Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 02: Fall

The sky they saw above them was almost completely empty: there was only a single dim star in sight. It's light shined down them, bathing the world of Equilor in a faded grey glow.

"There are no stars." Blayne observed.

"Whoa... that's freaky." Varia said, staring upward.

"They've all gone out. This star here, beyond all reason, continues to shine weakly on the Plane. Honestly, I enjoy coming here to think. The feeling of time ebbing all around me is relaxing." Sorin said, returning his gaze to the pair of them as the clouds began to cover up the skies again, "So young Varia, how has your life been since you discovered your true self?"

"Her what?" Blayne said flatly.

"Her spark, her life as a Planeswalker." Sorin smiled.

"Difficult but very exciting. I've done countless amazing things, I've fought in wars and seen many wonders on other worlds. I've even fallen in love and got married." Varia said, hugging Blayne's arm lightly.

"Congratulations. I wish you well in your life." The vampire said, crossing his arms, "After hearing what happened on Innistrad from Avacyn during my absence, I had to seek you out and have a short word with you. I thank you for the part you played in restoring balance to my world."

"I couldn't leave my home like that, even if I don't live there anymore." Varia said, nodding her head, "My Lord, I must ask, did you always know I was a Planeswalker?"

"Of course Varia, that is why I took an interest in you in the first place. I've not seen a dormant spark in many centuries. I looked forward to you having incredible exploits and I haven't been disappointed." He said, gripping the handle of his sword, "But with that, I must be going. There are things that demand my attention. I simply had to speak with you. I wish you and your husband luck in your life together."

He waved a hand idly at Blayne before turning. With a single step, he disappeared, as if striding through an open door. Blayne knew his first impressions about the man from the picture he saw back at the Celestine Reefs had been entirely correct, Sorin was not someone he wanted to get in a fight with. Just like when he had faced Nicol Bolas, Sorin was on an entirely different level. Even now, Blayne couldn't believe he managed to stand toe to toe with that ancient dragon. His power was very similar to Sorin's in age and strength. Blayne had only triumphed through a combination of luck, determination and the Ruby Mox he used.

"That was interesting." Blayne said, looking around again, "I think we should probably go too." Varia nodded in agreement and they both closed their eyes.

*******

As the morning sun rose over the horizon, Henry's mind became dimly aware of an unfamiliar sensation against his body. He opened his eyes and jerked his head up in surprise. When he looked down, Henry sighed in relief as he recognized Robin's warm feathery wing lying across his chest. Smiling, he rolled over onto his side. The feathers tickled his chest as he turned to face his beautiful angel girlfriend sleeping beside him. He gently brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good morning Robin." He whispered quietly.

She responded by emitting a very loud and decidedly unfeminine yawn. She opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards to look at him.

"You know..." Robin said as she stretched both her arm and wing stretching towards the roof of the barn they were lying in, "...You're pretty naughty for summoning me here just for the night. So how was your first time with an angel?"

"Heavenly." Henry sighed, flopping back on his bedroll. The previous evening he had laid it over a big pile of hay for them to sleep on. Robin had been only too happy to spend the night with him there.

"Funny." Robin snickered as she sat up, remembering what had happened the last time Henry had called her that, "I must say it was a little more difficult than I had anticipated, you know, with wings."

"So how was your first time as an angel?" Henry asked as he stroked her spine in between her wings. Robin picked up her scarf and casually flung it around her neck. Then she leaned back down and kissed Henry on the mouth.

"It was... simply divine." She grinned at him.

Robin slowly pushed herself to her feet, her feathers ruffling about as she extended her wings out to their full span. She turned to face Henry, standing naked as the morning light shone through the rafters of the barn across her body. Only her yellow scarf trailed over one breast and Henry eyed her with a smile.

"Mmmm... I wish I could see this every morning." Henry said, his hands behind his head as he looked up and down her bare body. She wrapped her wings around her body and grinned mischievously.

"Nyehh!" She stuck out her tongue at him, "I see, I'm just eye candy to you, am I?"

Henry jumped to his feet and cupped her face in his hands, looking deep into her eyes, "You are more to me than I could ever express." He kissed her and she slowly furled her wings behind herself. She grasped his hands and looked into his eyes.

"Henry, you're so wonderful. I'm so glad my brother is a Planeswalker. I wouldn't have met you otherwise." Robin sighed, "My time is almost up though. I can feel my body ebbing away. I love you Henry."

"I love you too." Henry said, kissing her again. He could feel her body fade away as they kissed but he kept going. By the time he opened his eyes again, his hands were left holding air, "Ahhh... She makes being a Planeswalker so much better."

He started to get dressed and pack all his things away. Henry had already been on Plane of Quilija for almost a week. It had taken him three days just to figure out how to summon Robin. He had a couple of misfired spells and one really disgruntled angel whom he had summoned from the middle of a battle on Innistrad. She cursed every part of him she could name before he managed to send her back. To be fair, she had resembled Robin somewhat, but he had wisely chosen not to mention the incident to Robin when she finally did appear.

Once he was ready to continue on his journey, Henry set out again from the barn. As he made his way to the Garden of Idena, he had been taking shelter wherever he could when night came. Henry found a certain quaint charm to traveling this way. It was like being a nomad or a homeless person: there was freedom in the simplicity of this lifestyle. Having a beautiful angel for a girlfriend that he could now summon for sex certainly helped.

*******

Blayne and Varia appeared in the new world on a high hill top. A cool, refreshing wind blew around them and ruffled their clothes and they were blinded by the bright sun in the sky above. It was the most beautiful blue sky they had ever seen and fields of deepest green stretched out before them. From where they stood, the pair could make out a number of great, towering castles dotting the landscape, all several miles apart. Each one had tall, round spires with shimmering golden roofs. Small villages bustled around the castles and from where they stood, Blayne and Varia could just barely make out the people in the closest one.

"Beautiful..." Blayne breathed, watching a trio of angels soar around one of the castles and off into the sky, "Varia, look at this. This place is amazing. It's looks like a wonderful paradise."

"Blayne, a month ago, I would've called you a wuss and told you to stuff it..." Varia said, clasping his hand, "But since I've let my history on Innistrad go, I can really enjoy the beauty you see in the worlds we visit."

She leaned against him and looked at the gorgeous panorama around them. Just by sheer luck, they had landed on the highest hillside in sight and it had given them the most breathtaking view imaginable.

"Never have I seen nature look so... perfect." Blayne sighed, never wanting to look away.

"Come on Blayne! Let's go down to that village down there and see what it's like!" Varia said, pointing at the closest castle. It looked as though a few hundred people inhabited a rather pleasant looking group of houses and businesses around the base of the castle. There was surely a market and some trinkets to be found down there. They could see a marketplace that would surely have some trinkets they could bring back to Robin and Henry.

"Shyara!" Blayne exclaimed, holding up his hand. White mana flourished like fire on this plane, coming to his call with ease and making his glorious, flying mount appear in the sky above him. She circled around twice before landing at his side.

'Master, this is a beautiful view. I have seen many lands at your side and this is by far the most amazing sunlit paradise I have ever seen.' Shyara said to him, 'Surely there can't be any fighting to be had here.'

"No, of course not. We're going to travel to that castle village there and this land made me so happy that I wanted you to join us!" Blayne said, pointing at their destination.

'Climb into my saddle master, I will carry you there with swiftness!' Shyara called eagerly, crouching down for him. The moment the two of them were seated on her back, she stood up and charged down the hillside. Two long strides and she leapt into the sky, her great wings beating powerfully. Her burning wings left long trails behind them, glowing brightly in the sunlight. As Blayne watched her take off, he noticed that Shyara was truly reveling in this bright world and the beauty of this land. She really seemed happy to be there in a way he had never seen her before.

Blayne lovingly wrapped his arm around Varia's tummy in front of him. He was really happy too.

*******

CHAPTER 15 - A CHALLENGE FROM A KNIGHT

Blayne and Varia walked down the wide street while Shyara padded along behind them. They were all curious about this small city. While Blayne and Varia's curiosity was just that of a new world, Shyara's interest lay in the beasts the soldiers at the gate were riding. Lions with great golden manes much like her, just a little less holy and without wings.

As they walked along, amid the crowds if bustling people, someone started yelling behind them.

"Out of the way! Out of the way for Sir Reinhold, sigiled of Eos!" A squire yelled out, walking quickly towards them. Three paces behind him, a man in heavy silver armor road one of the great lions. The beast was covered in shimmering, shiny armor.

When the squire reached them, Blayne and Shyara were both too absorbed in the sight of the castle that towered above them to notice. The squire yelled at them to move, but they just kept walking forward slowly.

"Peasant Mortar! Out of my way, I have a tournament to enter!" The man named Reinhold said proudly.

"What?" Blayne asked, glancing back at him. At this point, the entire street was pressed against the sides of the road. Blayne turned around when the man drew his sword. The blade shone brightly in the midday sun. Blayne regarded it like one would a man holding a sharp stick.

"Get out of my way peasant. I have drawn my blade, is that not warning enough?" Sir Reinhold snapped loudly.

"I am no peasant and I think you should just go around." Blayne said, crossing his arms.

"If you are not of the Mortar, then why do you not wear the sigils or the clothing of your station? You are dressed as a peasant and have no show of rank. Now move." He said strongly, "If I must say it again, then I will challenge you to single combat."

Blayne looked sideways at Varia and raised an eyebrow. She took a second glance at Sir Reinhold and nodded calmly.

"Fight it is then." Blayne said, "But you might want to get down because I plan to knock you on your ass."

"You insolent Mortar. I will slay you. You! Woman! Take the beast and stand back." Sir Reinhold snapped loudly, pointing at Varia.

"Why you stupid mother..." Varia started but Blayne cleared his throat. She grumbled angrily and stepped out of the way. Shyara followed her reluctantly to the side of the road.

"I wish you well in the afterlife." The knight said, urging his mount forward, sword at the ready

Summoning up his magic, blue mana filled his body, encasing him in a shimmering blue haze. Empowered by the magic flowing through him and surrounding him, Blayne stared down the charging beast and caught it head on. Grabbing the hapless feline firmly by the neck, he heaved and yelled loudly, "Get out of the way!"

In a true wrestling fashion, he used the knight's momentum against him and threw the flailing beast over his head. Varia and Shyara backpedaled out of the way as the ground shook from the impact. The knight had thrown himself from the saddle as Blayne hurled him over his head. The lion howled pathetically as it rolled back over on its stomach. Sir Reinhold pushed himself to his feet and quickly scooped up his sword.

"You underhanded bastard. How dare you use magic in a duel between men." He growled, holding his sword before him.

"A duel? A cocky shit in fancy armor started bitching at me because he wanted the entire street to himself, so I threw him on his ass. You wanted this fight and you lost, accept it." Blayne scoffed, "Unless you want to go another round."

He raised his fists in martial arts and shimmering blue mana started to roll off him like a cold fog.

"Honorless scum!" Sir Reinhold yelled, lunging forward, his blade leading.

"Ha!" Blayne laughed, deflecting the large man with a telekinetic barrier. He swung around to land a kick in the knight's back as he stumbled past, the burst of magic sending the knight sprawling in the dirt. His sword clattered away from him and Blayne reached out to it. The sword floated off the ground and into Blayne's hand.

"Have you no honor whatsoever?" He yelled, getting back to his feet.

Blayne pointed the sword at the knight's face menacingly. "I have honor. I'm letting you live aren't I? Take that as what you will."

He threw the sword in the dirt at the man's feet.

"I accept your challenge. What are the terms?" Sir Reinhold said, picking up his sword.

"What?" Blayne raised an eyebrow.

"You have thrown a weapon at my feet and I pick it up with relish. If you will not state the terms, then I shall! Five days from now, The Akrasan Tournament! We shall fight under the rules of the tournament and the one that takes the sigil is the victor!" Sir Reinhold said, holding up his sword proudly.

"A tournament? Why not? I accept! Five days I will see you at the tournament!" Blayne said, holding out his hand.

"Good! Perhaps you have some honor after all." Sir Reinhold said, clasping his hand powerfully.

He looked Blayne in the eyes, glaring at him angrily. His dark, cold eyes glittered with rage as he let go of Blayne's hand. He turned and walked away, grabbing the reins of his great lion. Shyara gave a small growl as he walked past her. The crowds that had gathered around them started to break up and walk away.

"Blayne, do you even know what you just agreed to?" Varia asked, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Nope! We better find out something about this Akrasan Tournament." Blayne nodded.

*******

"A sword tournament? Like, cutting each other to pieces tournament?" Blayne said in surprise.

"Oh no, there are rarely any deaths." The innkeeper explained. "You wear full armor and wield a blunted sword. You win by points, which are earned by strikes. A strike on the arms or legs is one point. A strike on the chest is two points. A blow to the head is three points. If you disarm your opponent, you get four points and end the match. Matches last until someone is disarmed."

"Okay, okay. So what about magic or other weapons?" Blayne asked, nodding in understanding.

"They don't allow magic at all in tournaments. As for other weapons, you can use a two handed sword or a sword and shield or just a one handed sword. All other weapons are forbidden." He said.

"Okay, I understand. Now I got into this predicament because a knight picked a fight with me. He called me Mortar, what does that mean?" Blayne asked.

"What? Are you joking?" The innkeeper laughed loudly.

"I'm not from around here. I don't know. What does it mean?" Blayne asked again.

"Its part of the caste system that governs our society. A Mortar is the lowest rank in the caste. Above them are the sigiled, those that have earned the honor of one sigil or another. They are ranked by their sigils and their honors. Above them are the sighted, the clerics and monks. They answer to nobody except the Blessed, which are the nobles and kings of this land. Being called a Mortar was just his observation of your lack of sigils. You haven't done anything to earn any glory." The innkeeper explained, "And those that refuse this system or commit crime are known as Unbeholden."

"A caste system. Great, thanks." Blayne sighed, walking away.

"So, I hope you know how to fight with a sword." Varia said, clicking a fingernail on the hilt of her saber.

"Never have in my life. I know martial arts and I can brawl with my hands and my magic. Care to teach me?" Blayne asked.

"Why don't we just leave?" Varia sighed, "You'll never learn how to fight with knights who have years experience with a blade in their hand."

"I learned martial arts in like half a month, I'm a quick study if I'm determined and trust me, I am. I want to show this bastard up. I don't know what these sigils are, but what could it hurt to earn one? It'll be something to take home." Blayne shrugged.

"Alright, alright. Since this should be a good bit of fun to watch, I'll teach you. First we need to get you into that tournament and get you a sword." Varia said, waving towards the door.

*******

"No sigils, no honors, no noble relatives. Did you think this tournament was for just anyone?" The crier laughed at Blayne. "These skilled and great men are competing for the sigil of Akrasa and a kiss from Ameshea the angel. Only the greatest may join!"

They stood inside the castle grounds near the inner gates. A few dozen knights and other soldiers were milling around the courtyard. It reminded Blayne of a kind of biker gang meeting or something. Everyone was serious and cold, each knight spending their time sizing up their competition. Apparently this tournament was a very, very large thing.

"Sir Reinhold has challenged me to a fight in this tournament and either I fight him in it or I will track him down and slay him in the dark of night." Blayne growled angrily, leaning on the table the man sat behind.

"You were the one challenged by Sir Reinhold? He told me of this, you are accepted into the tournament. No need to become an Unbeholden." The crier nodded, holding up a quill, "Name and weapon style please."

"Blayne Abassett. I'll be fighting with a single handed sword." Blayne said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Alright! The tournament begins at sun up five days from now. You must be there or you are disqualified." The man informed him.

"Do you have training grounds available?" Varia asked him.

"That way through the gate. Take your tournament entry so that the guards don't accost you." The man handed them each a silver coin hung on a silken string.

They hooked the coins on their belts and Varia led the way through the gates of the stone barracks walls. Inside they found a large open dirt arena. It was full of training dummies and soldiers sparring together. There was a number of roped off circles with men facing one another in mock sword fights.

"Alright Blayne, we'll get you a real sword sometime later. These will do for now." Varia said, grabbing two wooden training swords from a nearby rack. They were both just straight, carved blades of strong oak wood.

"Sweet! I've always wanted to learn to swordfight. Magic just kind of took precedence. It's more fun." Blayne said, taking one of them from her.

"What would you do without me?" Varia said with a grin as she led him to a distant corner of the training yard.