Elias and The Ordeal

Elias faces The Ordeal, a rite of passage that signifies his status as a Knight of Hel'Amin. Unknown to him, he faces far worse than bandits and monsters. He must face himself.

Elias of Dorn was the fifth son of a farmer. At the time, he was the youngest, but perhaps no longer. He was taken from his family at 5, as payment for the services of the Knights of Hel’Amin. All of this did not matter for this was the way of things.

Over a decade had passed since that day, eleven years to be precise, and today was a special day. Today, Elias turned sixteen years old. Not only was it his birthday but it was also the day that he would face The Ordeal. Every Knight that had ever lived had faced The Ordeal, and many who were not Knights had faced it and failed. Initiates, such as Elias, were told very little of what lay in store for them. Only that it would happen, and it would be dangerous.

A bell rang out from the tower, signaling that the time had come. Elias rose from the bench where he had been sitting and walked to the door. A moment later, the door was opened from the outside. Standing before him, was a Knight and young girl, no more than eight or nine years of age. The girl wore a magnificent dress of red and white, with a ring of daisies around her brown hair. The Knight wore a simple red tunic and trousers, with a sword hanging on his left hip.

From behind the Knight’s thick mustache, he spoke. “You will follow Kellir to the place of your Ordeal. There you will become my brother, or you will die.”

Elias knew that death would be preferable to failure. Those who fail The Ordeal face much worse, for failures are, for all intents and purposes, dead. They are turned loose from the Brotherhood, and no Knight will acknowledge their existence. Even beggars and criminals are given food when they’re hungry and water when thirsty, but not those who fail. Those who see the error  of their ways, condemn themselves to the wilderness with only the clothes on their back.

The walk to the place of The Ordeal was short. Elias followed a short distance behind the girl known as Kellir. The colors of her dress seemed to dance and swirl as she walked with an incredible grace that would rival any living human. Along the ground behind her, daisies cover the stone path. Residents of Hel’Amin peer through windows and stand outside doors to catch a glimpse of the procession. Elias hears children behind him laughing and playing. A quick glimpse over his shoulder reveals the children scooping handfuls of daisies and tossing them into the air and at each other. Elias relished this moment of joy, for he knew it was unlikely there would be another for him this day.

Coming around a bend in the path, small flight of stone steps sit at the foot of a great stone spire. Atop the steps stands the familiar form of Sir Dormak, Elias’s mentor. A man of average height and build, Dormak still had a commanding presence, especially when wearing his ornate suit of plate armor, as he did now. Across his armor was etched the story of not only Dormak, but his ancestors as well. As a third generation Knight, Dormak had the privilege of wearing the raiment of his father and grandfather, to carry on their legacy in his adventures. The armor glinted in the morning sunlight. Althought his head was exposed, Dormak’s helm sat on a small table next to a nearby column. The crimson and white feathery plumes mirrored the chevron pattern of his flowing cape.

Flanking Dormak on either side were two young boys that Elias recognized as Initiates. One held a rather plain sword without a scabbard while the other held a round, wooden shield. Each wore a white ceremonial robe and stared stoically at Elias, containing feelings of excitement and admiration behind blank expressions.

It wasn’t until Elias began climbing the steps that he noticed the large wooden door leading into the tower. The wood was old but well cared for and the metal hinges and latch were heavy and finely crafted.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Elias kneeled before Dormak on the small padded area that was prepared for him.

“I am pleased to see that you have the courage to make the Walk, Elias,” said Dormak with a grin. “But you will need much more heart for what comes.”

Moving to address the crowd, Dormak projected his speech much more. “Beyond this door lies your Ordeal, Elias of Dorn. You may take this sword and shield, beyond that, you are alone. May you emerge from that door as Sir Elias or not at all.”

Elias knew this was more allegory, for those who fail are said to have left their true selves behind. Taking a deep breath, Elias rose to his feet and took the sword and shield from the Initiates. The few paces towards the door seemed to take an eternity. He could feel his heart racing and hear the blood pumping through his ears. He felt his face became flushed as the anxiety welled within him. Calm yourself. Breath. Elias thought. You’ll need all of your wits in there.

As he took the last step towards the closed door and prepared to stop, the door began to swing open on its own. This was unsurprising as it was common knowledge that The Ordeal was magical in nature, so why should the door be any different. Taking one final deep breath, Elias stepped forward into the waiting darkness beyond the threshold. The door shut behind him and he could hear the heavy metal latch locking.

It took a moment for Elias’s eyes to adjust to the darkness, but as soon as the door closed, he noticed the air become quite a bit warmer and damp. The combination of heat and humidity was stifling. He could feel sweat forming on his brow almost immediately. As his eyes began to acclimatize to the darkness, Elias could now tell that he was in a stone hallway. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of the same rough hewn gray stone. The humidity in the corridor coated the stones in a thin, somewhat slippery film.

Elias made his way down the hall, past one turn, then another. After several turns down the seemingly endless and featureless tunnel, a faint glow could be seen beyond the next turn. He slowed his pace and took a fighting stance, preparing for whatever may lie ahead. Elias tried to use all of his senses to get a clue as to what may be waiting for him. All he could hear was the occasional drop of water falling to the floor. The smell was still as musty as ever, but strangely, he could detect no sign of smoke that may come from a torch.

Rounding the corner, the source of the light became a little more clear. Elias saw a heavy wooden door along the right wall. Through a small barred window, a faint yellow glow emanated into the hallway. Peering through the window, he could make out a row of four figures sitting along the wall. A quick assessment of the door tells him that it is a sturdy door with well made hardware but there is no lock, only a heavy latch mechanism that appears can only be opened from the outside. Whoever put this door here, designed it to keep something in.

As quietly as he could, Elias opened the door. He was relieved when the latch only made a faint click when he pushed the lever. Once in the room, the source of the light became apparent, a glowing orb of light that seemed to be affixed to the wall, clearly of magical origin. Shuffling closer to the four figures, their shapes became more defined. All were basically humanoid, however, each was a different race and they all appeared to be children. Inspecting them further as he slowly approaches, Elias sees a lizardfolk boy whose chest is scarred as though a small animal attempted to burrow into his heart, an elven boy with burn scars across most of the left side of his body, an orcish girl with a long scar running from her scalp to her chin and several teeth missing, and finally, a human girl with all manner of bruises, her left arm ending in a stump at the elbow. The children have shackles on their hands and feet attached to chains that are bolted to the wall behind him. A few feet away from the human girl, Elias notices a skeletal hand and a bit of forearm. The bones show the telltale signs of beastly teeth and claws, as though some creature made a meal of the appendage.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here,” Elias said as much to convince himself as to comfort the children. He began inspecting the chains for any weakness but they appeared uniformly solid, only the brackets where they were fixed to the wall showed any signs of weakness, a bit of rust caused by moisture running down the walls. Elias pulled on the chain with all his strength, he kicked the plate on the wall, even bashed it several times with his shield and still it held. There was one option that he was hoping to avoid, but at this point he was sure that was no longer an option.

He slid his sword in the ring that held the chain to the wall. Pressing the blade firmly against the wall and gripping the hilt with both hands, he began to pry the ring open. It took a few moments but the ring eventually opened enough that he could slide the first chain loose. He pulled the chain through the shackles and freed the children's arms. Elias inspected his blade and was pleased to see only a few nicks and scratches. He slid the blade into the ring holding the second chain and began the process anew. This ring was much stronger than the first. He could feel the blade flexing much more than it should and a visual inspection confirmed that the blade was beginning to bend. Although the sword was beginning to deform, so was the ring. I hope I don't regret this. Elias adjusted the blade to compensate for its new shape and began to pry again.This ring took a bit longer than the first but eventually, the chain came free. The sword was now a mangled mess, hardly useful as a weapon.

“Go! Run!” Elias commanded the children.

From behind Elias, in the shadowy corners of the room, he heard heavy footsteps and what he believed was the cracking of bones under foot. A large shape began to emerge from the black, so large that it stood head and shoulders over Elias when fully erect. As it emerged into the light, he could tell that the beast had thick gray hide and a long angular head ending in a beaked snout. The creature strode past Elias as though he were not there, more intent on pursuing the fleeing children than dealing with their liberator. Grabbing what was left of his sword, he hurled it at the beast just before it walked through the doorway. The twisted metal flew across the room and struck the monstrosity in the right thigh, jagged pieces of metal scratching the hide deeply enough to cause a milky white ooze to seep from the wound.

The viscous fluid, Elias could only assume, was the creature's blood. If it bleeds, it is mortal. And if it’s mortal then I may still stand a chance.

The gray being turned to Elias and marched closer, letting loose a rumbling, guttural growl. Bringing a massive fist down on Elias’s shield, the impact of the blow was enough to send him flying into the wall behind him.I can’t take many more hits like that. The beast let loose a series of punches that, while slow, carried enough force that any one could be deadly. Elias ducked and twisted away from as many blows as he could, deflecting the rest with his shield. A few errant swings crashed into the walls, shattering the stones and sending fragments flying.

Attempting to fight back, Elias threw a punch to the monster’s abdomen, only to feel the bones in his hand snap when impacting the thick hide. Using his shield as a weapon, he began slamming the metal rim into the creature's knees, shoulders, and elbows in an attempt to slow down it’s offensive. While a few of the blows seemed to stagger the beast for a moment, none had any lasting effect. In desperation, Elias swung the shield at the beast’s neck. The impact was enough to create a sizeable crack in the wood and cause the metal ring around the edge to fall to the floor. The gray giant raised both fists above his head, preparing to land the final blow. Elias raised the remnants of the shield as well as his free hand above his head in a futile attempt to stop his inevitable death.

As the massive fists came crashing down towards Elias’s head, he felt a sharp pain below his left arm, followed shortly by a sudden loss of breath. The impact of the giant creature’s blow never came. Elias looked down to uncover the source of his sudden discomfort. As the world began to spin, he saw the smiling face of the little human girl. Her left arm still ended in a stump, but her right hand was now grasping a golden dagger that had been plunged deep into his side.

“Shhhh.” The sound came from the little girl's lips as darkness began to cloud Elias’s vision. Before the darkness completely consumed him, he felt the dagger twist and plunge deeper, then nothing.

Elias opened his eyes and saw a room of pure white. He was laying in a rather uncomfortable bed and his attempts to sit up were met with intense pain in his left side. At first he thought it was rather curious that such discomfort would be in the afterlife. It did not align at all with all of the legends and religious texts he had read on the issue. Turning his head from side to side, he eventually spotted a familiar figure, Sir Dormak.

“I’m alive?” Elias sounded confused.

“Perhaps. But how does anyone know if they are truly alive? Maybe we are already dead and this is the afterlife,” Dormak mused. “But such philosophical discussion is better left for another time. An appropriate answer to your query is that you are on the same plane of existence that you were before your Ordeal.”

“But I failed.”

“Did you? What makes you believe this?” Dormak looked on with a curious expression.

“I was defeated. I did not defeat the challenge. I failed to see the real enemy. I thought I had died.”

“Ah.. I see.” Dormak placed hand on his chin and stood for a minute, appearing deep in thought. “To sate your curiosity, indeed you did die. Your wounds were quite severe. Tradition states that we cannot heal your wounds with magic, but we do not have to leave you dead. You were resurrected because you passed, Brother.” Dormak emphasized that last word and grasped Elias’s hand.

“Wha---”

“The Ordeal is not a test of skill but of character. You rose to the challenge and sacrificed yourself for someone else with no regard for reward or glory. And you learned that all is not always as it seems.” Dormak leaned forward and kissed Elias’s forehead. “You embody all that it is to be a Knight and have shown yourself to be a servant of the people. Lie here and rest for a time. Your injuries are still quite severe and will take some time to heal. But when you rise, you shall rise Sir Elias of Dorn, Knight of Hel’Amin and my Brother.”

Reviews

[Dynafox]

A very good beginning to a fantasy story. I like how you plunged straight into the mythology of the world without explaining it much. I feel the reader will catch on to the references as time passes and creates more realism, because if you lived in that world you wouldn't constantly be explaining everything. I'm about to post a story which is the first chapter of a future novel I'll do called The Knight, The Wizard, The Elf, and The Thief. I implore you to read it.

[Centipedle]

Elias really clicked with me when I read this, and I think that's the most important part of a story. Having likable characters, even among the unlikeable ones. To at least have one you can connect to. I was relieved that he passed his test though I had a feeling that he would anyway. I can't wait to read more of your works. Pen on.