"Ohh...? Interesting... what did you learn?"
He looked straight at Sylvia. "Running away from your responsibilities doesn’t make you free, it only makes you feel alone."
"I’ve also learned that being strong doesn’t an you can’t be hurt. It’s about being brave enough to stand up. And I’ve known that the people you care about are worth any sacrifice."
Rick took a deep breath. "So yes, I know what I’m getting into. And I’m still here to try."
Sylvia just looked at him for a long ti. Then she smiled slowly.
It wasn’t the sly smile she’d given him before or the funny smirk she’d had when she teleported him. This was real and warm, and it changed her whole face.
She said in a soft voice, "You really are interesting, Rick Rolland."
"I haven’t t anyone who could surprise in a long ti. I hope you do well in these tests, not just because I need soone to help through the dark tis, but also because I really want to know what kind of person you’ll be."
[SEDUCE TO EXP ACTIVATED]
[ 35 EXP: A TI OF DEEP PERSONAL CONNECTION]
[Sylvia Flaheart’s Love: 4 → 5]
A wave of emotion swept through Rick’s Spirit Bonds before he could say anything. He felt worry, fear, love, and a strong need to protect all at once. Carmilla and Natasha were sending him their strength and support across the distance because they could feel him so far away.
Rick closed his eyes and sent back what he hoped would be comfort and strength. The bonds throbbed with the connection, getting thinner but not breaking. They stayed strong even though they were miles apart.
Sylvia said, "Your ties to the knight and the mage... I can feel them from here."
"They’re strong connections, stronger than I thought they would be for soone so young who uses Spirit Bond."
Rick opened his eyes and said, "They’re worried about ."
"Yes, they should be."
"What you’re about to face is really dangerous." Sylvia stepped back to give him room. "Get so sleep tonight."
"Your first trial starts at dawn tomorrow morning because you will have to fight five of my dragon warriors at the sa ti."
"You don’t have to win. You just have to stay alive for ten minutes while they try to kill you."
"Wait, what?"
"Have a good night’s sleep, Rick Rolland." Sylvia moved toward the door with smooth grace. "I think you should get ready ntally."
"Drakor is one of the five warriors, and he really wants to show you that you’re not worthy."
"He has wanted to be my consort for the last hundred years and doesn’t like it when soone else tries to take his place."
She stopped at the door. "Also... try not to die. I like you a little bit, and it would be a waste."
Then she was gone, leaving Rick alone in his impossibly luxurious room with nothing but his thoughts and the knowledge that five dragon warriors were going to try their hardest to kill him the next morning.
Rick said to the empty room, "Well, shit."
"That’s right," Sebastian said, and the little butler appeared on the balcony railing. "Did you hear the part where she said they would try to kill you? Not ’fight you’ or ’test you.’ Kill you, literally fucking kill you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... I got it."
"And you’re still going to do this?"
Rick walked over to the big bed and sat down with a thud. "What other choice do I have? If I back out now, Sylvia won’t help , the dragons won’t help unite the Seven Powers, and the world will end in six months."
"Not much of a choice."
"That’s true, but there is a difference between backing out and getting killed in the first trial. You can still live if you back out." Sebastian jumped down and landed on Rick’s shoulder. "Rick, these dragons aren’t ssing around."
"They really think you’re not good enough, and they’re going to use these trials as an excuse to get rid of you. Dragon honor says they have to obey the rules, but they can get as close as they want to what’s not allowed."
Rick used both hands to rub his face. "Arrggghh... What the fuck should I do?!"
"What’s worse is that I don’t possess any useful skills!"
"You do what you’ve always done."
"You stay alive because of a mix of luck, quick thinking, and the help of people who care about you." Sebastian’s voice got a little softer. "Rick, you’re not the only one going through this."
"You have Spirit Bonds with two very strong won who are still sending you strength."
"You have skills that most people would die for. And even though you used to be a gooner shut-in, you’ve shown ti and ti again that you can handle the hardest tasks."
"That was motivating until you called a forr gooner."
"I say what I see." Sebastian moved his monocle. "Get so sleep now."
"You’re going to need every edge you can get tomorrow, even being well-rested. I’ll keep an eye on things and wake you up if anything strange happens."
Rick wanted to fight, stay up all night, and worry, but he was too worn out from the teleportation and the stress of the day to do any of those things. He closed his eyes and lay back on the bed, which was as impossibly comfortable as it looked.
He could still feel Carmilla and Natasha’s presence through the Spirit Bonds. Carmilla’s steady warmth was like a protective fla, and Natasha’s sharp clarity was like winter frost.
Even from far away, they were with him. That knowledge, more than anything else, helped him finally relax.
Rick’s last thought before he fell asleep was a simple prayer to any gods that might be listening.
"Please let live through tomorrow. I can’t die in a dragon trial because I’ve co too far."
He could have sworn he heard Liora’s voice whispering back in the dark of his dreams.
"You won’t have to go through this alone, my dear. The gods are watching, and I am too."
Then sleep took him completely, and everything else disappeared. Tomorrow would bring violence, blood, and the very real chance of death.
But for a few hours tonight, Rick Rolland could relax knowing that people loved him and believed in him and that he had already made it through impossible odds once before.
He could do it again. He had to. It was important for the world and everyone he loved.
The aurora danced across the sky in shades of red and gold outside his window. Deep inside the citadel, five dragon warriors were getting their weapons ready and sharpening their claws.
They were eagerly anticipating the morning when they could finally challenge the mortal who had the audacity to court their queen. Soon, dawn would arrive, bringing with it the Hero of Mature Hearts’ first true test. Rick simply wished to survive long enough to witness the sun set.
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