The Gauntlet awaits Kris Denn. Will they succeed and take their place as part of the Warder’s Circle? Or will they fail, which means Rumika must wait a decade to challenge again? Episode four of Serial Box’s Born to the Blade series focuses on the warder candidate and their trial. In order to join the circle, they must face each existing member in a duel. But, with this being Born to the Blade, the duels include not just swordplay but also magic. These duels are front and center in episode four, but the outcome not only changes Rumika’s future, it could potentially shift the power balance on Twaa-Fei itself.

TL;DR

The Gauntlet by Michael R. Underwood is an action packed addition to Serial Box’s Born to the Blade series. Sword-fighting, magic, and the future of Twaa-Fei are intertwined in Kris Denn’s personal journey. Recommended.

From the Publisher

This is the fourth episode in the first season of Born to the Blade, an eleven-episode serial from Serial Box. This episode is written by Michael R. Underwood.

The time has come for Kris Denn of Rumika to challenge for their place in the Warders Circle of Twaa-Fei, adding a seventh voice to the nations dedicated to keeping a fragile peace through diplomacy and duels rather than war and death. Kris must face all six warders in the dueling circle and either win over four of them or, in defeat, earn their respect and support. Kris has spent their time on the sky islands of Twaa-Fei seeking alliances, forming a strong bond with Warder Ojo Kante of Quloo, whose nation needs Rumika’s precious aerstone to stay afloat. Ojo defeats Kris in the first duel, but gives his backing. After series of wins and losses, including a brutal defeat by Warder Lavinia Junius of the Mertikan Empire, it comes down to a final bout with Junior Warder Oda no Michiko of Kakute. She is at war with herself, under pressure from her imperial master, Lavinia, to win, and from her grandfather’s ghost, The Golden Lord executed by Lavinia’s hand, to lose and deal a defeat to the empire. What she decides will irrevocably set the course of the future.

Story

In episode 4, the Born to the Blade series hits its stride. Kris Denn, candidate for warder, strides front and center onto this stage, and the diplomatic fate of their nation rests upon their shoulders. As the circle is comprised of six warders who represent six nations, joining means defeating a majority of the other warders. But losing means that Kris’s nation must wait ten years before it can challenge again. Since the Warder’s Circle is a version of the United Nations Security Council, membership elevates the nation to being a world power. For Kris, the future of their people depend upon their performance. They’ll face Ojo, Penelope, Lavinia, and more to earn a place among them. With the outcome, Kris can change the power balance of the council, and Mertika, who benefits least from any change, plans to maintain the status quo by replacing the Kakute warder with Michiko. Poor Michiko’s world is still in upheaval by learning that the Golden Lord is her grandfather. To whom does she owe allegiance? The empire that occupies her nation? Or an ancestor she didn’t even know she had?

So It Begins…

Episodes one, two, and three introduced us to the distinct world of Born to the Blade. These episodes described an uneasy but working balance of power. However, conditions are quickly progressing to throw the peaceful stalemate into a state of war. Episode four is where that balance is broken through a very formal, political process. The first third of season one ends with this installment; so, the introduction is over. The main story arc is under way, and this episode is an excellent transition into the middle part of the story. Kris is tested, and Michiko must choose a path.

Conclusion

The Gauntlet packs the swordplay into a fast-paced episode of Born to the Blade. Kris Denn’s trial is public, but the private choice of Oda no Michiko will reverbate in future episodes. The political alliances of the first three episodes may change if only Kris Denn can win. Episode four is as fun as the first three and shifts gears as the series gets going. Recommended.

7 of 10