"Hold the line and thrust at the underbelly!" The voice of the watch captain cracked over the roar of burning timber."My spear snapped on its scales!" Guard Moser yelled back. He scrambled backward as a massive claw gouged the earth where he had just stood. "It is too thick!""Reform the pike formation on my mark!" Captain Rylen shouted. He gave the order from the safety of a stone well located fifty feet behind the frontline."We do not have a frontline anymore!" Moser screamed. He dropped his broken wooden shaft and drew a short sword. "Retreat! Everyone fall back to the manor!"Jamie Hades stood on the ridge overlooking his home and listened to the chaos. Three years ago he had left the kingdom for the freezing northern peaks for external knight training and had forged his body into a weapon. He endured the isolation and the blood for one simple reason. His mother and his sister Janie needed gold to survive in this harsh world and the only way to get it was for him to become a kni

"Did you see the size of the beast?" a guard shouted across the courtyard. "Captain Rylen split its skull with one strike and blew the shadow demon to ash!""I heard the shockwave shattered the windows in the eastern district," another soldier replied. "The Church will definitely grant him a Holy Knight commission for that."Jamie Hades walked past the boasting soldiers without breaking his stride. The citadel courtyard was a stark contrast to the rotting wood of his childhood home. Polished marble columns lined the walkway. Banners depicting the golden sun of the Church hung from the high stone walls. Nobles and high ranking officers mingled in the morning light.Jamie listened to the exaggerated tales of the previous day. He felt no anger that Rylen had stolen his kill. The colossal crocodile and the shadow demon were insignificant pests. Killing them required no special skill. If Rylen wanted to build a reputation on a small feat, it did not matter to Jamie. His only goal was secur

"Is this a joke?" one of the noble candidates asked. He wore a gilded breastplate and adjusted his silk gloves. "Did a stable boy get lost on his way to the stables?""He smells like cheap ale and horse manure," the female candidate added. She covered her nose with a lace handkerchief. "Captain Rylen, did you drag this peasant in here to make yourself look better?"Rylen laughed loudly. "He insisted on joining us. I thought it would be entertaining to watch him fail."The crowd in the balconies joined in the mockery. Jeers and insults rained down onto the temple floor. The spectators questioned his lineage, his sanity, and his right to stand on holy ground. They pointed at his scuffed boots and his plain shirt. Jamie kept his hands in his pockets. He let the noise wash over him without offering a single word in return."Silence," Mage Oswin commanded. He struck the base of his staff against the marble floor.The pulsing blue crystal at the top of his weapon flared, and the temple went

"Ten gold coins say the beast lasts ten seconds," a merchant shouted from the gallery above the arena floor."Ten seconds? You are far too generous," Lord Kelton replied. He leaned over the stone railing and pointed a jeweled finger at the floor. "Those three novices lacked discipline. The captain will melt that mutt in five seconds."The hall erupted into a flurry of wagers. Coins clinked as nobles and priests placed their bets. They rationalized the previous defeat with ease. The three minor nobles were inexperienced. They lacked true power. Rylen was the captain of the city watch, a seasoned veteran."I wager fifty silver the construct shatters on the first strike," a priest added."I will take that bet," another noble yelled. "But I say it takes three seconds."Rylen soaked in the admiration. He stood tall behind his towering fire dragon. The beast radiated immense heat, scorching the marble floor beneath its claws. Rylen raised his hands to quiet the crowd."You hear them, Hades?