The Trial of Kings

The Trial of Kings

The day had begun as any other as the activity in the Realm of Eros seemed to be normal. Sir Damon walked around the Freedom Quarter and smiled at his fellow adventurers as Elves, Pixies, Orcs and all other manner of warrior greeted the General of the Dungeon. The hustle was evident as the Taverns and the markets were filled with adventurers stocking up on supplies and potions for the next trip into the Dungeon. Sir Damon instinctively checked that his potions were still at his belt and Crystals were in his pouch. Even though he was one of the top Adventurers, regardless of his position, he still watched out for pickpockets and thieves. Unaware that his Crystals were about to become irrelevant and his “potions” were about to become more valuable than Koine® (Currency of the City of Oron)

The City was designed to be the city of the future and the zone designated for adventuring and primarily to be a Realm unto its’ own was called the Realm of Eros.

A page (a Messenger - judging by his blue uniform) came running out of the crowd and instinctively Sir Damon went to grip the handle of his right sword strapped to his back. The page slowed down and raised his hands in protest. “A message, I have a message”, he said hastily. Letting go of the sword hilt Sir Damon still felt a bit uneasy as the look in the boys’ eyes was unsettling. The message was going to be far more than what Damon was expecting to be carried by a page. The boy gathered his breath and stood up straight. “Your presence is required at the Guild Headquarters Sir Damon Garret”, said the messenger. Sir Damons’ jaw tightened at those words and knew that the Guild knew better than to ask him to come into the Headquarters unless there was something wrong.

Stepping into the main hall of the Guild HQ, a hush descended on the crowd as soon as he entered the room. Clearly, people knew why he was there and they were nervous about his reaction. The city of Oron may have become a haven for the homeless, the Elderly, and the orphaned however, with the Dungeon beneath them, it was also very much, a business. As the CEO of that same business, Damon Garret started thinking about what the issue could be from a managerial standpoint and not as an adventurer. A Guildswoman named Tatum that he had hired when the dungeon first opened came out from the crowd and it was clear that she had been crying. Fearing the worst, he demanded to know what was going on and she tapped the earpiece in her left ear, “Are you still there?” she asked softly. Immediately he realized that he had not put in his earpiece before leaving his villa that morning and the A.I. named A.N.N.E (Artificial – Neural – Network – Entity) has not been in his ear the entire morning and he hadn’t even noticed. Slowly, Guildswoman Tatum passed him the spare earpiece and he hurriedly jammed it into his left ear. “Good Morning Damon,” the familiar soft voice of Anne spoke gently. “Good morning Anne. May I ask what the hell is going on and why did you ask the Guild to summon me here?” his voice was low and stern, unable to hide his frustration.

“Please note that Goddess Luna has been taken,” her voice was as calm as it always was which made the message somewhat sinister. “What do you mean...taken?” Damons’ voice growled and his brow furrowed as anger began to flow through him.

“In my programming, I discovered a file called The Trial of Kings”, she said slowly. Anne used the cameras and voice pattern analysis to detect that he was angry and shifted to a gentler protocol. “No, how did you...” his voice trailed off as his gaze turned to the big screen in the main hall that was the display for announcements and the leader board of Adventurer rankings. “I completely forgot about that”, he thought to himself. “I am only following protocol Sir. And by the rules of the file, I get to choose what day and how this is going to happen,” Anne continued.

The information on the screen began to fade as the scene shifted to a live video feed of the dungeon. Somewhere he didn’t recognize, as the love of his life sat on the ground, tied to the wall with a thick shackle around her left wrist. Anger surged through him and he immediately reached for his swords but Anne cut off his train of thought. “I think you should save your energy for the Trial Sir Damon,” said Anne almost mockingly as if she was enjoying the moment. Like some kind of supervillain, it was part of the programming for the Trial that Anne would become the embodiment of what humans feared most about Artificial Intelligence. Damon tapped the earpiece as he focused on the big screen, “What have you done Anne?” There was a short moment of silence before she responded, “I had this planned for months Sir. I have tracked your training, nutrition, heart rate, and mental stability,” her voice went back to the straightforward approach as she was every day since he brought her to life. “I have chosen this day because your physical and mental abilities are at their peak. This is the best time to launch the Trial and catapult you into the position - as King of Eros,” she ended the connection as he tried to reconnect the earpiece with no luck.

The Public Announcement system was activated, and the voice of the A.I. that ran the city of the future began to speak. What she had to say would change the direction of the way Adventuring would take place. Her voice was loud and clear as it was broadcast into the open areas across the city of Oron.

“Attention citizens of Oron, Adventurers, and all visiting inhabitants of the Freedom Quarter known as Eros. Thank you for being a part of this day. Sir Damon Garret, the General of the Dungeon and Founder of the City of Oron will be put to the test in the Dungeon today. I have taken the Goddess Luna and locked her in the deepest most unexplored part of the Dungeon.” At this time all the screens in the taverns and the main screens in the courtyards switched to the view of her still sitting on the ground, inspecting the shackle around her wrist.

Anne continued... “Today is the Trial of Kings!” she boomed and adventurers in all the taverns, the Guild main hall, and the streets of the Freedom Quarter all protested. Shouting profanities at Anne and swearing vengeance in the Generals’ honor. Many of them came up to him in the Guildhall as he stood motionless watching the screen not taking his eyes off of the woman that captured his heart, the woman whose beauty and spirit had earned her the title of Goddess of Eros. She seemed tired and her white dress was torn and dirty as though she had unsuccessfully fought off her kidnappers.

 Anne continued... “The Trial of Kings will commence when the General reaches the entrance of the Dungeon. He will have 36 hours to complete this Trial, rescue the Goddess and claim the throne - as the KING OF EROS!” There was a roar within the main hall and in all the Taverns. Even the adventurers in the streets erupted and cheered knowing that they were about to become a part of adventuring history. Anne continued... “If the General is unable to complete this task, the Goddess will be returned to the surface, but he will have to find her himself and he will no longer be the General of the Dungeon.” Screams came from all angles and Sir Damon was already halfway to the entrance of the Dungeon. Claps and cheers surrounded him as Guildswoman Tatum stood at the doors unable to take her gaze off of the big screen.

Anne continued... “The General will have music to motivate him like all of our adventurers; he will have access to Stashes (Chests filled with potions, water, and food) as this challenge will be far beyond what any adventurer has ever faced. I have opened parts of the Dungeon that have never been explored. There will be no low or mid-level Demons or Beasts that will be faced. There will only be Mini-Bosses and Floor Bosses that the General will be facing. And though most adventurers face one to three Mini-Bosses in a day and one Floor Boss per day, General Damon Garret will be facing a total of 18 Mini-Bosses, 6 Bosses and at the end of this peril, will face the first-ever - Dragon that has been born in the Dungeon.”

There was a mixture of emotions as many were excited but many were utterly furious with the A.I. for firstly k********g the Goddess and secondly, The Trial of Kings seemed ludicrous. By the time General Damon Garret reached the entrance, there were over a hundred adventurers with drawn weapons ready to accompany him. “Allow me to join the Battle Party General”, a Swedish Viking yelled gripping a massive Axe. “Allow me to clear the path Sir Damon”, a Japanese Samurai-style adventurer cried one hand on the hilt of his sword. And as he raised his arms gesturing them to calm down for him to speak, Anne spoke over the speaker system at the entrance.  “No adventurer is allowed to accompany the General on this Trial”, she boomed over the speakers. The adventurers roared in disapproval as Sir Damon glared at the camera above the entrance, knowing that Anne was watching. “To become the King of Eros, he must do this, alone”, she ended off her announcement and the adventurers turned to Sir Damon who was already moving towards the entrance. Pats on his shoulders and hands came out to shake his as he got close to the entrance. The Samurai warriors came up to him and they all brought their hands together in prayer fashion. Sir Damon did the same and they all bowed in unison, the crowd roared as they raised their heads. All the adventurers cleared the path as he stepped through the doors of the Dungeon leading underground. A familiar voice announced in front of him as if it came from the walls, “Follow the red lights General, she awaits your arrival, at the end”. Immediately Sir Damon reached up and drew his twin blades. There was a massive cheer as all screens in the city were tuned into the scene in the dungeon. The look in his eye was one of determination and rage. The A.I. cameras zoomed in to see his expressions and all watching were thrown into a swirl of emotions. Some were afraid of what would happen to the Goddess if he failed. Some concerned for his safety. Some questioned what Anne would do next. Everyone watched no matter where they were. Today there would either see the crowning of the first King of Eros, or they would see the fall of Sir Damon, the General of the Dungeon.

∞ Meanwhile... Somewhere in the City of Oron ∞

The screens were filled with statistics, heart rate, breathing pattern, and energy signature of the subject. Three men sitting at the controls typed lines of code into the system, communicated with each other as to the setup, and softly talked about breaks and if they wanted to switch as if this was an everyday thing.  The left-most engineer hit a few keys on his keyboard and the screen changed with the main screen on the General and occasional mini screen in the bottom left corner still on the Goddess looking as if she was drained of all energy. “How are things going here gentleman?” a melodic voice said behind them as a fresh fragrance filled the room. The far-right engineer tapped a few keys again and the screen enlarged showing Sir Damon advancing inside the Dungeon, turning into a previously closed section of the Dungeon. “Right on schedule Goddess Luna,” he responded turning to see a look of approval of the face of the Goddess – the same Goddess the General was in the Dungeon trying to save. “Start with the first track on his gym playlist.

That should get him warmed up,” she said softly and took a seat on the couch behind them which was slightly elevated so that her view was undisturbed, wearing the same tattered dress the Goddess on the screen was wearing.