“An incident,” I parroted back curiously.

  “All I did was propose a trade, I shouldn't have been stabbed for the suggestion, there are more polite ways to say no,” the villainous sounding man interjected. Recognition struck me as I realized this was the man from earlier. A collection of sighs clued me into the mood and the puzzle began to come together.

  “I’m assuming you said something stupid and Don stabbed you,” I asked, my raspy voice startling me a bit. I held up a hand as multiple people started to open their mouths. “I know it’s more complicated than that.” Timothy nodded slightly.

  “Yeah Don stabbed the mage,” Timothy stated.

  “Awesome,” I said with a heavy sarcasm in my voice. “This is outrageously complicated. Bogus has no formal government or charter. This is a case of tribal law which is oft unspoken and mutually understood. That being said I’m getting the feeling that this somehow goes deeper. However I’m a little confused and hungry. What happened, the last thing I heard was screams,” I commented. Timothy slid a basket of berries and mug of water to me. I nodded and started to munch.

  “The magic got out of control by noon I was fine,” Helen stated tensely.

  “Did you level,” I asked. Helen nodded and I muttered, “must be nice.”

  “Can I just say,” the mage villain man began before being cut off.

  “Wait! Wait. I don’t even know your name, mage dude guy. Wait, that's not an invitation,” I interjected. “Before I hear anything Ereya can I ask a couple of questions,” I asked.

  “I will answer to the best of my ability,” Ereya said tensely almost formally.

  “Does your country have a monarchy, nobility, serfdom, slavery,” I asked, afraid of the answer.

  “Yes we have a Royal Council and Nobility. I’m not sure about what serfdom is. Slavery is only meant for what is regarded by the government as the inferior races; they don't enslave full blooded humans,” Ereya explained. Awesome they had slavery and racism chances we would get along long term were zero. Racism was one thing but slavery, well slavery was another. You could hate a racist but get along with them in a civil matter as long as they were peaceful and didn’t harm others. A slaver and a society of slavers…war would be inevitable.

  “Some other time I will ask you to explain to me the races of this world,” I said loudly speaking over the obscenities that Don began shouting. “Last but not least is it common to execute people for crimes,” I asked. Don fell silent and the room sat in silence for a moment.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you. Timothy, am I representing Bogus in this case or are you,” I asked, already wanting to be anywhere else other than here.

  “Dooley Jones will be representing the people of Bogus as the voice of their will,” Timothy stated.

  “Gee thanks that was totally unnecessary,” I deadpanned. “Helen, can you start and explain to me what happened in your opinion.”

  “I was speaking with one of Hurricane Rend, an adventure with farming experience by the name of Baryl, you’ve met, was telling me about plants. They told me that you can buy seeds from the capitol and I got excited. Well Lartogeaomus Arthenellegk-”

  “I’m sorry who,” I interrupted Helen. Helen gestured to the villain man who saluted and bowed his head. “Ah is he known by anything else.”

  “Grand Magus,” Ereya stated.

  “The ‘Grand Magus’,” Helen continued with clear disdain and emphasis on the title grand magus. “Offered to trade me some seeds, including corn seeds.” She paused letting that news sink in. Corn was a staple crop of the Americas for Bogus a viable corn crop could end a lot of the struggle for food. So far all they had was two types of berries, and some weird fruit that smelled fowl but was quite tasty. I munched on some of those very berries and nodded hoping that Helen would continue. “I informed him I had nothing to trade. He said elves always had something to trade and that he’d be gentle.” She paused looking down at the table.

  “I’m assuming you said no,” I asked. My stomach dropped when I saw Grand Magus alphabet soup smirk just like an eighties villain. This dude was a monologue away from being a cult classic. The look of gloom on Helens face was painful. I was not liking where this was going.

  “I told him I’d think about it,” Helen stated. She spoke to the table, unable to keep her head held high. Looking at Helen then at Timothy I finally realized why I was handling this. Timothy’s hand was on his sword gripped super tight. His other hand was balled into a fist. I waited as the room fell silent. I looked at Don who was glaring from his corner to Timothy. There was definitely more but I wasn’t going to get it out of Helen at least not right now.

  .”Shit,” I mumbled. I hadn’t liked Shit so much as a curse word. However as it was Don’s singular favorite word it was begging to grow on the entire group. Placing my elbows on the table I braced my head in my hands. This was known colloquially as the double facepalm or super facepalm. I gently rubbed my temples hoping to ease the throbbing of my head. Lifting my head I locked eyes with the Grand Magus. “Grand Magus, did you at any time touch Helen? Before you answer let me tell you we value truth here. Lying to me will not go well and will make things much worse.”

  “I didn’t really have to. Elves are known for their games but are more than willing when the price is right. It’s amazing how fast their legs open when you have something they want,” the Grand Magus started with an evil grin on his face. Curare spun around just in time to catch Don who was in the process of launching himself across the room. I was so distracted by Don that I almost missed the word “pathetic” being muttered. A gauntlet flew across the room smacking the Grand Magus. I looked at Timothy in confusion. He stared right back at me equally flummoxed as the Grand Magus began to shout pointing at me. No, he wasn’t pointing at me, he was pointing just past me at Curare missing a gauntlet. I looked at Ereya who bowed her head somberly.

  “Seriously,” I commented.

  “I accept. I Lartogeaomus Arthenellegk Grand Magus of Hurricane Rend shall answer your challenge,” the Grand Magus declared as he rose to his feet. That was when he launched into full villain mode. “I have been wronged here. My victory will prove this and prove that I have been wronged by this foul Oraphie. Normally I wouldn’t lower myself to brawling with lesser creatures.”

  “For fucks sake! Sit down and shut up!” I screamed as I rose to my feet. There it was my favorite curse word. I so loved the word fuck. This situation for example was Fucked. I was already fucking sick of this cartoon of a mage.

  “There will be no duels today, I am too tired for this shit. This is my judgment, I Dooley Jones representing Bogus and it’s sovereignty, find the Grand Magus guilty of assault. I find Don guilty of Assault. The punishment shall be 20 lashes. Unless the Grand Magus would like to conditionally forgive Don on the premise that he is forgiven,” I pontificated with a note of anger in my voice. I was totally glaring down at the Grand Magus who nodded with an agitated look of outrage. “Excellent than the assault charges are dropped.” Helen and Timothy both looked at me outraged. Wow, such anger maybe they shouldn’t have dropped this on me I thought.

  “As for the next two charges. I, Dooley Jones, acting as the voice of the people of Bogus do find you guilty on the charge of sabotage and interference with the production of food supply during a time of unprecedented crisis. Additionally I find you guilty of Perjury, Fraud, and Profiteering. When Bogus healed Hurricane Rend and sheltered its members we asked for any items that could have been of use as a form of payment for healing which you received. Fortunately you are not beholden to our laws and I will not punish Hurricane Rend for your actions.” I stopped speaking and watched for the inevitable relaxation and smile of whatever the Magus’s name was. When it happened I smiled. “However while in Bogus you are confined to your home block you are not to leave except for your duel which will take place on the day after tomorrow. You will be escorted back to your block by Timothy and Guitari where you will remain. Ereya and Helen shall remain here to speak with me. Curare if you would please escort Don to the East hall and send Rinn in he will serve as my guard until the duel.”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  I watched everyone file out. When the last person who needed to leave left I let out a huge sigh. There was a pause in which everyone sat in silence.

  “Are you honestly going to let them Duel,” Ereya asked. I sighed this situation was so, so ,so messed up.

  “Not entirely I have a plan. We are going to hold a series of practice bouts between Hurricane Rend and Bogus. If either side continues to come out better than the other it may help convince one side to back down. That’s my plan. Curare probably won’t back down but maybe the Grand Magus will. Ereya I need to explain to your people what kind of behavior will and won’t be tolerated here in Bogus. I hope you will stand with me during this speech. I have a long day tomorrow so the sooner the better.”

  I got back to the east hall and almost immediately found myself asleep. When I awoke the next day I grabbed breakfast. I finished eating quickly and rose from the table. I didn’t even stop to wait for Rinn; I just went outside and began to harvest materials. Skipping lunch I continued to harvest materials from the woods. As dusk fell I made my way to the southwest corner of the hill not far from the bunkhouses. I held my hammer aloft and began to build two sets of viewing stands. What I built resembled the cheap version of a highschool football field. I figured this was fine for the early bouts but for the actual duel I was worried. Having seen Guitari fight, the dude was like a one man artillery unit, and if the Magus was stronger the damage would be severe. In a video game that was badass in real life it was pure terror. I was concerned for Curare who I was certain acted out of instinct rather than logic.

  Talk during dinner was nothing but excitement for almost everyone except for Curare, Timothy, and DJ. Helen was spirited but that was because the corn had taken very well to the growth magic. Apparently the plants could be grown with great magic expenditure in a day as long the seeds were good. As a result corn was offered for the first time and almost everyone was ecstatic. Corn was a staple food of the Americas it was everywhere and according to Guitari who’s occupation was a Chef it was a culinary staple. I honestly didn’t care that much about culinary stuff as long as the food situation was resolving itself. Though it did spark a sudden curiosity.

  “What did everyone do back in….well what did everyone do,” I asked, struggling to get the question out. I had almost said back in the old world which I had a feeling would have not gone over well. Several people were going along with the flow of things because it was the safe bet however they didn’t like the operating theory that this was the permanent new world. A silence washed over the table until Guitari broke it with a laugh.

  “Well I’ve been boasting all day that I was Chef De Cuisine who had a small side hustle selling edibles,” Gaitari stated.

  “Yo you know I’ma start callin ya puff,” Don stated. Everyone looked at Don who just stared back at them. “Shit, I thought ya knew who I was. I’m Don Grandeur Washington number 89 first tight end mvp.”

  “Wow, I’m just a botanist for an evil corporation masquerading as a family entertainment company,” Helen stated.

  “Really I’m entertainment as a Mariachi,” Jose stated brightening.

  “I work third shift so I don’t see much but I'll have to…” Helen trailed off realizing mid sentence what she was about to say.

  “I’m an AV Tech. I also moonlight as a DJ,” I mumbled the last part not really proud of it.

  “Wait you’re the whoop whoop DJ DA DJ,” Jose asked with a smile on his face. “You worked the expo, you looked so dead inside.”

  “I felt dead inside,” I commented.

  “I’m a Salon owner in Beverly Hills and makeup artist,” Melody stated.

  “1% Alert, Hi I’m Rinn and I’m an accountant,” Rinn said with a grin and a wink. Several people chorused Hi Rinn back at Rinn.

  “I’m Nerium. UX Designer.”

  “I’m May-Mihn….” May paused and said nothing more. One of the healers from Hurricane Rend had approached Timothy and me about her abysmal state. The healer suggested taking her almost 1,000 miles away to the capital of Illumendul where she could be looked at by her own kind.

  “I’m Tawani, I’m a teacher,” Tawani said.

  “I’m Alice, I was a stylist. I actually think I might have known Melody,” Alice said, showing off her pointy teeth. We had thought she was a vampire of some sort. She was in fact a member of Chiropteran. They were bat people. Well that wasn’t exactly correct. The Mystic Chiropterans were bats that could turn into people. When it bat form they were nightmarishly large bats in human form they were short humans. Alice stood about 5’1 with short black and white hair. She usually existed in a half transformed state. Pointed ears stuck out of her hair and would occasionally flick. Giant wings sat on her back that she could glide around with but not fly. To fly she would cast wind spells and she would glide around. She wore black robes adorned with gold that changed size and shape slightly as she transformed.

  “I'm a soldier, same as here it seems. I won’t get into more details. Eat up everyone and get some sleep. It's a long day tomorrow,” Timothy stated with his usual air of authority. Everyone obeyed and all too soon the next day came.

  The set up felt so strange as I took a seat next to Helen. Each set of bleachers could accommodate about one hundred people. Due to the fact that neither side was anywhere near that many people the place seemed empty. Bogus only had thirteen permanent residents and a fourth of them were fighting today. This meant that the stands on Bogus’s side were empty.

  The first bout was Rinn against Tchkttchkytchkttchkt who kinda resembled the nightmare that was the Cats movie except with clothing. No one was quite sure exactly how to say the name so everyone called her Chit short for Chitter which was what the name sounded like. She seemed okay with this. Rinn and Chit bowed to each other as was apparently customary for practice bouts in this culture. Ereya called for the match to begin and both Rinn and Chit surged forward. They darted around each other for several minutes looking more like a choreographed dance than an actual fight. Coming to rest at near opposite ends of the field they both charged looking to end the bout. Chit surged forward leaping which would have worked had Rinn not dropped to his knees and begun to slide. Had he been wielding actual knives it was no doubt he would have opened a massive cut in Chit who yielded after the strike. Both sides clapped respectfully as Rinn walked off the field chatting with Chit.

  Next up was Don against another Dwarf named Topal. Quickly into the match both warriors dropped their weapons and proceeded to just fight each other with fist, foot, and headbutt. By far it was the longest fight as it had no finesse or style. It was a slug out endurance contest as they just took turns bashing each other. Midway through the match Helen began to giggle as if trying to stuff down laughter. I looked at her confused.

  “What’s so funny,” I asked.

  “I don’t think this match is going to end. Both of them absorb damage and heal it so fast that they can’t physically do enough damage to each other. Neither of them want to lose so this is the solution,” she mused.

  “Great… They’re going all rock ‘em sock em on each other.”

  “Yup,” she laughed. It was at that time that Ereya finally realized what Helen had realized almost ten minutes ago. Ereya called the match a tie after it had gone on for almost thirty minutes, a practical eternity in a fight like this.

  A hush fell as Ereya began to head down the stands and Timothy took to the field. This should be a great judge of what levels actually meant and how they were measured. When Ereya was asked about levels she had been vague. She commented that they were a personal progression of one's maximum power. She indicated that they couldn’t be used to determine overall strength. Helen cleared her throat next to me. I suddenly remembered that it was my job to officiate this one.

  “BEGIN!”

  The fighters started by circling each other occasionally taking experimental swipes at the air hoping to provoke the other. The fighters were slowly getting closer as suddenly the strikes were glancing off the edges of shields and wooden blades. Only the actual duel would use lethal abilities, skills, and weapons. Thwack, Dunk, Thwack, Thwack the sound of blades and shields striking filled the quiet air. Everyone watched as the leaders fought the strongest out of their respective groups. Clack! The boom of both shields smashing into one another filled the air. People sprang to their feet as Ereya began to fall backwards. Timothy pulled his sword arm back as his shield stayed pressed to Ereya’s forcing her down. The series of thrusts that Timothy delivered sounded like cannons going off. The last one shattered Timothy’s wooden sword into an explosion of wooden shrapnel.

  “HALT!” I screamed ending the match and he looked at Helen who was bounding down from the stands. “Shit. Helen,” I called as she went down the stands. The Hurricane Rend healer arrived first and took out a knife. They had to cut the damaged breastplate away from Ereya in order to heal her. Ereya’s owl started circling around Timothy angrily hooting and chirping at him. Timothy walked up the stands.

  “Is she going to be okay,” I asked the Hurricane Rend healer.

  “I,..I…I,” The girl was panicked as she tried to work quickly.

  “It’s okay Mox I’m fine,” Ereya Starbeam groaned at the healer. Mox The Healer nodded slightly, calming a bit. The small owl landed on the ground and transformed into a girl. Had I not known Alice was a person who could change into a bat I would have been shocked. Instead I just brushed this revelation that the owl Ko’a was in fact a person. The two girls helped Ereya to her feet and helped her to the stands.

  I climbed back up to the stands and stopped next to Timothy. He had dropped his shield as well as his helmet on the field. I looked down at him and opened my mouth to speak and then closed it. Stories of the shakes didn’t fully capture the devastation that PTSD could cause both to the affected and those watching. The looks of victory fell from the faces of the residents of Bogus. Timothy trembled, his hands shaking violently. His stare far afield in a world far far from this one. Caught in a memory he couldn’t escape.