Eight

Foreword

The five sacred chalices. They are perhaps the greatest of miracles the Gods have ever bestowed upon us mere mortals. Within these simple golden vessels lay the salvation of all mankind. For when, in the darkest of days, as the beasts howled and clawed upon the great white walls of holy Altrech, the first of the Five were summoned.

Although the names of these first Heroes have long been lost to time, the impact of their great deeds are still felt to this very day. For with those first summonings came a legacy that would last for more than three thousand years.

All know of Heroes and their many exploits. Past and present, their names are legendary. From the ancient Hero Tiberius and his march into the Forbidden Lands to the Sea Hero Katung and his victory over the Pirate King Sistu’s armada, all Heroes have left an indelible mark upon our history. And yet not many know much of anything about these courageous individuals from another world. To the common man, the Hero may as well be myth.

It is, through the publication of this work, that I intend to banish such mysteries about our heroic friends. The history of summoning, the Heroes’ powers, the world they come from; all will be discussed in great detail within this document. And although I can not include all of the innumerable Heroes who have ever graced our world, I have included biographies of those most notable including those of the most recent Heroes. (At the time of publication.)

I wish to thank the historian Wilcot Murose for his thorough input and assistance in pouring through centuries-old tomes and scrolls in pursuit of facts and knowledge. I would also like to thank High Summoner Rintell and all the officers of the Holy Office of Summonings for their support in granting me permission to write this little academic project. And last and most importantly, I would like to thank the Speed Hero Anthony XI of Penglos, the Force Hero Anjay of Tamsin-Annessi, the Invincible Hero Mark III of Scepter, the Steel Body Hero Jing of Cennik, and the Unseen Hero Oleg of Zarta for being such fine folk. These men are true heroes.

- Lingyus Aranem
1766 AE

Huh. That was a lot of information. I flipped back to the front of the book I was reading and took a look at the title page.

“The Five Heroes: A Study.” I read aloud. “By Lingyus Aranem. Published 1766 AE.”

1766 AE. This meant that all the information in this book was twenty years out of date.

According to Griselda, the current year was 1786 AE. She explained that AE stood for “After Empire” which meant that this year was 1,786 years after the Empire of Altrech fell. There was also the BE era which stood for “Before Empire.” That covered all the years before the Altrech Empire was formed and was numbered backward. Then in between both eras was the 1200 or so years that the Empire existed. Those years were not given a notation.

I was snapped out of my musings when I heard a loud clicking noise behind me. I turned around in my chair and saw that Griselda was using some type of tubular device to light up some candles in one of the nearby candelabras. The small flames quickly lit up the library in a gentle glow. I hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten. Glancing out the library’s two windows, I saw that the sky was a bright red-orange, which meant that the sun was setting.

I had spent the entire afternoon in the library reading through the stack of books I had picked out. It had been very surprising to realize that I could read all the books I looked through. At first, I thought that they were all written in English, but after informing Griselda about it she looked very confused. She told me that most of the books here were written in High Annessik (which was the official language of the Altrech Empire) with only a few of the newer books being in Zartan or Cennikan.

That was weird. I looked through a lot of the books on the shelves and, to me at least, all the pages were in English. Was this one of the powers Ghaldor told me about? What was it called… Translate or something? But I thought that power only worked on the spoken language, not the written one. I would have to ask him about this when I visit him tomorrow.

I turned my attention back to the book in my hand, then began to read the foreword over again. I scanned over the names of the five Heroes as well as the countries they belonged to. Something didn’t make sense.

Penglos. Tamsin-Annessi. Scepter. Cennik. Zarta. These were the names of the only nations that the book had said were capable of summoning Heroes. But where was Duncan? How come this kingdom wasn’t listed? I guess since this book was twenty years out of date, it was possible that Duncan may have gotten the ability to summon Heroes after the book’s publication.

I stood up from the desk I had been using and began to search some nearby shelves. It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. It was a large, thin book with a wooden cover. Titled “The Known World,” it was basically an atlas of the continent we were in. I took the book to my desk, then began flipping through the pages. The book was over thirty years old but it should still hold some relevant information. I eventually found what I was looking for: a large, full-page map of the continent of Casaad. To my delighted surprise, it was in full color.

The continent was a massive peninsula that was shaped like a backward C. The northern part of the C was connected to a larger landmass that continued off the edge of the map. There were mountain ranges and a large desert separating Casaad from the other landmass, which was ominously labeled The Forbidden Lands. The southern portion was all blue, which probably represented water. The words “Casidian Ocean” written on top of it in fancy, swirly letters proved my assumption to be correct.

In the center of the continent was a large yellow blot which took up most of the map. The atlas designated this huge swath of land with the simple label of “The Alliance.” Looking more closely at the details, I was able to discern that the area was further divided into five smaller territories. They were called Tamsin-Annessi, Scepter, Penglos, Zarta, and Cennik. Those were the names of the countries “The Five Heroes” had mentioned! As I examined the details even closer, I saw that in the dead center of where the five nations’ borders intersected each other was a small, black dot representing a city. One with the name of Altrech.

Altrech… as in the Altrech Empire? Was this Alliance the remnants of the Empire? It would make sense that the countries which made up the former state would have summoned Heroes since the Empire originally had all five of the sacred chalices. But where did Duncan fit in with all this?

I looked around the map, checking the various other kingdoms that weren’t part of the Alliance. I quickly found Duncan in the northeast part of the continent, sharing a border with the northern part of Scepter. I frowned as I stared down at the map, my eyes focusing on the kingdom that had summoned me. It looked so tiny when compared to the Alliance countries! To be fair though, Duncan was much bigger than most of the other not-Alliance nations, but compared to the big yellow blob that was the Alliance it looked like a shrimp.

“My Lady,” Griselda said, interrupting my ruminations. “It is not good for your eyes to be reading when it is so dark.”

I looked up at her and noticed that the library was much darker now. I turned my head towards the windows and saw that it was pitch black outside. What time was it, and how long had I been looking at that map? I really needed to get a watch. Or a clock. Hopefully, someone has already invented those in this world.

“Shall we go up to your room now?” Griselda asked.

I looked down at the desk, upon which sat the large pile of books I had planned on reading. I wasn’t even halfway done with them yet!

The maid seemed to sense my reluctance. “I will have someone bring your books up to your room.”

I looked at her with a frown, still not convinced.

“It’s almost time for dinner.”

Okay, that got me moving.

In no time at all Griselda and I were heading up the stairwell that led to the hallway my room was located in. To my surprise, instead of turning right at the stairs, the maid turned left. Confused, I followed her silently as she took me down a familiar hallway and through a familiar door that led into a familiar room.

I looked around the bathroom I had visited earlier during my search for a toilet and noticed that it was brightly lit up by candlelight. The stone tub was still at the center of the room, though instead of being empty, this time it was filled with hot, steamy water. On the edge of the tub were washrags, soaps, as well as numerous bottles of some mystery concoctions.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion since I did not see any of the promised food here.

“I have prepared a bath for you, My Lady,” Griselda said. “Dinner shall be ready when you are done.”

I have been tricked! Lied to! Bamboozled!

I gave my maid an intense glare, hoping that my red eyes would shoot lasers and light her hair on fire. Griselda merely gave a small smile to meet my glowering face. She then stepped behind me and began to unbutton my dress.

Five minutes later, I was naked and neck-deep in the hot, steamy water. I sighed as I leaned back against the side of the stone tub, feeling the heat relaxing my muscles. Okay, I guess this wasn’t so bad. This was actually my first real bath. Before, in my previous life, I had always been bathed with a sponge. The nurses doing it weren't always very gentle when they scrubbed away at my skin. This was way better.

After just semi-floating in the water for a few minutes, I turned my attention to the various bathing paraphernalia placed near the edge of the tub. I looked through the numerous bars of soaps and mysterious bottles of liquid, trying my best to figure out how the hell you were supposed to use each of them.

I picked up one of the wash rags and dipped it in the water. It got wet. So far so good. I then began to scrub myself with it.

Hmmm. Something was missing.

I grabbed the soap, but with my wet hand, it soon became slick. It slipped out of my grip and plopped right into the water. The tub was pretty deep and I really did not want to risk dunking my head down there just to fetch it. I could drown or something.

Goodbye soap.

I took one of the bottles and popped the cork covering it. There was a purple liquid inside. I moved my nose over the open bottle and took a sniff. It smelled like flowers. Was that good? I upturned the bottle and tried to get some of the purple stuff onto my washcloth. Sadly, the liquid inside was really thick so it was taking forever for it to drip out of the bottle. I shook it a little, which did absolutely nothing. I grumbled in annoyance, then began smacking the bottom of the bottle to hurry it along. On one of my harder smacks, the glass bottle slipped out of my grip and splashed into the water.

Dammit!

The water began to get cloudy. Whatever, I reached for another bottle. This one was still glass, but it wasn’t clear like the last one. It was dark amber and I couldn’t tell what type of liquid was in it. I popped the cork then upturned it over the washcloth. A whole slew of white gunk splashed out of the bottle and all over me and the washcloth. I shrieked in surprise, almost dropping the bottle into the water. Thankfully I managed to catch it at the last minute and placed it back on the edge of the tub.

I sighed. At least I got some of it on the washcloth. I began to scrub myself.

Ew. It was all oily and sticky. Was it supposed to be like that? Gross. I continued scrubbing.

After several minutes of rubbing that white gunk into my body, I noticed that my skin was shiny. Very shiny. It was supposed to be that way, right? Shiny skin was healthy, I read that online somewhere.

Huh. Where’d all these bubbles come from? I pushed away the mountain of suds surrounding me and took up another bottle. This one was actually more of a jar than a bottle and was made of some white, opaque material. I popped open the cork then looked inside. Weird, it was filled with really tiny white and black rocks. Curious, I poured some onto the palm of my hand. I took a sniff but it really didn’t smell like anything. Hmm. Even more curious now, I stuck out my tongue and dipped it into the small pile on my hand.

Salty.

I quickly spat out what was in my mouth, then dunked my hand into the water to wash away all the rocks. While I was doing that I noticed that there were even more bubbles than before. The fluffy suds were now rising out of the water at tremendous heights all around me! I began to push at the massive wall of bubbles, hoping to find a way to escape. Sadly all I managed to do was seal my doom; the tower of bubbles collapsed inwards, covering my vision in white. I panicked, dropping the jar of rocks into the water. Suddenly, the water began to churn.

I screamed.

I heard the door slam open and the clicking sound of hard-soled shoes rushing across the tiles. I couldn’t see anything through this curtain of white that had trapped me! But I did hear the owner of the shoes stop in front of the tub.

“My Lady?” I heard Griselda’s voice ask, sounding as if she were unsure of whether I was still in the room or not.

From beneath the mountain of suds, I answered. “Y-yeah?”

I heard a deep sigh from outside my white prison. “Let’s just get you out of there, My Lady.”

“Okay.” I have a sinking feeling that all future trips to the bathing room would be supervised.

Griselda eventually got me out of the tub. Thankfully she had enough fluffy towels on hand to not only dry me but to wipe away all that oily stuff from my skin. After my skin was not so shiny, the maid dressed me in a pink cotton nightshirt, then began to lead me out of the room. I took a quick look back at the tub and saw that the mountain of suds had grown even larger with its peak almost reaching the ceiling. It had even begun to flow out of the stone tub and onto the tiled floor.

“Please forgive me,” I said silently to the poor maids whose job it would be to clean this mess up.

All the candles inside my room had been lit, giving the space a soft, yellow glow. True to her word, Griselda had moved all the books I had chosen in the library up to my room and I found them piled on top of the dining table. Next to the books was an even better sight: dinner!

I quickly sat my butt on the chair, then lifted the lid off the platter in front of me. I almost swooned from the exquisite aroma wafting off the meal before me: Grilled pork tenderloin with a side of asparagus! There was also a small bowl of creamy soup. I had no idea what kind it was, but it smelled divine! My hands eagerly grabbed the spoon and fork, but just as I was about to dig in, I was interrupted by a soft cough from Griselda. I saw that she was standing behind just to the right of my chair, watching me like a hawk.

“My Lady. Have we forgotten so soon?” She asked with a frown.

Oh. During lunch, Griselda had taken the time to educate me on the finer points of meal etiquette. She showed me how to hold the utensils, which utensils went in which hand, which utensils were used for which foods, etc. I had hardly been paying attention to anything she had said; it was impossible to listen to her when all that yummy food was right in front of me, waiting to be eaten!

I sighed, placing the instruments back down on the table. I stopped stooping over the food and sat up straight. Remember, me: good posture equals a good first impression!

What else? Uh, oh yeah! I picked up the napkin, then unfolded it. I smiled demurely as I gently placed the cloth on top of my lap. Griselda nodded, pleased at my actions so far. I then picked up the spoon and fork.

The maid tutted. “Try again.”

I looked at her in confusion, placing the items back on the table. I frowned, wracking my brain and trying to remember what I was supposed to do. I picked up the fork, replacing the spoon with the knife.

Griselda sighed and shook her head.

“What?” I asked, finally giving up. “What did I do wrong?”

“You are supposed to eat the soup first,” she told me. “So use only the spoon.”

I sighed, picking up the spoon. As carefully as I could, I dipped the utensil into the broth, filling it up with the creamy liquid. I then slowly lifted the spoon up to my lips, taking care not to spill a drop. As soon as the soup touched my lips, I suctioned it into my mouth, savoring the taste before swallowing.

“No slurping,” Griselda chided. “Sip. Don’t slurp.”

Dammit. What was the difference?

I tried again, this time noiselessly sucking up the soup. I did this action several more times until the bowl was empty.

“Very good,” said Griselda.

Finally. Now I can start on the main course! I picked up the fork and, with the spoon in my other hand, moved to get a piece of that succulent pork.

Only to be stopped by the maid’s rebuke. “No.”

I looked up at her in annoyance. “What did I do wrong now?”

“You only use the spoon with soup,” she explained. “Nothing else.”

“B-but what if I need to eat something small? Like rice or peas?”

“You use your fork,” Griselda said simply.

That made absolutely no sense! Whatever. I sighed for perhaps the fifth time, then replaced the spoon with the knife. Before I could start eating though, I was interrupted again!

“You hold the knife in your left hand and the fork in your right.”

Ugh! Why was eating so complicated?!

I switched the utensils in my hands, then slowly moved them towards the meal, all the while expecting another admonishment. This time Griselda was silent. Seeing that I was good to go, I softly pierced one of the meat pieces with my fork. Then I carefully cut a piece off with my knife. The maid was quiet, so I had to be doing it right. Carefully, I raised the fork with the meat skewered at the end of it up to my lips then into my mouth.

Griselda nodded, approving of my actions.

I continued eating like that, with my back stiff and my hands moving like a surgeon’s. I had a little accident with a piece of asparagus though; it slipped off my fork and landed right on top of the napkin on my lap. I moved to pick it up to put it back on the plate, but Griselda shook her head at me, telling me to leave it where it was.

“It will be disposed of later by the staff,” she explained.

What a waste of perfectly good food!

Eventually, I finished my meal. I placed the knife and fork on the right side of the empty plate in a south-easterly position with the fork tines up and the knife blade facing in. I then picked up the napkin from my lap and delicately dabbed at my lips. After folding up the white cloth, I set it on the table to the left of my plate. And thus, dinner came to an end.

“Wonderful, My Lady,” Griselda said while clapping softly. “Now you just have to remember what you’ve learned tonight. The fine table manners shall then come to you naturally and without thinking.”

Easier said than done.

Griselda picked up the plates and left the room, most likely to return them to the kitchen. While she was gone, I moved over to the nearby water basin and began washing my hands and face. I then dried myself with a small towel hanging next to it.

With nothing else to do, I went over to the table and began sifting through the pile of books I had received from the library. I found a small green book on the bottom that I hadn’t read yet. I flipped it open and looked at the title page. Within the dim lighting of the room, I couldn’t read it very well. I moved a bit closer to one of the candelabras until the visibility was better.

“The Unholy: A History,” I read out loud. That seems interesting. Didn’t Ghaldor say that those Unholy things were the monsters that the Heroes were originally summoned to fight against? With my curiosity piqued, I flipped over to the first chapter and began reading.

I.​
The Unholy: evil, inhuman savages. Coming from the fetid plains of the Forbidden Lands, these foul beasts spread throughout the realm of man like a plague. They raped, pillaged, and destroyed countless settlements across the wide breadth of Casaad. They left nothing standing in their wake; houses and buildings were not but rubble while all that remained of their victims were the defiled and mutilated carcasses they left behind.

This enemy to all Mankind was born of hatred for the Gods and all that is good. They were birthed from the deepest, darkest pits of the earth, from crags so deep that the light of the holy sun has never touched their depths. They rise from their hellish pits in vast, innumerable hordes. Composed of not just one type of monstrosity but many, the races of the Unholy are as infinite as their rage and hatred. Nightmares reflected of sick and deluded minds, a black ichor flows like rancid blood through thick, corroded arteries, pumped through their aberrant bodies by a withered, decaying heart.

They are monsters of the truest form. Incapable of pity, remorse, love or common decency. They can not be reasoned with, for they have no reason. They can not be negotiated with since the concept of honor is alien to them. You can not plead with them for they own no conscience. All these vilest of beings know is how to hurt, maim, and kill.

The wickedest of them, the most horrid and vicious of their number, rise to great heights in their perverse and degenerate hierarchy. They become the leaders of their kind, the deadliest threat to all the kingdoms of men: Dark Lords. Possessed of beastly cunning, cruel intelligence, and strength rivaling that of Heroes, these Dark Lords were the pinnacle of all Unholy. These beings were pure evil, with a debased lust for causing suffering and death to any they came across. Even now, nine centuries after the destruction of the last Dark Lord, the memory of their horrific deeds still haunt mankind’s darkest dreams.

Wow, this was pretty scary stuff. I’m just glad that I won’t have to fight any of these evil bastards. Ghaldor said that they weren’t a threat anymore, right?

I tried to continue reading the book, but my eyes were starting to hurt. Griselda was right; reading these pages in the flickering candlelight was bad for your eyes. If I keep at it, I might need to get a pair of glasses. I wonder, wouldn’t my ability to heal during sleep keep my eyes healthy? I should ask Ghaldor about that, too.

I shut the book and returned it to the pile. I was about to head to bed when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Griselda entered the room. “I was just about to retire for the night, My Lady. Do you require anything else before I do?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m good. Good night, Griselda!”

The maid gave me a curtsy. “Good night to you as well, My Lady.”

“I’ll have to get her to teach me that, later,” I said to myself as she left.

I then set about extinguishing all the candles in the room. Man, I hope somebody invents the lightbulb soon. All this blowing out the candle stuff was tiring.

With the final candle snuffed out, I carefully made my way through the dark room towards the bed. Thankfully the bright moonlight coming in from the window helped with me not tripping over anything. I quickly crawled under the covers and made myself comfortable. I had learned a lot of things today; hopefully, tomorrow would be just as educational. I did have that meeting with Ghaldor in the morning. That’s when I get to find out if I was able to use magic or not! I crossed my fingers, hoping that I could. Being able to cast spells would be awesome.

With those thoughts in my head, I slowly drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.