The real beggar is indeed the true and only king
-Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
I continued on my path through the lands to the imperial capital of Solea.
It was my first time in the capital of this horrid empire, but I promised myself it wouldn’t be the last. One day I’ll take them down; I’ll turn the streets into another Amoria. You might say I became what I hate but my goal was much bigger than that. I wanted to burn it all down, before I thought if I wanted to rebuild, or if we simply didn’t deserve to continue existing.
In the middle of a large market, I found another body, covered by bugs. You could see the bones of his entire body.
The market goers looked at him with fear and disgust before going on their way. I had to wait until nightfall to help him, but the energy was there; it called to me. I commanded the bugs to let him be, and I took down the body, sitting down next to it in the dead of night.
I did the same process of pushing my Yin energy into him, and I finally revived him, but he was still a bare white skeleton, which was surprising. I thought he would regenerate his flesh or something.
Two violet circles appeared in his eye sockets instead of his eyeballs, as those too were eaten.
He looked at his bare-boned body, horrified. It was impossible for him to look horrified, but I could imagine what was going on in his mind, and how his gaze lingered on his bones.
I asked him, “What happened to you?”
He looked weirdly at me, his magical eyes narrowing. It seemed like he knew I revived him or something, because my magic ran through him, and he was a more magical being than the others I revived because of his state.
He said, “I was drunk one night at the inn, where I said that the lords are making the farmers hungry, just to afford to eat the best the land can offer, and sweeten their tea with honey. I went back to my house, only for the soldiers to come barging in the next day. An informant had reported me. The prince imperial himself attended to me and said, So you think we are taxing you to sweeten our tea with honey? I couldn’t respond to him. I was frightened after the beating I had already gotten. Then the prince ordered the guards, Take this man, crucify him in the city square, after you slather his entire naked body in honey, just so that he knows we don’t care for honey. We care for order around here. And that’s how the bugs ate all my flesh as excruciatingly slowly as you can imagine.”
“I feel you did this to me? You revived me into this skeleton?” The man asked tentatively, like I scared him, but it was really hard for him to look scared, because his voice was deep and distant, like it came from another realm.
I answered him, “Yes, I am the one who revived you, because I need the help of people like you. I need to take down the unjust empire, and only people like you felt the extent of their malevolence. I promise you power beyond your wildest dreams, you only have to follow me in my war… in our war.”
He bowed down deeply and said, “My liege. I can feel deep inside me already that I must be loyal to you, but I also feel you can set me free of this blind loyalty. I’ll bring down the empire with you.”
“From this day forward, you will be known as the Skeleton Lord. I promise you, when we can take over this capital, you will get your revenge on the prince. But the emperor is mine, and mine alone.” I told that man and granted him the power to command skeletons. I had just gained this new power myself when I was trying to revive him.
Bestowing these powers on my disciples didn’t deprive me of them, but I felt I could give only one power per disciple.
I sent him off to Amoria as well, before I continued walking around the imperial capital.
I didn’t need sleep, so I could make use of every single minute I am alive.
No one was living a good life in this city. The poor abided by the curfew and never left their houses after sunset. The only open places after sunset were the inns and brothels, which the soldiers attended; even those soldiers looked miserable to an extent, and the workers of both the inns and the brothels didn’t look genuinely happy.
As for the higher establishments, nobles and their offspring attended them, and they were the only people that looked happy in this land.
How can you feel happy when those serving you feel miserable, or are you so drunk out of your mind that you can’t notice them?
Or maybe the nobles drink in the first place to not notice the misery they were surrounded with?
Who knows, maybe one day I’ll ask them, before I stab them through the heart.
In a remote part of the city, I found a dead beggar that was living next to the trash dumpster.
He looked to have been here for a few days. How many days was this body here, while no one knew he was dead?
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Or maybe they didn’t care?
I felt his despair, which was offputting. Why would a beggar feel that sense of despair? He must have lived with that most of his life to become accustomed to it.
What was his story?
I ordered the bugs to fly off his body and sat beside him and revived him.
I talked to the man, “Tell me, what is your story? How did you die here? Why were you feeling such despair at the moment of your death?”
The man looked at me in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that he was revived after death.
“You revived me, child? How could a child have such power to revive another man?” He asked while his eyes were wide open.
“I might look like a child, but I have the wisdom and power of an entire nation. Don’t worry about my machinations for now, just answer my questions, old man.”
“Yes, my lord, I always felt this despair. It was like I never existed for the folks of this city. You see, I used to be a respected teacher. I taught many of the city folks. I used to live a good life, my lord, until it all came crashing down around me. My wife sir, that harlot, betrayed me with a high-ranking officer in the empire’s army. I was oblivious to it all until one day I caught them in the act. I went to the city’s judge, but my case was turned down. Not only that, the officer put two soldiers in front of my house to stop me from going in, and when I tried to enter, they beat me up, carried me, and threw me in this trash dumpster. They thought I was dead, but I wasn’t. I never left this spot since. How can we live with such injustice, my lord? How can I not feel despair when I see the people living despite knowing full well they could be in my place any day? If this is the fate of a teacher of generations, what hope does anyone else have? I wish I had the strength, my lord; I would make things right around here. I wish I could make a difference.” The man talked with such passion, the thoughts of a man whose heart was broken, whose honor was sullied, whose pride was dragged through the mud and stepped on by a thousand pigs.
“I hear you teacher, I hear your anguish, I feel it, and I assure you, we will make a difference. We will bring the empire down, but I need a favor from you.”
The man cut Scorn, “Anything my lord, anything for the man I owe my life to.”
Scorn looked at him stoically before continuing, “I want you to remain in the imperial capital. I will grant you a power, and I want you to use it to spy for me, and inform me of everything that happens in the capital daily. You see, there are others besides you and me. We will do operations elsewhere, to get stronger, but it’s imperative that we know the movements of the army, so that we don’t get surprised early, before we are strong enough to bring them down.”
“I accept my lord. I accept, I’ll do anything. You have nothing to worry about, my loyalty to you will be eternal,” the man said so fast, with a pitiful look on his face, it was like he revered Scorn, even before knowing what he was.
“Well then, from now on, you will be known as the King of Beggars. I’ll grant you dominion over insects. They will spread through the city, and whisper to you of the happenings of the city every day, and you just have to report your findings to me. Because your job is very important, no one else from my followers will know about you. You will remain a secret, my secret follower, my secret ally.”
“Thank you, my lord, thank you. I’ll do as you ask, so that one day you can bring this city down with me by your side.”
I gave him the power, and I left him there, on the same spot, but in a much better position than before, he now had power beyond his wildest imagination. Through him, we will always be one step ahead of the empire.
I left the King of Beggars and headed outside the city on foot. I was contemplating our next move. We needed to become stronger. We had unique skills, but we didn't really have the raw power. I had to ask my officers and figure out the next move.
Just before I reached the city gates, I saw a man that looked sad and lost. What’s more surprising, he didn’t look like a noble to ignore the curfew. No guards approached him for his clear violation of the curfew as well, so I was intrigued to learn his story.
“Greetings, good sir, why are you out and about at this late hour? Don’t you know there is a curfew?”
The man continued walking slowly while looking as sad as ever. It was like he didn’t even hear me addressing him.
I just stood there looking perplexed, but five steps later, the man raised his head like he just remembered something. He looked tentatively at me while narrowing his eyes.
He kept his gaze on me for a few seconds before saying, “You talked to me?”
“Umm, yes, I thought you didn’t hear me.” I said, still confused.
“You.. you mean you can see me?” The man asked with a look of disbelief on his face.
“I have two eyes. Of course I see you!”
“You don’t understand. Nobody else can see me, nobody could see me for the past few years! You are the first!” The man was very excited that he finally found someone he could talk to.
I narrowed my eyes and said, “Oh! Are you a ghost? I didn’t see it before, but I think now I see it.”
“Yes, you are right. I have been a ghost since I died. This horrible existence is the worst. I can’t talk to anyone. I can’t move on either.”
“How did you die?” I asked inquisitively.
“I was the training partner of the young prince. A nation gifted the emperor some rare magical weapons, and the emperor gifted his sons these weapons. The young prince got a pair of gloves since he loved Kung Fu so much. The prince used them on me, and I felt like my soul was leaving me with each punch. I told the prince that being hit by them feels awful, and that we need to learn their effect before we use them further, but he wouldn’t have any of it. A few sessions later this happened, my body just dropped lifeless, and my soul has been wondering the imperial capital ever since.”
“Tell me, do you hate that prince who didn’t heed your warning, who ignored your safety?”
“I do. Sometimes I go to the imperial palace and see how they live happily, and I can’t even die properly.”
“What if I told you I can help you get revenge on him? What if I told you I can grant you power if you join me?”
The man couldn’t believe himself, but he must have thought anything was better than this miserable existence. “I accept, my lord. I’ll follow you forever. If not for revenge, it would be because you are the only person I can talk to.”
“From now on, you will be known as the Invisible Commander. I’ll give you dominion over souls.”
The Invisible Commander bowed down to me, and I granted him the power to control ghosts.
I then transformed into ghost form as well, and we both left the city through the gates. I was extremely adaptable, figuring out how to expand the use of my powers just from observing my surroundings.