The perfect location turned out to be an empty grain silo. The most protected area of the entire Wildheart Refuge was their food storage. Since it was both the lifeblood of the nation and their primary source of trade income it made a lot of sense.
“This silo hasn’t been used for three full growing seasons. The others are more convenient for our farmers and get more use. I think it will be perfect for what you described. It’s still well in the protected zone and no one is going to just stumble in here at random.”
“Sounds like a good location.”
“So, how do we do this?”
Duke walked into the silo with Emberclaw and the uncharacteristically silent Snarlheart in tow. He held up the dungeon core that he had poured a bit over 100,000 Mana into. “OK, little buddy. Welcome to your new home.” He felt a pulse of warmth as he placed the core down on the ground. Like the previous time, there was a pulse of energy and the three of them felt themselves propelled out of the silo.
The doorway to the silo sealed itself up, leaving no seam and the appearance that the door had never been there. There was no snarky “come back later” message like the previous dungeon had displayed but the message was clear nonetheless.
“That’s something I had not expected.” Snarlheart remarked.
“Is this normal, Duke?”
“It’s a dungeon. Normal doesn’t really fit the definition. We’ll come back tomorrow and see if it’s ready for us. I assume you both want to join me on the inaugural run on the dungeon?”
Both beastkin excitedly answered, “Yes!” They looked at each other, chuckling at their simultaneous response. Emberclaw added. “In same voice, we are aligned.”
“So it is said, so it stands.” Snarlheart responded.
“Is that some sort of ritual?” Duke asked.
“You truly are strange, Duke. How do you not know such simple things and yet bring such wonders to as a dungeon to us? When two people agree on something so much they say it together unbidden, that is just what you say.”
Duke committed the phrase to memory before responding, “I’m from pretty far away. Our rituals would be just as foreign to you.”
“So it would seem, yes.”
They chatted for a while longer before Duke departed, heading for his capitol.
***
Duke sat on his throne as the petitioners were lining up outside the Throne Room. He was in for another day of requests, but he was not alone this time. Both Duke Madrigal and Lady Hargwaetch were in attendance with him. The majority of requests were easily handled but there were a few standouts.
The first standout actually came from Aurelia. “Your Majesty, I do formally request that Borondar, former guard under the previous ruler be named Captain of the City Guard.”
Duke considered it for a long moment as Madrigal all but squirmed in his seat. Duke took notice and decided to inquire. “Duke Madrigal, do you have something you would like to say regarding this request?”
“Your Majesty. It is not my place to second-guess such appointments, but I do know this man. He was one of Chopie’s men. Oath-sworn to serve him, and not just an oath of words, but of magic, Be wary that he does not serve the dead tyrant even after death.” He shuddered as he spoke whether from revulsion or fear was unclear, but it was clear that Madrigal was not comfortable with the appointment.
“Thank you for sharing that, Madrigal. I’m sure that it was difficult to speak up like that given what happened to you and your family for speaking out previously. First, I offer this instruction for you, and to all my advisors, Do not hold back when you have something to say. I am a man, and I am not infallible. I will make mistakes but the best way to prevent large mistakes is to listen to the counsel of those I have entrusted. Never be concerned that you are offering an opinion counter to mine or that I may not agree with your counsel. I need to hear what you have to say so please say it.”
Duke paused, letting his words sink in. When he saw Madrigal visibly relax and Lady Hargwaetch nod, he felt satisfied that his message had sunk in. “Now, on this matter in particular. You are quite correct that Borondar was magically oathbound to Chopie. I severed his oath even before I severed Chopie’s life. He is a free man and if the General of the Thrice-Blessed Legion speaks for him, I will listen. I will allow this appointment on a probationary basis. In six months, We will evaluate his performance in the role and make a final decision.”
”Borondar, come forward.” Duke beckoned the man forward and Borondar stepped up and knelt before the King. “Do you, Borondar, vow to faithfully and with full fidelity to serve the kingdom of Stormstride, its people, and specifically its Capitol, the city of Cloudspire, as its Captain of the Guard to uphold justice and the law over its citizens, residents, visitors? And do you also vow to offer staunch and unyielding defense of said city and kingdom should conflict arise yet again?’
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“I do so swear!” The words were clear and strong, resounding throughout the Throne Room. There was a feeling of weight and importance that passed thought the room as the weight of the vow settled upon the man.
“Then rise, Captain of the Guard, Borondar! And be welcome in your new role. May you be successful and honorable in your role!” Duke’s pronouncement caused the crowd to cheer and elevated the mood in the room significantly.
The next petition that was notable was a priestess of Orgath. She wore robes that were form-fitting through the chest, arms, and shoulders but flared out into tatters as they passed below her waist and to her legs. The robes were colored in a swirling mix of dark blues and black with embroidered lightning bolts throughout. When she moved, it gave the impression of a storm raging around her and the hood covering her head lent an air of mystery.
“Your Majesty, I am Sumi Akira, Oracle of the Tempest and I am requesting permission to establish a Temple to Orgath in this city.”
“You don’t need my permission to do so. Or am I missing something?”
Lady Hargwaetch spoke up. “Your Majesty, this is the high priestess of Orgath. Her setting up a temple here would make this city the center for worship for the god. There would be economic benefits but also political risk and even risk of other gods’ interference.”
“I see. Neither Cloudspire nor Stormstride will align with any god of this world, but you are welcome to establish your temple here. Duke Madrigal will assist you in selecting the site.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Despite the banality of most petitioners, Duke still enjoyed providing a CLEANSE and a RESTORE for every petitioner and he was starting to wonder if some of the most banal were simply seeking what he called “the king’s dry-cleaning service.” Not publicly, of course, but that is what it had come to be called in his head.
With the last petitioner dismissed, Duke decided to call it a day and retired to the Inn, leaving instructions for others to contact him through the Jewel of Whispers network if they wanted a TELEPORT to the Inn.
Aurelia joined him as he returned to the Inn and they had a quiet meal together, thankful for some time to catch-up. Calen innocuously brought them drinks and hors d'oeuvres, doing his best to not engage in any conversation with the pair.
“We have three thousand city guard now.” Aurelia commented.
“I wasn’t sure we had three thousand people left in the city. Duke chuckled.
“A surprising number of people have come to live in the city. And yes, I have had them screened for spies and invaders. They seem to be coming in small groups from all over. Most so far are from outlying towns that were not destroyed by the undead but have become concerned for their safety. Having the Legion in residence is a grand attractor from a safety perspective.”
“But we can’t keep them there long-term, right?” Duke added.
“No, they need to return here and continue their training. As they are now, I would put them up against most any conventional army that another kingdom could field. But, of course, the more powerful nations can field armies that are far from conventional. I don’t know if we could handle an army that was mounted on flying beasts or could fly themselves at this point. There are too many variables and we trained for a specific type of foe. Here, we can change up their training on a daily basis and train for a great many more contingencies.”
“All that I agree with. So, tell me, my General, what is the target number for city guard? Is it five thousand? Ten? Twenty?”
“Five will be enough to start pulling the Legion back. Twenty would be too many, I think. The logistics of a guard that large gets complicated. If not for the food creation spells that Baslin taught our Mage Corps, we would have a severe logistics problem with the Legion already.”
“I hadn’t even considered that.”
“You don’t have to. That is what you have the rest of us to take care of. You continue to be the face of the kingdom, make the people happier, and take steps to make the kingdom prosper.”
“Then it is a good thing I am still wearing this thing.” Duke reached up and touched his crown, which promptly disappeared followed by a system message.
*** You have absorbed The Crown of the Mage King. This artifact has been converted into a new Ability, Aura of Prosperity. This passive Ability projects an aura around you for (Rank x (Psyche mod + Ability Level) kilometers. This range is not affected by your Tier modifier. All subjects and allies will receive a Prosperity boost equal to the range of this Ability. You gain this Ability at Initiate 1. ***
Duke paused reading the message before performing some quick math in his head.
OK, crown is gone, but I now have an Aura which is far more powerful but technically more limited in range. A little over five hundred kilometer radius right now should easily cover my entire domain but it leaves me with questions. Can it affect things outside the dungeon when I am in the dungeon? Or Vice versa? Crap. I guess I’ll just have to experiment and toss the latest Characteristic Points into Psyche while I’m at it.
Duke unexpectantly received an additional message:
*** I have enhanced the Ability that the crown gave you so that it will operate through the dimensional barrier of the dungeons. They will not pay attention to such things, but I know it’s important to you. ***
Turning into quite the benefactor there…
“Are you OK, Duke?”
“Yes, I just absorbed my crown into a new Ability. I think it’s going to be a boon for the kingdom, but we will have to see how it actually works out.”
“What does it actually do?”
“It provides a Prosperity boost – it’s something I don’t quite know what it really means but a more than five-fold boost has to be a good thing.”
"I’ll say. Let’s test it out soon.”
“Can you break away from the Legion for a few hours tomorrow?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“We’re going to go on a dungeon run together with two other friends. This will be the first time the dungeon is run so the rewards should be excellent. Maybe the Prosperity bonus will impact our loot and who knows, maybe even our experience.”
“Oh, yes. Let’s do that!”