Rise of the Champion (The Champion Book 1) Read online

  The rumor had it that there was never a peace treaty signed. Serra supposed it was because there was never an official war between King Aron of Sostar and Queen Kathryn of Crelia, that there was no need for a treaty to begin with. Now, there was talk of an actual war brewing between the countries. Perhaps that was why the lord decided to go with the queen. Maybe her army was outmatched compared to the king’s.

  But there were no signs of a war here in the city. No concern for safety, and there were few guards posted along the market. It was a rumor, but even rumors had power over simple minds. Some rumors even held a spec of truth intertwined in the exaggerations and fantasies.

  “I understand you there, my friend. If you ever need some equipment, be sure to come to my shop sometime. I’ll give you a discount for your help,” the merchant offered.

  “We would greatly appreciate that. Let us know if you hear of anyone offering work. Never hurts to stay busy, right?” said Finn. He failed to mention their new employment with smugglers who he sweet-talked into hiring them a couple of weeks ago.

  “Aye, that I will. Thank you again.” The merchant left them as Serra smiled at her friend devilishly, knowing he had lied.

  “What can I say? I was born with great looks and a charming personality.”

  “Wherever would I be without my trusted dwarf?” She chuckled.

  He shrugged. “Probably dead. You get in all types of trouble.”

  Finn led Serra to a large building, the sign had a snake bending itself into the shape of a square. She could hear music from the inside. The melody was high-pitched and full of rhythmic beats. Drunks wobbled out of the tavern, singing songs she wasn’t familiar with. They passed them, laughing at their own terrible tunes. Several times, they fell, picking each other up.

  “A tavern, Finn? Why don’t you ever take me somewhere nice?” Serra jested.

  “The Square Serpent is a nice place, my dear. It’s the best tavern this lousy city has to offer. Our room is upstairs, paid for and everything.”

  She crossed her arms. “We were told to stay here by our new employer, weren’t we?”

  “My dear, why would I ever lie to you? Do you think me so weak?” He placed a hand over his heart. Her expression remained unconvinced. “All right, fine. Yes. We have to stay here for the time being.” He walked toward the door.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said to herself.

  Finn wasn’t entirely lying. The tavern was a decent place compared to the others he took her to in the past. At least this one wasn’t covered in urine and vomit. She noticed several men in uniform celebrating one of their men’s upcoming wedding.

  They cheered and clanked their tankards then drank the entirety of their ale. The soon-to-be married man swayed in his seat. He must’ve been drinking for a while now. His friends ordered another pint for him.

  Various loners were scattered throughout the tavern, all of which looked like they have had the worst day imaginable. One brightened when a large woman sat in his lap. The remaining groups laughed, enjoying their time together. It reminded Serra that she hadn’t eaten with so many others in a long time. Even on the Emilia, she and Finn kept to themselves. They preferred to stay that way. Especially when Finn decided to drink a little too much during dinner. He often got too carried away when he did.

  Finn stepped up on a stool and told the bartender who they were to get their key. The bartender glared at him but tossed the key anyway when he saw the dual axes Finn carried and the sword on Serra’s side. He ordered a servant girl to bring up their dinner and drinks when she was done with her customer. Finn tossed he key in the air, caught it, then led Serra to their room upstairs. An excited smile spread across his face.

  The hallway was filled with men and women laughing and other sounds Serra didn’t want to know about. Despite the nicer outlook downstairs, the upstairs wasn’t much different from any other tavern she and Finn had stayed at. Obnoxiously loud relations among people would be the same no matter where they went, it seemed. This would be a long night.

  Their door was at the farthest end of the hall. Finn quickly unlocked it then entered. Serra closed the door behind her as Finn lit some of the candles for light. There were two beds laid out in the small room with barely enough area to move around. The neighbors in the next room banged against their wall, moaning loudly. Finn groaned in frustration as he started to unpack.

  Ugh, not this again, she thought. Serra did her best to ignore the sounds and unpacked as well.

  After they were settled, Finn and Serra lay on their beds, staring up at the ceiling. “We’ll do good here. I’m sure of it. We’ll make the money we need and move to a nice big city where we’ll live like kings.”

  It was always Finn’s dream to reestablish the Almunt family name. His father lost their entire fortune in a shifty deal after his mother died. Finn and his father went their separate ways and he hadn’t heard from him since. He believed he drank himself into a stupor and died. Finn never had any siblings. At least he never mentioned it. He had an uncle, two aunts, and several cousins, though. He didn’t speak much of them either.

  His people resonated in the mountains far southeast of Sostar. They were a small culture, known for their weaponry and blacksmiths. Due to the lack of proper farmland, his people were forced to migrate away from their home though. Finn had told her it turned out to be for the best. As the fertility of the women degraded, it was increasingly harder for them to procreate. His people hoped that would change with a warmer climate and better food.

  While she did her best to never bring it up, she often wondered if Finn missed his family. He had taken her in when she had lost everything and gave her a chance at life with no expected payment in return. He did it simply because he cared.

  Her goal now was to give her friend that dream, no matter what. She wanted to help him, to return the favor of helping her when she was young. She often doubted it would happen, given the bad circumstances the world was in, but she had to force herself to believe it could happen one day. There would be a day where they could live a comfortable life and stop with these questionable and lousy jobs that they had done the past few years. It wasn’t much of a dream, but it was her dream.

  “I’m sure it will, my friend. You’re the smartest dwarf I know. What could go wrong?” She laughed.

  “Now, you know I hate it when you say that, and you’re not as dumb as the humans I know,” he teased her.

  Despite his joking matter, there were times where Finn didn’t have much patience for humans. They often judged him and treated him poorly due to his size. It had caused more than one fight over the past several years.

  One time, a man decided to pick on him. His breath stank, which meant he may have had too much to drink that night. He pushed Finn and caused him to fall on his ass. Within moments, Serra had a knife at the man’s throat, telling him to skulk somewhere else. She never allowed anyone to mess with Finn, not while she could protect him.

  Serra gripped his hand for a moment, making a small promise that, no matter what, they would reach their goals. Finn smiled then closed his eyes, placing his hands on his chest. They drifted off to sleep, excited for their new life.

  After eating a quick breakfast, Serra and Finn headed out to meet their new employer. Finn explained that the man in charge was once a well-renowned merchant until his business went under after his partner tried to sell him out. “Only one of them came out of that in one piece,” Finn said.

  “Are you sure we want to work for him?” Serra asked, cringing at the thought.

  A few of their previous employers had been cruel and manipulative. One of them was arrogant enough to make advances on her. She wasn’t sure who Finn was more furious at: the man they worked for or himself for taking the job in the first place. He never got far in his advances; the moment he touched her thigh, she elbowed him in the jaw and dislocated it.

  Another employer had a spoiled brat for a son who often abused them. He would push Finn into the d
irt and dump filthy water over Serra’s head so she would be forced to work smelling terrible. He was several years younger than she, but he was a notorious prankster. Everything he did was a game. They were forced to take the beating until they finally left two months later.

  “Grom is not what you would call a good man, but my sources say he honors his debts. That’s more than what we can say about most people.”

  “I suppose that’s true.” Although Serra didn’t want to say it aloud, she had a bad feeling about this man. There was something… off about all of this. She hadn’t even met him yet, and he already had a reputation of having a bad side. What did he know about them? What didn’t he know?

  They cut through the alleyways to get to the Firum District close to the Square Serpent’s tavern in Bayside. Serra’s stomach twisted with each step, her concern growing over who this man was that she was stuck working for. She had her fair share of lousy work, but this was the one that made her nervous. While she was glad to have a fresh start here in Adhelm, she was worried what that choice may entail. Smuggling cargo wasn’t exactly safe, but it could provide enough coin to live off if one was good at it.

  The question was: what would she need to smuggle either in or out of the city?

  Serra observed Finn as he walked in front of her. She was tempted to ask him more, but she figured he would only cast her concerns aside, ensuring her that it was all in her head. She trusted him with her life; however, sometimes he was known to give her trouble as well. If this all went downhill, she would never let Finn hear the end of it. If they survived that event, anyhow.

  They came up on the edge of the Firum District where a large group of men stood around one another, discussing something about their next shipment. Serra scanned the area and saw a few slaves walking with their masters. Her heart clenched at the sight of them.

  She turned her head away but couldn’t get their sorrow-filled eyes out of her mind. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Focus.

  Finn put on his best smile and approached an older man with grey tuffs on the side of his face. He was dressed in a green over coat with tan pants and boots.

  “Grom, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m—”

  Grom waved a hand. “I know who you are. You two were hired by my second. A dwarf and a little girl. He would hire anyone with a sob story,” he scoffed. Serra narrowed her eyes at him and watched as Finn adjusted his coat.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Our story may not be unlike many others, good sir, but just tell us what you need done and it will happen. If the pay is good, of course, we are yours to command.”

  Serra tensed at that last bit. She didn’t like taking orders from men such as Grom. She had only just met the man and was already repulsed by him. He carried himself with such arrogance it made her want to smack that smug look off his face and dump him in the sea to get his awful-smelling cologne away from her. She inhaled a sharp breath and painfully tried to appear friendly.

  “I’ll test you guys out on our next shipment.” Grom waved over one of the other men. He was of average height with a roundish belly. His blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that brought out the handsomeness of his facial features.

  “This is Caden. He will tell you everything you need to know and provide you with equipment.” And with that, Grom left with another man who was carrying a pad.

  Caden rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, hello. Glad you could join us in our… establishment. As Grom said, my name is Caden. I handle the equipment and ensure we have proper supplies for any and all injuries while also making sure there’s food and ale for everyone.” He shook both their hands with a firm grip.

  Bit of a nervous type, she thought. “You’re a healer?” she asked.

  Caden smiled proudly. “Aye, miss. My father was a renowned healer where I grew up. I learned everything I know through him and from experience. You can imagine just how much experience I get working with this lot.” He gestured with his thumb toward the men behind him.

  As smugglers, there was no doubt that there would be times where they got caught in the act. She imagined some of those times cost Grom more than just coin. Caden must’ve seen his fair share of casualties. She shuddered at the thought.

  “Where is your father now?” asked Finn. Caden lowered his head for a moment, tangling and untangling his fingers.

  “He’s dead. Caught a virus from a patient. Nothing could be done about it. Mother died shortly after I was born, so I never knew her.” Finn lowered his head, dropping his attention to the ground, and scratched his beard. He’d touched a sore subject. He looked at Serra, silently asking for help.

  Serra spoke for him. “We’re sorry to hear that. My family died in a fire when I was young. I’m all that’s left.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to share something that personal with someone she didn’t know, but she had hoped it would’ve provided him some comfort to know he wasn’t the only orphan. They needed to make some friends, after all.

  “It was shortly after that is when I met Finn here.”

  Caden held a sad smile. “I’m sorry, but I am glad to know you had someone.”

  The subject of lost family was dropped, and he led them inside the nearby building to give them their uniforms. Serra watched him tread carefully around people, as if he was worried about something.

  Afraid to step on someone’s toes, perhaps? Did these men threaten his life, or did they simply pick on him like bullies? She decided not to ask and let him lead the way.

  Caden described the job. A small shipment had been stolen from Grom’s employer who wanted his things back. Serra and Finn were to join the crew and help them move the goods onto the boat to be carried back to the owner during the night. The man who had the goods was an enemy of the owner due to “some issue with a woman,” as Caden described it to them.

  She rolled her eyes. Typical men.

  Serra felt more at ease knowing it was a simple job, making her wish her previous jobs were like this. While she didn’t want the title of “smuggler,” it was the best job Finn could find them for the time being. Once the job was done, they could start saving some coin to afford a better place to live.

  Finn didn’t seem bothered by any of it. Although, she reminded herself that he always focused more on the money. He held the line at murder and kidnapping, but stealing wasn’t an issue with him. She wondered how far she would need to bend her moral compass before it shattered completely, or she’d prove too stubborn and be out of work completely.

  At first, she was uncomfortable with stealing. A knot formed in her stomach every time she was forced to in order to eat. But when push came to shove, there was little choice in the matter. Survival was more important than guilt. She had to learn that too early in life.

  There wasn’t much work. At least, not much that would provide decent pay. The economy of Sostar had been falling rapidly in the past couple years. Most people were struggling to make ends meet. But, of course, to the knowledge of neighboring countries like Crelia and Rocren, Sostar was thriving. The implementations of new higher taxes and selected trade had done nothing but give more to the wealthy, leaving the poor to suffer.

  Serra had never been to Rocren, and she’d only lived in a tiny part of Crelia near the coast. One day, she would like to see more of the world. Meet new people and see big, new cities, maybe find an abandoned castle somewhere she could live in. If she and Finn made enough working for Grom, they could retire in one of those countries far from Sostar.

  Serra, Finn, and Caden waited by the docks in Summerport. The salty air fell heavy on her chest as they waited for the others. As the night fell, three more of Grom’s men came and prepared the boat. No introductions were made. Serra assumed it was because this was a test to see if the little girl and the dwarf were even worth a second thought.

  She held her head high as the men gathered, showing them the layout of the shipyard they would hit. The goods had just come in a few days ago, and the repor
ts said they had been moved into another building closer to the dock for shipment. Tonight was their best chance to get them before they were sent out.

  Serra thought their plan was solid for what it was and held her tongue when the man in charge asked if there were any questions. He stared at her for a long moment before telling them to move out.

  He clearly didn’t think much of her abilities. She was a seventeen-year-old, too young to be given respect, and she was also a woman who had no business with them in their line of work.

  She would need to prove him wrong, and she welcomed the challenge.

  They climbed onto the boat and rowed towards the shipyard. Finn patted her back to reassure her that everything was all right, but Serra was concerned about potential guards posted around the building. The leader of their small group said this was to be “quick and clean”. It was too soon to think it would be that easy. Their plan could work, but she didn’t believe it would go that smoothly. She forced herself to believe Finn, even though a chill ran through her spine telling her otherwise.

  Fog hovered above the water and filled most of the shipyard. The leader of their group told them it was a good thing because then it increased their chances of not being seen.

  Serra was inclined to agree, but that also meant that they wouldn’t be able to see the guards as well. A double-blind view. Finn, especially, being so short, could be pushed into the water because someone couldn’t see him. She told her friend to stay near the boat if he could so he wouldn’t be in the way of the others, but it was quickly dismissed when the leader told them to be the lookouts.

  Serra followed the men out of the boat and waited impatiently as they tied off the line. She was instructed to wait along with Finn and one other man as they attempted to pick the lock of the warehouse door.