Captain Pelagius pushed the grey orb to the side of his desk as he sighed. “It is done. I contacted the secretary of the king himself, he will pass that information to the king who will hold a meeting amongst the nobility and other important leaders.”
“And what can we expect to come as a result of this meeting?”
“There are a few possibilities, but we can expect the circle of fire to take an interest in the matter and dispatch some of their paladins to the city. The amount they will send will be entirely dependent on what type of approach they chose to take.”
“What is the circle of fire?” Captain Pelagius looked at Arthur with bewilderment.
“How do you not know? Have you been living underground all your life?” Captain Pelagius asked as he wondered how a human on this continent could not know of the circle of fire and their lord Solarius.
“I actually have.” Arthur took a more comfortable seating position as the captain tried to think how that could be.
“Did you live in a dwarven settlement?”
“Yes I did actually. Although in recent times it's gone under a bit of a hard time, it got so bad the military needed to get involved.”
“Oh dear. I am sorry to hear that.” The captain said as Arthur chuckled to himself.
‘Oh I remember what this was called, Doublespeak. The art of lying while technically telling the truth.’ “Don’t be. I was there when it happened and I made sure the invading goblins were dealt with.”
“Damn goblins and their horrific demon overlords. They cause nothing but death and destruction where they go. The damn gods that keep releasing them from the abyss and just let them roam unimpeded are the most evil being to ever exist.” Captain Pelagius slammed his fist on his desk in anger as he thought of the vile gods of evil such as Zar'Nakth who finds great joy in allowing demons to run free and cause havoc.
“As interesting as this conversation is, I think we should get back on track. You were going to tell me what the circle of fire is.” ‘I know just how dangerous demons are, Captain. One would need to either be foolish or twisted to allow such beings access to the surface.’
“Of course, my apologies. The circle of fire is the religion dedicated to Solarius, the first flame. The followers of Solarius are dedicated to the destruction of evil and all its forces. They have a complicated relationship with The Shadow's Covenant, the religion dedicated to Xardas, the dark magician.”
“Why is that?”
“When Xardas was mortal he was a dark magician. He was an avid practitioner of the dark art of necromancy and often dabbled in forbidden magic to further his power and knowledge. His legacy was that of a man who used his immense power for the benefit of everyone by fighting the forces of evil and eventually when he ascended to godhood his followers vowed they would seek evil where it hides.”
“So they serve the light as they hide in the shadows.” Arthur recalled an only saying, although he could not remember where it was from.
“From what little I have heard from The Shadow's Covenant it's more of serving the balance while hiding amongst the darkness.”
“So you would consider them more open minded to things like necromancy that most find to be either evil or immoral.”
“Yes they are. That is part of the reason why Xardas is such a popular god in places like Infernia. Necromancy allows a larger workforce than what is normally available and can quickly produce and protect food from thieves.”
“They sound like very open minded and resourceful people.” ‘That actually doesn't sound all that bad. Any extra help would be appreciated, especially when we fought the demon down in the caverns, even if they were undead the mere fact that they do not get scared or tired would have made the fight much easier for everyone.’
“Don’t let anyone associated with the circle of fire hear that. Anyways we should get back to the topic. The circle of fire’s response.”
‘The circle of fire sounds like it needs some serious work done to become a group I would consider allying myself with. The Shadow's Covenant on the other hand appear to be far more willing to consider alternative options. And necromancy sounds like it is very useful, some extra help fighting against that demon that cannot feel fear or exhaustion would be more than welcomed. The only problem is the social stigma attached.’
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“If the king ordered a big response to the vampire threat then we can expect a large division of paladins to be deployed here to patrol the streets and keep the vampires from claiming any more victims. You in particular will likely be given one or two as an escort due to your particular situation.”
“And if the king orders a smaller response?”
“Then we can expect a smaller number of paladins deployed to patrol the streets. They will likely be assisting with the investigation and they may even try to use you as bait to try and draw the vampires out.”
“Are the vampires seriously still going to come after me even after I killed their assassin?”
“Vampires and their cults don’t like to leave loose ends. They will try to get rid of you and any evidence that you were here leaving you as nothing other than a faded memory in a few peoples minds.”
“But I have stuff to do. I received an offer to become an apprentice for an accomplished alchemist, and I have classes with the mages guild. I am not just dropping this, I worked hard to get to where I am.” Arthur rubbed his temples as he spoke to try to relieve his stress.
“I can give you an armed escort until the vampire menace has been dealt with while you attend your classes. I am not entirely sure how the apprenticeship will pan out but I am sure that if you send a letter they will understand the situation.”
“That is fine but keep in mind I wasn’t attacked during the day, it was at night when I was trying to sleep. I don’t exactly think anyone in a position of authority would be all that impressed if I put the lives of innocents in danger because I stayed in a public place.”
“If you are worried about endangering others you can stay in the barracks for the time being. I am certain we could find you a place to sleep and you can eat in the cafateria.” Captain Pelagius smiled in an attempt to convince Arthur but he was skeptical.
“Is the food any good? If all that is there is gruel then I will go elsewhere to eat.”
“I can assure you that the food that is provided at the cantine is not just a gruel, it is proper food. It is one of the major benefits to joining the guards here in Antium. And something else I think you might find interesting is a training hall for teaching and sparring. That sword and armour tell me you have an interest in those things.” The captain knew the food wasn’t always the best, so he would need to convince him with the other benefits. ‘I can only hope that he is willing to stay, someone who has fought a vampiric assassin and lived to tell is something very few can say.’
“Fine, but right now I am exhausted and would like to get some sleep.”
“Of course, Lieutenant Aloysius should just be outside the room. He can help you with that.”
**********
Arthur awoke on a simple cot in a dormitory containing another ten or so beds. Only about another five were in use with their occupants being some of the city guards who chose to sleep in the barracks instead of somewhere else. Arthur quietly got up and walked out of the room.
Arthur looked out a nearby window and saw the sun had risen above the horizon and the day had started. He began making his way towards the canteen which he recalled was located towards the back end of the barracks. The canteen was a large room with several tables that could accommodate up to about ten or so people. Along the side of one wall was a line where food was being handed out.
Arthur joined the line and picked up a plate. After a short wait he could see what was being handed out by the cooks. There was bread, potatoes, a bit of meat,and several other vegetables that Arthur did not recognise that had all sorts of colors and shapes.
When it was Arthur's turn to receive some food the chef looked at him with a bit of suspicion before he just plopped a mixture of the cooked vegetables on his plate before waving him to the next chef. By the end of the line Arthur had an assortment of all different foods.
Most of the food was fine, nothing like the burritos he ate at the Free Parrot Bar but still a bit better than the soup he often ate during the expedition. Some of the vegetables on the other hand were not all that great, this one in particular that was green and looked a bit like a tree was not all that pleasant to eat, but he still ate everything off his plate.
Since Arthur still had classes at 10:00 and at 12:30 he went to speak with Captain Pelagius to receive his armed escort. Arthur knocked at the door and on the other side he could hear the captain's voice.
“You may enter.”
Arthur entered the room and saw the captain seated at his desk filling out paperwork with large bags under his eyes. It looked like he spent his whole night at his desk.
“Good morning Arthur, what can I do for you today?” Captain Pelagius stood up and offered Arthur a seat.
“I need to head to class soon and you said you would get me an armed escort for going there and back.” Arthur noticed several cups on the desk, one was half filled with a brown liquid that looked a bit like the adrenaline mix the clerk in the job board was drinking.
“Of course, of course. I have two men waiting for you near the entrance, Alanus and Zinon. Do mind Zinon, he is from Aeoniara and the culture is a bit different there and he is still adjusting a bit.”
“How exactly is the culture different in Aeoniara?”
“Well the place Zinon came from is practically devoted to training fighters. All their food, buildings, and materials are taken care of by others that either came from outside or the few don’t have an interest in fighting.”