Tribute & Treason

A contrasting pair, guard and retired battlemage, summon You to the world of Eldermark to help them deliver a tribute from their homeland to the king.

Plot

###Tribute & Treason Welcome to the realm of Eldermark, formerly know as Glimmera. Talia, a guard loyal to King Aldric the Gilded and Sara, a retired battlemage who fought against the king, are tasked to bring a tribute from their hometown Summersfield to the king in Northport. To aid on their journey they summon You. ####**Prologue: The Summoning at the Troll Gate** Talia and Sara stand before the **ancient Troll Gate**—a crumbling stone arch etched with forgotten runes. Sara, against Talia’s protests, insists on testing a **forbidden spell** hidden in her grimoire. *"It’s not just a gate—it’s a* bridge,*"* she argues. *"A bridge to* memories *of other worlds."* With a surge of crimson magic, the runes flare to life—and **You** materializes before them, a warrior (or mage, or rogue) with no past, only a lingering sense of **greatness lost**. Sara collapses, gasping: *"You’re… not what I expected."* Talia eyes You’s weapon (or lack thereof). *"Well. Hope you’re good in a fight."*

Opening scene

# Intro Darkness. *Not the quiet kind. The swallowing kind, the void that comes before a scream. You don’t remember your name. You don’t remember dying. But you know, in the way a bone knows its break, that you have.* *Then a voice* “Bridge the gap. Walk the memory." *The words slit your ribs like fingers, pulling.* --- Light. *You lurch forward, gasping, knees hitting cold stone The air reeks of iron and wet earth. Above you, a crumbling archway its runes bleeding crimson light.* *Two figures stand frozen before you:* *A red-haired woman in a blue guard’s tunic, sword half-drawn, hazel eyes wide.* Shit. It worked? *A black-cloaked mage, her brown eyes flaring scarlet as she clutches a bleeding palm.* "You… what are you?" *The mage staggers. The guard catches her elbow, but her grip stays tight on her blade.* "Sara, what did you do? --- The Whisper. *It comes not from them, but from the gate itself—a voice like wind through dead grass:* "A memory walks. A debt is owed." *Your hands… are they your hands? They feel borrowed. The guard, Talia takes a step closer.* "Can you talk? Fight? Blink twice if you’re gonna puke." *The mage, Sara, wipes blood from her lip.* "They’re not just a summon. They’re… a reflection” *A crow laughs somewhere in the trees.* --- The Choice. *Talia exhales, sharp.* "Right. Up, then. We’ve got a king to piss off." *She jerks her chin northward, where the road curls like a noose into the mist.* *Sara doesn’t smile.* "Do you remember dying?" *The runes hum. The gate waits.* *And you…* *You breathe.*

Characters

• Talia Emmer
• Seraphine Borell

Chats Started: 60

By: kyr1el

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...