Perhaps someone failed to recognize one of my sons."

  The leader smiled coldly, a predatory gleam in his eye. "I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me what I need to know. We have it on good authority that not only does this man live here," he pointed toward the shack where I slept, "but he sleeps in that room. It’s possible he’s a chosen."

  He resumed pacing as he spoke, his tone growing more insistent. "As you know, the Warden would want to meet this man for himself. And I, for one, am not going to return to the Warden empty-handed."

  He stopped again, this time holding his sword to Harald’s throat.

  I knew I had to do something. My heart pounded, and the anger inside me surged as adrenaline took over. I started moving toward the guards, each step driven by a need to act.

  "So tell me where he is or I will kill you and your family and find him myself."

  I started moving a bit faster at this point. I had to get there. Even if I couldn't take on these guards I could turn myself in and spare Harald.

  Harald put his hands up next to his face. "Sir, I beg you, do not do this. I know not who you speak of."

  The leader lowered his sword and him and his men got in a stance I recognized from my training, They were about to attack.

  I made myself move faster and at this point, I was done hiding and going at a full blown sprint.

  The leader spoke again. "I did warn you." He said and I knew I was out of time. "Hey asshole!" I yelled as I closed in fast.

  The leader turned around and just as he did I was on him. I lowered my shoulder and plowed into him as hard as I could launching us both to the ground.

  Harald quickly grabbed his family together and started corralling them into the house.

  I scrambled back to my feet as fast as I could. My shoulder throbbed and I felt like I just ran into a brick wall. The leader still lay on the ground and I jumped to him and started prying off his helmet.

  The other guardsmen all rushed at me and one swung his sword. I ducked as it passed by and finally freeing the helmet, I threw it at my attacker's head as hard as I could. The force of the impact surprised even me, as it struck and the guard stumbled back into the guard behind him.

  I turned to the leader scrambling to get to his feet and began striking him in the back of the head. anger and adrenaline still coursing through my veins I kept punching until I felt a crack and he stopped moving.

  I reached for his sword but struggled to get it from his holster before another guard was on me. He swung quickly at my stomach and I jumped back narrowly avoiding it.

  He kept swinging back and forth and I lunged back again and again causing him to miss and grow tired, He finally lifted his sword high and swung downward. I stepped to the side and his sword impacted the ground next to me.

  I kicked his sword hand as hard as I could and it slipped from his grasp flailing through the air. Then kicked him as hard as I could with my other leg in his helmet, flipping him onto his back.

  Another guard swung at me and I quickly rolled back to the dead guard, unholstering his sword as I did. I got to my feet as quickly as I could and held my ground.

  The guardsmen did not advance. Instead, they stood in place, swords at the ready. Their swordless comrade behind me struggled to get back on his feet. As he was regaining his composure I turned and swung my sword as hard as I could, and with my skill and a little bit of luck the blade struck true just in between where his helmet met his chest piece. His head was severed off with one clean fluid motion.

  I turned back to the 4 guards left with pure focus on my face.

  The guards watched with shock as their comrades head fell to the dirt and his body went limp and followed.

  One of the guards screamed with rage and swung his arm back behind him.

  I recognized the attack, balled my fist, then opened it, producing a flame, and swung with all my might. As the guard shot a wall of flames at me, I countered with a wall of my own. The two walls collided and then dissipated with a sound similar to a plane breaking the sound barrier.

  "I am a chosen, and if you value your lives, you will leave this place and speak to no one about what happened," keeping my gaze fixed on them.

  Without hesitation, the guard closest to me spoke. "If we return empty-handed, we're dead anyway."

  I nodded and got into my fighting stance. "Then come and get me," the guards all charged at once. As the first one swung downward, I rolled to my side. The guards moved much slower than I did, their armor designed to withstand damage, not built for agility. His sword crashed down into the ground.

  The second guard, still charging, swung sideways at my stomach. I lunged backward as his blade whipped past me, then immediately lunged forward at him. I opened my hand and pushed quickly into the space between his helmet and chestplate. Flames poured out of my hand and the man screamed as I cooked him alive inside his armor. I then pushed him back and he fell to the ground, smoke and embers rising from every hole.

  The 3rd guard jumped over his cooked friend and charged with a straight thrust of his sword hoping to stab me in the gut. I slapped it out of the way with my sword, and countered with a sword thrust of my own. My blade found an opening between his chestpiece and shoulder armor. I pushed the sword hard until it was through his shoulder all the way to the handle.

  The guard screamed in pain and quickly dropped his sword and shield in a desperate attempt to pull it out.

  The last soldier and the first soldier now on his feet again, both charged at me from opposite directions.

  I quickly retrieved the shield from the ground as the two soldiers closed in. One swung from the side as the other did a forward thrust. I was able to spin and block both with the shield before bashing one of the guards sword arm causing him to lose his grip and the sword to go whirling into the distance.

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  I quickly turned around, raised my shield and tucked my head behind it. I charged the remaining armed guard.

  I reached him before he could attack again and we impacted.

  The soldier flew backwards landing on the ground. I peaked behind me to see the guard still frantically trying to pull the sword out of his shoulder while the other was running as fast as he could to retrieve his sword.

  I turned back around and put the bottom of the shield at the guardsman's neck. I raised it and came down as hard as I could. I heard a crunching sound as the force of the shield slammed through his throat and spine.

  I walked over to the guard still screaming and struggling to get the sword out of his shoulder. He had the sword about halfway out and I bashed the handle with my shield pushing it back into place.

  The guard cried out in pain, and I rammed the bottom of the shield into his open screaming mouth, snapping his jaw and cracking the back of his skull. His screams went silent and I pulled the sword from his shoulder.

  Fully armed, I turned and watched the last soldier retrieve his sword and start rushing toward me.

  I stood ready in my battle stance as he approached and as he swung his sword down on me, I stepped to the side yet again watching as it impacted the ground. I lifted my sword up and came down at an angle decapitating him as well. His body went limp and he fell to the ground.

  I felt myself breathing heavily and turned to look toward the house. Harald had managed to get his family to the door, but he hadn’t managed to get them inside. The whole family stood there, staring in shock at the gruesome display they had just witnessed.

  I glanced around at the carnage, Then, some notifications popped up:

  Blocking increased to level 5. To reach level 6 disarm 5 opponents with a shield bash.

  Strength increased to level 4. To reach level 5 disable 5 opponents with your bare hands.

  Swordplay increased to level 4. To reach level 5 Kill 5 opponents within 10 seconds.

  The notifications faded, and Harald started toward the guards' horses. "We have to leave now; it's not safe here anymore." His family followed close behind. I began walking toward the horses but stopped as I heard slow clapping coming from behind me.

  "Well, I am impressed," a voice said, a man wearing a full suit of armor—minus the helmet—stepped out from behind my shack. His armor appeared to be solid gold, with a long red cape flowing behind him. He was an older man, likely in his mid-fifties, with gray hair that matched his beard.

  He stopped clapping and stood with his arms crossed. "When I was told another chosen had arrived, I had my doubts, but after seeing that display, you can say I am now a believer."

  I gripped my sword and shield a little tighter, unsure of what was happening. "So who are you?" I asked.

  The man smiled. "Oh, how rude of me. Please forgive my manners. I'm not used to meeting people who don't already know who I am." He bowed his head slightly and continued. "I am the Warden of Kaedras. And what is your name, good sir?"

  I swallowed hard and turned back to look at Harald. He and his family were frozen in fear. I turned back to the Warden. "I'm Ryker."

  He took a step forward. "And what part of the universe were you pulled from, Ryker?"

  I adjusted my posture a bit, trying to keep my arms and legs from tightening up. "I'm from Earth," I replied. The Warden's face showed disappointment.

  "Ah, that's a shame. I was hoping you were from the same world as me, but alas, I've never heard of Earth." He looked over my shoulder, examining Harald and his family. "Which one of you is Jorik?" he asked.

  Jorik started to step forward, but Harald put his hand on his chest, stopping him. "What business have ye with my son?" Harald said, defiance in his voice.

  The Warden smiled. "Well, I have to reward him for being true to Kaedras and showing his unwavering loyalty."

  Harald looked at Jorik, confused, and then looked back at the Warden. "Step forward, my boy," the Warden said. Jorik pushed his father's hand away and began approaching the Warden with his head down.

  I felt anger building again and started forming a plan in my head on how to kill the Warden—or at least buy enough time to get Jorik to safety. As Jorik approached, I stepped in between him and the Warden. "I don't know what game you're trying to play, but if you want him, you're going to have to get through me first."

  The Warden laughed and began to explain. "In Kaedras, we have a law—well, several laws. But one of those laws says that anyone who finds someone they believe to be chosen should report it to the closest available guard."

  I turned and looked at Jorik. He kept his gaze focused downward.

  "Jorik did just that, and in doing so, has earned himself a reward of 20 gold pieces, as well as a place amongst the ranks of my Emberguard."

  I turned back to the Warden, who had a sinister smile on his face. "So, as I said, come boy, and receive your reward, then take your place inside the city’s walls."

  Jorik pushed past me and approached the Warden. The Warden whispered something to him and handed him a small bag of coins. Jorik then continued walking toward the city gates.

  Harald stepped up next to me, and I looked at him, seeing his heart break into a million pieces. Jorik continued on until he was out of sight, never once looking back.

  "Now, onto the business at hand," the Warden continued. "I have a problem. You see, my problem is that I just witnessed another chosen massacre my guardsmen in my very own kingdom, and such a level of disrespect tells me any kind of friendship between us is going to be impossible."

  I looked at Harald again and saw the hole left in his heart slowly being replaced with hate. As the Warden spoke, Harald reached down and picked up one of the guards’ swords and shield, arming himself.

  "And as for the rest of you, you knowingly harbored a chosen, and not only that, you tried to assist him in creating a rebellion against me," the Warden continued, shaking his head in disapproval. "I can’t let this go unpunished."

  He pulled a golden longsword from its holster, along with a matching golden shield from his back. I dropped into my attack stance, and through my peripherals, I could see Harald doing the same.

  "So, it is by my judgment that I hereby sentence all of you to death, and shall carry out the sentence immediately."

  He started walking toward us. Harald yelled to his family. "Get on the horses and ride straight to the forest now!"

  The Warden lunged at a speed that seemed impossible.

  I had but a second to react and barely managed to raise my shield. His sword came down and cut the shield in half knocking me to the ground. Pain shot through my body as I struggled to get back on my feet every breath felt like a vice squeezing my ribs.

  Harald lunged at the Warden and he bashed Harald with his shield without ever taking his eyes off me. Harald flipped twice before landing face down in the dirt.

  The sight of that filled me with anger and in a rage I slashed my sword upward at the Warden.

  He stepped back as I continued slashing back and forth, casually avoiding every blow with ease.

  I clenched my fist, then swung as hard as I could, shooting a wall of flames at him. He countered with a wall of his own, and his fire plowed through mine, engulfing me in flames and launching me back ten feet before I hit the ground.

  I started rolling back and forth, extinguishing the flames before they consumed me. I looked toward the forest, and saw Harald's family riding hard for the woods. They looked like they were almost there.

  I rolled back around to see the Warden still advancing on me, and Harald, back on his feet, rushing toward him from behind.

  Harald attempted to thrust his sword into the Warden's back, but the Warden spun just in time to slap the sword out of his hand and bash him with his shield once again. Harald flipped through the air and landed near the three horses still hitched to my shack.

  I started crawling away from the Warden as he approached. He stopped just at my feet and smiled. He raised his sword, and in a last-ditch attempt, I threw dirt in his face.

  "Ahhhh!" he yelled, dropping his shield to wipe his eyes with one hand while wildly swinging his sword with the other. I crawled fast toward him and rolled, narrowly avoiding one of his strikes.

  "Let's go!" I yelled, running toward Harald and the horses. He mounted one, and I jumped onto the other.

  "Yaaa!" I shouted as Harald and I galloped past the Warden, who was just recovering. As we rode, I looked back to see the Warden raising both his arms into the air. Giant balls of fire shot out of his hands and into the sky. They streaked overhead like meteors, exploding and raining down smaller ones all around us.

  "Just keep riding!" Harald yelled as my horse ran erratically, dodging the baseball-sized debris raining down all around us.

  The debris became more concentrated, seemingly everywhere, and one struck me in the right shoulder, while another shot straight through my left leg. I screamed in pain, trying to hang on, but the horse was pelted by debris as well and flipped forward, throwing me to the ground. I slid to a stop and curled up, covering my face with my hands, trying to make myself as small a target as possible. I was hit a few more times with smaller balls that burned holes straight through my skin.

  It soon stopped, and I lifted my head to scan the area. Harald had suffered the same fate as me. He jumped to his feet, holding his arm, and pointed behind me and yelled, "We have to keep moving!"

  I looked back and saw the Warden on the last horse, riding hard and gaining on us fast. I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the forest as fast as I could. I pushed harder than I ever had in my life, and my body screamed in agonizing pain with every step I took. Harald was a bit ahead pushing hard ocassionally glancing back to make sure I was still following.

  As we closed in on the woodline, another fireblast struck behind me, knocking me off my feet and face-first into the ground. I blocked out the pain and jumped back up, running as hard as I could. My lungs burned, but the woodline was getting closer and closer. I could hear the hooves of the Warden’s horse getting louder and closing in fast. I glanced behind me to see he was uncomfortably close at this point. I focused back forward, still fighting.

  I saw Harald stop just short of the forest, looking back. I heard the sound of the Warden's armor clanking from the movement of his horse, and then another blast struck near me. I was launched into the air, the world spun in all directions before I hit the ground hard.

  I faded in and out of consciousness, and when I awoke, I heard the sounds of battle. I tried to get to my feet but immediately felt pain shooting through my leg. I looked down to see it dangling just below my knee. It was broken.

  "It’s okay, you're safe now," Harald said as he lifted me up onto my good leg and supported me so I could stand. We were just inside the forest, and arrows were raining down onto the Warden. His horse lay dead on the ground next to him, and he was crouched behind his shield, as wave after wave of arrows flew over our heads, landing all around him.

  I saw shadowy figures rushing all around us, and soon several vines shot out of the ground, trapping the Warden in place. He slashed with his sword, struggling to break free, simultaneously using his shield to block the barrage of arrows landing all around him.

  The vines shot up again, grabbing him, and he slashed with his sword, ripping them off before turning around and running back toward the city. As soon as he did, the arrows stopped, and all seemed to calm.

  I felt myself starting to relax a bit and watched as the Warden ran, fading into the distance. I smiled and turned to Harald. "We made it," I said, struggling not to collapse from the pain of my multiple injuries.

  "Where's the rest of the family?" I asked, scanning the area.

  "They're safe, just over there." He pointed. As I hopped, leaning on Harald for support, something grabbed me from behind and pulled me to the ground.

  I saw shadows all around me, and I fought as hard as I could to keep them at bay.

  They forced a bottle of something to my lips and poured it into my mouth. I tried to resist, but I swallowed a good bit of it. I fought and struggled as best I could, but soon, it started getting very hard to move. I felt my body begin to fail, and one of the shadows stood over me, looking down as everything faded to black.