Friends, Aurans, Countrymen - You've already had a sneak preview of John C. Wright's novella Shadowblade. Now it's time to take a look at some of the other stories in the anthology. Today we're offering an excerpt from B.K. Gibson's story Shieldbearer.

It is said among the rural hills of Nicaea that a torchbearer’s life is worth little more than the torch he bears; at least that’s the average adventurer’s opinion. Takis had hoped, this time, Vincentius the Mage would think differently. 

Those feeble hopes were crumbling.

He held his torch high as he followed Vincentius down the vault’s slick stairs, moving deeper and deeper under the Meniri’s granite bones. Takis’ footfalls slapped against the wet stone, sounding loud in his own ears. Vincentius himself walked silently, softer than a feather’s touch, and it wasn’t because he was spry and light on his feet.

When a high-ranking mage needed a torchbearer, it meant he’d found a better spell to concentrate on than one that illuminated. After all, in case it all went to pot, said mage needed a quick and quiet way out. [AM1] [BG2] A dweomer would silence his footsteps and deflect detection, ideal for such a situation, thus Vincentius’ frequent motto: “Plunder and Leave”.

The stairway opened to a wide corridor. A variety of smells wafted out of several passageways, promising all kinds of new adventures. The brackish scent of stagnant water, of animals, of decay.

Vincentius chose the tunnel with decay.

Despite knowing his words were less than useless to this mage, Takis couldn’t help but protest. “You’re really going to choose that tunnel?”

Vincentius waved a hand. “We may run into a few dead dwarves, but that only means it’s less likely we’ll run across any live ones.”

“What do you mean, ‘less’ likely?”

Vincentius ignored his question. “Fresh bodies mean fresh battle.”

Ah. Fresh battle meant fresh loot. Vincentius was being blithe. And dishonest. Again.

Takis swallowed. “You said this vault was long abandoned!”

“Originally.” Vincentius sniffed. “I think I smell goblins too.”

Oh. Gods.

“For the love of all that’s pure, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Now, would you have come if I told you?”

What was even the point of objecting? Going back alone through the tunnels of a potentially goblin-infested lair was even more dangerous than staying with this maniac. Apparently, the war hadn’t left this place untouched after all.

==

Takis stared at a dead goblin and tried to control his breathing. He tried not to think about a burned village and chewed corpses…

“Why do you even need me? I’m sure you have magic to light your way.”

Vincentius grunted. “Stop trembling, you’re fine. It’s worth a few coins to pay one of you cowardly peasants to hold a torch so I can reserve my magical energies for nobler tasks. Come!”

Cowardly. The word stung, but Takis should have known. He shouldn’t have trusted the man. Vincentius had already proved his character the last few times they’d gone adventuring. The pay had been very good, however. Well, better than usual, anyway.

“I hope at least we get out faster than last time,” he said. “We are going to prioritize speed, right?”

“What do you mean, last time?”

“Last time we adventured together. Three weeks ago. The fallen tower. I’m Potakis, remember? Go by Takis. You commented on it when you paid me.”

Vincentius looked blank. “Ah, yes. I didn’t recognize you.”

“You’ve been with me for two hours.”

Vincentius waved his hand. “It hardly matters.” He turned back to leading their way down into darkness...

Editor's Note: ACKS II is known for its henchman mechanics, and in many campaigns, henchmen outnumber player characters by 2:1, 3:1, or even 4:1. The rules comprehensively detail loyalty, morale, pay, and more. Despite the game's attempts to make henchmen mechanics realistic, players are still prone to refer to henchmen as "minions," "meat shields," and worse, and it's not uncommon for them to be left unnamed and undeveloped until they level up. Not surprisingly, when it comes to game fiction, we rarely see a story told from the point of view of a henchmen. But B.K. Gibson's delightful tale of the mage Vincentius and the torchbearer whatshisname reveals exactly the way actual PCs often act towards their hapless hirelings. 

That's all for now.... Check back tomorrow for another story excerpt!