Bryan walked through the trees with the low morning sun beaming through the leaves.
Best to ensure the forest is clearer for these church people.
After dispatching several goblins and wolves, Bryan approached a clearing.
He walked through the gap in the trees and inspected goblin corpses and feathers.
Torn apart by large claws, a bird creature perhaps?...
Bryan scanned the clearing and spotted a large creature taking bites out of a goblin.
Crouching, he readied his sword and slowly approached.
A twig snap to the left drew his attention.
Oh, just another goblin… think the big creature may be a gryph
Before he could finish his thought, a sharp impact with his chest took him off his feet and backwards at speed.
Pain radiated from his back as he smashed through several trees until the creature stopped charging.
Bryan flew back several more feet before sliding to a halt on the ground.
Well shit… definitely a gryphon…
Standing up, Bryan brushed splinters and wood chunks off himself.
As he readied his sword, the creature screeched and dove at him again.
Blink
Appearing a decent distance behind the creature, Bryan took the opportunity to drink a healing potion.
Bryan raised a hand and fired several Fire Bolts; large explosions engulfed the creature before it burst from the smoke.
It dashed towards him; Bryan evaded to the left and, swinging low, clipped the creature’s leg with his sword.
Can’t let it surprise me again.
The creature slammed into the ground and rolled as it tried to stand back up.
Dashing towards it, Bryan raised his sword, jumped, and with all his force drove the sword into the creature’s side.
Lightning Bolt.
Electricity arced down the blade into the creature, which shook violently before becoming still.
Well, I will take its head… then I should head back to deal with the church.
Bryan made his way back towards the city. Once he reached the gates, the guards rushed over, looked him up and down before escorting him.
He walked through the market district with the people staring at him as he passed.
Opening the guild doors, he walked in. The chatter inside the guild died down. He overheard whispers:
“Did the king go hunting again?”
“He does know he is king, right?”
“An adventurer king is cool, isn’t it?”
Ignoring them and walking to the desk, Bryan spoke,
“Got some bounties to hand in”
The receptionist nodded as he rummaged in his bag and pulled out the Gryphon head, various goblin ears, wolf tails and some boar tusks.
The receptionist tallied it up and handed him the money before speaking.
“If I may, my King, since you run the whole city, aren’t you just paying yourself?” The receptionist asked with furrowed brows.
Bryan thought for a moment shrugged, then replied, “Maybe, but the work needs doing”
Turning around, he walked out with the adventurers still staring.
While walking towards the palace, one of the guards spoke to Bryan.
“Sire, if you don’t mind me saying. You really don’t make it easy to escort you”
Bryan furrowed his brow, and then spoke, “I’m trying to get away from you; I wouldn’t get anything done with you escorting me constantly”
The guard’s eye squinted before he replied, “But that is our job, Sire.”
They continued in silence; they entered the palace and walked to the throne room.
Fredrich was pacing by the throne with his hair slightly out of place.
Bags under his eyes… I told him to sleep…
“Did you not rest properly? You are less useful tired,” Bryan stated curtly as he walked in and sat on the throne.
Fredrich sighed then replied, “That is difficult, Sire, with a king who disappears regularly and an angry church official on the way”
Bryan shrugged and spoke, “Fair enough, rest after”
They both patiently waited for ten minutes, and then a loud knock at the door was heard.
Fredrich rushed over to open it and welcomed the church official.
I have no idea what the religion is… I should have asked Fredrich.
Fredrich walked back and loudly announced,
“I present the holy Bishop Gregory”
Need to look at the title structure; religions tend to be overly complex.
A man with large, flowing white robes and a very large staff walked in and stood on the carpet below the throne.
The white robes are standard then…
Gregory stood up straight and spoke loudly, “The church will not be ignored; you have been deemed an illegitimate ruler; thus, the church will seek to have you removed”
Bryan tilted his head at the man, then spoke, “Illegitimate for what reason?”
Gregory looked a little flustered by the response, and after collecting himself, he responded.
“A king on this continent is required to be a member of the church, approved by the church and to have had a church-sanctioned coronation… we can’t have a non-believer corrupting the people”
Bryan looked at Fredrich, who gave him a small nod, tapping his finger. He thought for a few moments.
This is tedious, but I need more information.
Bryan shuffled to the edge of his seat and spoke, “We will have a nice room made up for you and fine food brought…I need to consider what you have said; then we will meet again in the morning”
Gregory squinted at Bryan before responding, “Ok, I will accept the hospitality. It won’t change the church’s mind, though”
Turning around, Gregory then walked back to the door, which Fredrich opened, before telling the guards to escort him to a room.
I will need to ask Fredrich many questions…
Fredrich turned around and returned beside the throne.
“I’ll ask things one at a time. Do they have the power to remove a king?” Bryan asked while rubbing his chin.
Fredrich replied, “Yes, and no. They couldn’t physically remove a king”
Under his breath, Fredrich muttered, “Especially not you”
Then continued, “But they would declare your reign illegitimate in all church services, and if aggravated further, they may declare a holy war on you”
It wouldn’t end well for them, but it sounds very inefficient.
Bryan thought for a moment, then spoke, “What rank is Bishop? Also, how involved do they get in how kingdoms are run”
Fredrich scratched his head, looking a bit confused before speaking.
“Bishop is a rank second only to the Holy One”
Bryan nodded at him, so he continued.
“As for your second question, they do not really get involved in day-to-day politics. They are mostly concerned with retaining believers”
So basically it’s just a formality.
Bryan tapped his foot on the ground while speaking, “So what would the process be for joining the religion and gaining their favour?”
Fredrich eyed Bryan suspiciously, then replied, “Have a priest/healer anoint you after speaking the vows, for a king, though you also need to make a public announcement recognising the church”
Bryan stretched, cracking his back, then stood up from his chair.
Doesn’t sound too difficult
“Sounds easy enough; I’ll do that then,” Bryan stated.
Fredrich’s eyes widened before he replied, “Really? But, Sire, you tend to ignore custom or tradition?”
Bryan shrugged then spoke, “Sounds like more hassle not to”
Fredrich’s mouth was agape with a finger in the air for a moment before he could reply.
“That is not why people normally join a religion, Sire”
Bryan made his way out of the throne room towards the exit of the palace.
Walking out of the palace, he made his way through the noble district before entering the crowded market district. Two guards were hurrying along beside him.
He made his way through the market district until he reached the healing clinic and approached the healer.
Shall get this done quickly.
She saw him bowed and spoke, “King Bryan, what brings you here? The clinic is doing well”
“Good, I’m here as I need you to anoint me into the religion,” He said bluntly.
The healer eyed him suspiciously before responding, “You wish to join the four arches, despite not even knowing its name?”
Bryan tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, then spoke, “It’s necessary to remain king; I don’t see the relevance”
Not sure its name matters.
The healer rubbed her face, sighed, then replied, “Your heart clearly isn't in it... But you've done more for the people of this city than many faithful ever have.”
She gestured for him to follow, and they both walked into the church building and stood before an elaborate altar with a statue of four archways interlocked.
So its name is because it literally has something to do with arches…
The healer raised her staff to her side before speaking, “Ok, we will now go through your vows”
Bryan nodded at her to continue.
“Do you swear to trust and follow the teachings of the four arches?”
“I do”
What they are matters little if they don’t interfere with my goals.
“Will you do your best to protect those under your charge?”
“I do”
“Will you avoid violence and choose peace?”
Bryan raised an eyebrow, then spoke, “Where it is practical, yes”
The healer gave Bryan a scowl before continuing,
“Do you accept the church and its authority on spiritual matters?”
“I do”
The healer slammed her staff on the ground, and the sound echoed in the large, empty room.
“I hereby anoint you as a follower of the four arches; may peace and prosperity follow you and your charges”
Bryan nodded, then spoke, “Ok, great, is that all done then?”
Rubbing her face again, she then replied, “Yes, I suppose.”
She shook her head at him, then spoke again, “Just keep doing what is best for the people”
I will improve the efficiency of the city.
Bryan thanked her and walked back towards the palace.
Entering the palace, Bryan made his way straight to his room with Clara following him.
“Sire, have a nice trip out?” Clara asked as they reached his room.
“I joined the four arches church,” Bryan stated flatly.
Clara’s face lit up; she then said, “That’s great news; it will make the people happy”
It was a logical choice.
“You are so thoughtful to do that for them. Do you need anything, Sire?” she said while lightly bouncing on her feet.
Bryan shook his head before replying, “No, I’m going to bed, but I’ll have my usual milk in the morning”
He waved and entered his room.
***
Bryan sat on the throne, looking around the room. Guards stood in a line on either side of the red carpet leading to the throne. Servants worked sweeping the floor and wiping the windows at the side of the room.
This Gregory is not an early riser…
The door creaked open, drawing Bryan’s attention, Fredrich walked in holding another stack of papers.
He always has a stack of papers…
Bryan sighed and shifted on the throne.
Standing beside him, Fredrich spoke, “Sire, first we meet with the Bishop. After we have other matters to deal with, did you join the church?”
Bryan nodded in response, then said, “Yes, should we deal with the other stuff first?”
As soon as he finished his question, the door opened again, and Fredrich rushed over and announced the bishop again.
Inform him, then hopefully something more interesting to deal with.
Gregory walked up and stood on the carpet below the throne. He spoke loudly,
“Have you decided to abdicate?”
Bryan leaned his face on his hand and replied, “No. I will remain king as I joined the four arches last night”
Gregory immediately responded, “The church will not stand for a non-believer… What did you say?” his eyes squinting as he stared at Bryan.
“I joined the church, and we will also be putting out an official statement later today,” Bryan stated flatly.
Why doesn’t he seem to understand I joined them…
Gregory took a moment to compose himself and think before replying.
“Wait, you truly took the vows?"
Bryan furrowed his brow, then said, “Yes, I got anointed; after the statement, all that’s left is for you to choose when to do the coronation”
Gregory looked confused towards Fredrich, who nodded at him. He sighed and scratched his head before replying.
“Well, if you are a member, uphold our values…I will let you know when it is best for the coronation”
That was more difficult than expected.
Turning around, Gregory walked back out of the room.
“I expected him to be happy; the church gets what they want?” Bryan said.
Fredrich chuckled then replied, “Sire, He came expecting to depose you. I think the last thing he expected was you to join and give in”
Bryan tilted his head and spoke, “I didn’t give in; joining was just the logical choice”
If they would intervene too much, I wouldn’t have joined.
Fredrich shook his head and chuckled again.
“Sire, since you like to get out of the palace. Would you like to tour the new magic training facility?” Fredrich said, looking up at Bryan.
“Yes, sounds good,” Bryan said. He then stood up and began walking to the exit.
Bryan, Fredrich and the guard escort made their way to an estate in the noble district near the gate to the market.
“Would you like to know the rules to follow as a member of the four arches, Sire?” Fredrich asked.
Bryan shook his head and replied, “No, only tell me the ones I might break before I do”
No point in learning them all…
“Ok, Sire. We are here; the training area is on the grounds of this ex-noble estate.” Fredrich stated.
They opened a gate and entered the large garden, heading towards a large wooden structure.
“Did we remove a noble to achieve this?” Bryan asked.
Fredrich chuckled then replied, “No, Sire. I imagine you would be fine with that, but this was the estate of one of the ones who ran when you took power”
Bryan nodded, then spoke, “Good use of vacant property then.”
Fredrich smiled and replied, “Yes, I thought you would approve; the training building was an arena the noble used for duels between his slaves”
Some kind of gladiatorial arena… got it.
They walked through an arch into the arena, seats circled the open ground in the centre.
Various people were being instructed as they blasted spells at training dummies.
The fact that this guy had enough land for an arena in his garden is highly inefficient.
While they watched, one of the trainees slipped over, launching a firebolt into the air. It slammed into the air and exploded. Once the smoke cleared the shimmering of a shield was visible.
Nice… but a shield like that is costly in Mana.
“That is a logical touch; you have some people maintaining a shield around the training area?” Bryan asked Fredrich.
“I can’t take credit for that, Sire; magic isn’t an area I’m proficient in. Lord Kaelor is responsible for that,” Fredrich pointed to a well-dressed man to the right of them.
Fredrich gestured him over, and Kaelor walked over and bowed to Bryan.
“He is a noble who agreed with your reforms and so is in charge of the training arena,” Fredrich said.
I will enquire about the shield.
“Doesn’t maintaining a shield long-term use a lot of Mana?” Bryan asked Kaelor.
“Sire, we use various orbs infused with Mana and a runestone engraved with the spell to maintain it. But the main trick is it only activates if Mana approaches it”
Hmm, clever, this man is useful.
Before they could continue, shouting from behind them interrupts them.
"This is exactly what I was talking about! A noble's estate reduced to hosting common fools trying to grasp something beyond them!" a man loudly said.
Mumbles of agreement followed, and Bryan turned around.
Something interesting perhaps…
Three finely dressed men, two in robes and one wearing heavy armour.
“I am Lord Raeth, who is in charge of this travesty against noble pride”
Bryan tilted his head and watched the man.
Curious…
“I am Lord Kaelor; technically I run this place but the ki…” Before he could finish, Raeth interrupted him.
“Good, then maybe you can explain why you let these mongrels into the noble district. Being a noble, you know as well as I do they can never understand magic as we do,” said Raeth, getting very close to Kaelor as he did.
We should see if they are correct.
Before Kaelor could respond, Bryan spoke, “So your hypothesis is that nobles can use magic far better than any commoner could?”
Raeth scoffed at the question, then spoke, “Of course, me and my friends know more about magic and have better control of it than any commoner”
We will test this…
Bryan stretched and cracked his back before replying, “Ok, you and your friends will duel me, since I am a commoner after all, until one side loses consciousness”
Lord Raeth laughed until Kaelor spoke to him.
“Raeth, meet our King, Bryan”
Raeth’s face went immediately flat as he stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow.
“So, you, as the king, wish to duel us, so that when we win, you can have us banished.”
Logical to assume I’d do that….
Bryan shook his head, then replied, “No, Fredrich will ensure all know, if you win there can be no repercussions on you… You may make a request from me as well”
Raeth looked to his friends for a moment, and they discussed before replying, “We accept. How long do you need to prepare?”
Bryan shrugged, and he waved to Kaelor, who began ushering the trainees from the field to the seats.
“I’m ready as soon as everyone is out of the way,” Bryan stated, walking towards the centre of the arena.
Raeth and the others walked to the opposite side while the trainees filtered into the stands.
Bubble shield
Raeth spoke while the last people got seated: “For our request, we expect you to ban this kind of training”
Bryan raised both hands and said, “Whenever you are ready”
The others looked at each other awkwardly, and one said, “Raeth, are we really going to attack the king?”
Looking annoyed, Raeth replied, “Yes, two of you are level eighty, so it should be easy… He is only supposed to be the same level”
Without waiting for the others to respond, Raeth launched a large Fire Bolt at Bryan, engulfing him.
As the smoke cleared, Bryan was there looking at his hand, scratching it.
Raeth shouted, “All together, launch a barrage!”
All but the man in armour began launching Fire Bolts one after the other. After a minute of this, they paused.
Once the smoke had cleared, Bryan stood calmly, rubbing his eyelid while looking towards the sky. A ring of grass below his feet was pristine, whereas outside the ring it was charred and black.
Hmm, this is using a substantial amount of Mana; should only hold this a while longer.
Raeth shouted,” bullshit, there is no way a commoner can withstand this. Stop holding back!!”
He then began firing Lightning Bolts and Fire Bolts one after the other, and the others joined him.
Another minute of relentless spell blasting, Raeth, panting, held both arms up, creating a massive ball of fire above him and screamed as he launched it at Bryan.
I’m hungry…
The explosion created a blinding light and engulfed half of the arena; it took over a minute for it to clear.
Once it cleared, Bryan was sitting on the ground, taking a final bite of a sandwich. He then stood back up and stretched his back.
Raeth, panting and struggling to stand, said, “How are you just standing there so casually… this is impossible!”
Bryan replied, “Is it my turn?”
One of the nobles with him shook his head and started running away.
Blink.
Appearing in front of the fleeing noble, Bryan hit him with a backhand, sending him skidding to the feet of Raeth.
Physical enhancement
With near-imperceptible speed, Bryan darted between each person, landing precise strikes, knocking them down hard.
The hit to the chest of the warrior caved in the front of his armour, Bryan coming to a stop in front of Raeth.
Bryan tilted his head at Raeth, who was wobbling on his feet.
He used way too much Mana…
“I don’t think you can fight anymore”
Raeth, between taking deep breaths, said, “You are a demon! There is no way you are human”
“Well, the rules were all opponents unconscious,” Bryan said.
He raised his hand and smacked Raeth on the top of the head, and he slumped to the ground.
The trainees in the stands began cheering and clapping as Fredrich walked down to Bryan.
“Sire, was that really necessary?” he said, looking at the people on the floor.
Bryan furrowed his brow, and then replied, “But it was his hypothesis; I helped test it”
I mean, it is what he wanted.
Fredrich stared at him for a moment, then spoke, “We still have things to attend to at the palace”
Bryan shrugged and began walking out of the arena.
After reaching the palace and sitting down on his throne, Fredrich walked Bryan through how overseas trade was increasing until the door opened.
A man walked in and announced, “The ambassadors, for the Greenvale kingdom and the Vaelmar kingdom.”
Isn’t announcing people Fredrich’s job?...
Two very finely dressed men adorned with many jewels walked onto the carpet below the throne, and one spoke loudly.
“We are here to deliver demands on behalf of Greenvale, Vaelmar, Northridge and the Stoneford Duchy”
The man took a dramatic pause before continuing, “The newly formed coalition demands that Bryan stands down from his throne, that the recent reforms be reversed, that nobles be restored to power and that Bryan be banished for his crimes against the continent”
That would be a highly inefficient move.
Fredrich’s eyes were wide as Bryan replied, “What if I don’t?”
The ambassador’s forehead creased in anger before he replied, “We would be forced to declare war on Silvergate” After speaking, the man smiled.
War is not ideal, but it seems like the only option.
Bryan sighed, then spoke, “Try it”