Chapter 163

As Fair got up and left the table the group watched as he waited for other people to filter out ahead of him before he too left. Quite a crowd of men and women followed him out.

“Ok, tell me, what did I do this time? I can tell I did something just by the way you have been freaking out this whole time. Why didn't you just say something?” Jay asked as he peered at M'redith.

Norri nodded, “How'd he know your name!” she exclaimed to M'redith.

“What the hell is going on and who was that?” Aiden asked as he could tell something was up but not what that something was.

Most of M'redith's color had returned but she refused to talk about it. “Not here. Let's head to your rooms.” she said as she nodded at Jay in a worried business like manner.

“We can't, we don't have time,” Jay said. “We have to get moving if we're going to make it to the Dome on time.”

They had intended to change in to more formal clothing for the ceremony but had run out of time thanks to their conversation with Fair. Their adventuring armor would have to do.

M'redith drew in a big breath before she let it out in a whoosh. “Carriage it is then,” she said worriedly.

“You mean cart, right?” Aiden asked. They weren't made of money yet, even if Jay was about to be.

“No, I mean carriage. Something with walls that will keep our conversations private!” she hissed at Aiden.

Aiden leaned back reflexively from M'redith. She was being much more aggressive than usual. “Ok! Carriage it is.”

While everyone else had relaxed after Fair had left M'redith had only grown more worried.

“Sorry, I'm sorry. I feel like I'm losing my mind here. Goddess what have you gotten us in to now,” she muttered to herself.

“Norri, can you...” Jay went to ask but Norri had already hopped down off of her chair and had begun to collect everyone's trays. Without a word she brought them up to the counter and then returned. The rest of the table rose and followed M'redith out of the dining hall and towards the main courtyard.

The group's previous good mood had begun to sour as M'redith grew more and more worried. By the time the group had arrived at the courtyard everyone had grown a bit tense and on edge.

M'redith had been about to flag down a carriage when an older gentleman with a bushy mustache approached them. He wore a bowler hat which looked good on him. “M'redith?” he asked in a professional sounding tone.

M'redith nodded, “That's me. Who are you?”

The rest of her group had drawn to a stop and reflexively spread out around her with their hands near their weapons. The man watched them move and brought his hands up defensively, “Easy now, Brother Orin sent me to fetch you all for the Dome ceremony!” he said in a bit of a rush as the group's mood made their actions seem vaguely aggressive.

M'redith nodded, “Sorry about that, we've had a trying morning.”

The driver smiled and nodded, “Everyone in K'tharkle is tense, what with so much nobility suddenly showing up. It's ok. We'll get you in to your carriage and on your way in no time,” the driver said kindly.

He brought them to a white and gold carriage that had two church guards posted nearby to keep the curious away. They nodded at M'redith and her group as they were led by the driver to the open doors and were then assisted inside.

The cloth lined doors were shut and the noise from outside disappeared. The silence was deafening and it took a minute or two before the carriage rolled forwards slowly. They could tell when they had hit the city streets just by the increased speed of their travel.

No one had yet spoken. “M'redith?” Jay asked uncertainly as the carriage went over some uneven ground and everyone in the carriage was momentarily jostled about.

“Fine.” she said and sighed. “You have royalty on Earth, right?”

Jay nodded, “So he was a royal?”

M'redith pinched the bridge of her nose and drew another breath. “He is the royal!”

“He seemed pretty normal. Just walked right up to us like a normal person,” Jay observed, still not understanding what M'redith was trying to explain to him.

M'redith groaned, “We were probably surrounded by his guard the entire time. If you had done the wrong thing you would have likely ended up on the floor before you knew what was happening. Goddess we are so screwed.”

Jay began to look worried, “Whoa now - he seemed nice enough, why are we screwed?”

Aiden had begun to look worried as well while Norri looked relieved now that she knew what was going on.

“He seemed nice!” Norri interjected brightly.

“Do you think he visits budding adventurer groups often? Or leaves his castle often? This isn't normal! This is exactly what Walter warned you to steer clear of! Politics! The KING wants something from US. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is for us?” M'redith insisted.

“So is he King of everything here?” Jay asked curiously, still not as worried as M'redith was. “Or is he one King and there are other Kings around?”

M'redith laughed and looked at the ceiling of the carriage for a moment before she shook her head. “He's the King if you live on this continent! I don't know why I'm so frustrated with you right now, there is no way you could have known,” she muttered to herself as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

“How did you recognize him?” Aiden asked, “I didn't.”

M'redith looked at the others and tried to look innocent. It didn't work.

“What do you know that you're not telling us?” Aiden asked with a light smile.

“I know because of things back home. Where I came from. You really want me to get in to that now?” M'redith asked a bit hotly. She wasn't thrilled at being called out.

Aiden waved his hands, “Not if it has anything to do with your home life. Off limits. Sorry I asked, but it was a bit weird that you recognized the King.”

M'redith nodded. “Ok. That is fair,” she admitted.

Norri giggled, “Hehe. Fair.”

M'redith groaned, “Puns. Goddess help us.”

“So what is his real name?” Jay asked.

M'redith tilted her head and stared at Jay, “His Royal Majesty, King Ferrigualt would be the full name and the name you're supposed to use!” she hissed. She pronounced it FAIRY-galt with emphasis on fair.

Jay smiled, “I don't know, Fair was pretty insistent that I call him just Fair. He didn't leave any room for doubt.”

M'redith narrowed her eyes, “You can't call him that!”

Jay grinned, “He told me to! Especially when told not to!”

“Don't you learn how to treat royalty back on Earth?” M'redith pleaded with him.

“Where I come from we had a King once. It wasn't working out so we had to let him go.” Jay explained.

M'redith looked perplexed and seemed about to burst with frustration, “You let him go??”

“We declared our independence and put it in to law that we would have no more Kings nor nobility.” Jay said. “We have a holiday to celebrate it and everything.”

M'redith wasn't sure if Jay was being serious or not but it was really not the time for jokes. She decided to take him seriously. “I know I keep telling you to be careful but this time you have to really focus on it! Even IF the King has yours and our best interests at heart – highly doubtful – do you have any idea what will happen to you once other political players see you and the King being cozy together?”

Jay shook his head, “I'm guessing something very bad.”

“You, we, become targets, pawns in the game. That is when other people start interfering with our lives just to make political points. Which drags us away from our primary goal, which is doing whatever we want mostly but also reaching the Dungeon of Rebirth. We have to be alive to make it there.” M'redith insisted.

Jay nodded as he took in everything M'redith had said, “So what do we do?”

M'redith shook her head, “Do? I'm not sure there's anything we can do. We have the King's interest and he came all the way here to meet you for some reason. We can't run,”

“Run?” Norri asked a bit surprised, “Isn't that a bit extreme?”

“We have little to no political capital to speak of. We have political connections but no way to leverage them. We have to play along – with the King at least. I'd say our best bet is to keep our conversations with other people at the opening to a minimum. Only discuss surface level things. The weather, people's outfits, etc.” M'redith said seriously as she began to tick things off on her fingers.

Aiden laughed, “This is ridiculous. What could he possibly want with us?”

M'redith turned to him sharply, “Something big. Kings make you come to them – they're kings after all. But here he came to Jay. You tell me – how badly does the King want Jay, and us? He visited us at our breakfast! Kings don't do that!”

Norri bit her lip, “Poop.” she said and M'redith made a pinched face.

The cart jolted to a stop and put an end to any hope they had of preparing a defense for whatever was coming.

“Well, here we go,” M'redith said with a resolute look on her face.

The doors opened and the Glimmerhides were helped out of the carriage and in to the Dome itself. The entire area was packed and a line had already formed going out of the building of people who were already waiting to run the dungeon.

Occasionally you would see a group with matching armor like he and his group wore but most of the people Jay saw wore a hodgepodge of armor in various colors and materials. These were men and women who spent their life running dungeons and their armor and gear reflected that fact.

Even though Jay and his group had not gotten dressed up their armor did in fact look well made and its simplicity gave it an austere formal look that ended up working in the Glimmerhide's favor. Their collar devices gave the armor a splash of color that it otherwise lacked and identified them as part of a unique group.

They were briskly escorted inside and through various rooms and stairwells until they had arrived at the dungeon entrance itself. Jay's eyes were drawn to the patch he had placed over the dungeon entrance almost 24 hours prior. It no longer was just a patch but had extended itself until it completely covered the entire entrance.

The room looked as it had the last time they were there, a central pylon surrounded by rewards terminals. A door in to the room from the rest of the building, and the dungeon door that led to Kagan's Dome itself were the only other features really to speak of.

The room was empty save for Jay's group and Brother Orin.

“We'll start in a few minutes, you barely made it in time!” Brother Orin scolded Jay before he smiled and took a more agreeable tone. “Sorry. But you should have, arrived a little earlier I mean,” he said with a smile. “So, news! The King is here. And the Mayor! Isn't that great! Yes. So great.” Brother Orin said in a tone of voice that made it clear that it was not.

What Brother Orin had intended to be a quiet ceremony had instead been transformed in to a major affair. Having the King show up tended to do that though.

Some people had begun to filter in to the room and as they arrived they took up positions along the back wall. They all were wearing official or expensive clothing and Jay was thankful he hadn't worn his 'formal' attire. It wouldn't have been formal enough. Wearing his armor had ended up being a better choice.

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The people who entered the room talked among themselves but a few of them stared at Jay with appraising looks. Jay realized after watching them that their eyes would inevitably be drawn to the shimmering collar devices each member of his group wore, a square of glimmerhide hide with a stylized glimmerhide head emblazoned on it.

A number of clergy had entered and Brother Orin quickly excused himself, “Great. A bishop, no TWO bishops, just what this gathering was missing. Goddess sakes,” he muttered as he left to greet them.

Jay grinned, better Orin than him. He watched as Brother Orin stood in front of the bishops like a child called in front of the class to answer a particularly difficult question. The bishops fired off rapid questions at the head monk who did his best to answer them when he could get a word in.

Finally Brother Orin hung his head and returned to the group. “The King is coming! Get ready!”

A man entered the room shortly afterwards and was attended by a trio of guards. Jay recognized the man's hulking figure as K'tharkle's Mayor, Figs.

“Oh. I guess that isn't him,” Brother Orin said a bit mindlessly as if he'd lost control of, well, everything.

Walter followed him in and took up a position in the back where he would be able to watch everyone that had gathered there that day.

The room was beginning to become a bit full. While the room was by no means small it did seem as if it had been intended to house only a group or two worth of people, not a horde of the politically connected.

A few other men and women arrived but Jay didn't recognize them at all. One was referred to as a Duke but Jay didn't catch his name.

There was a brief commotion as a number of guards entered wearing purple sigils on their shoulders and chest. Jay didn't recognize the sigil but assumed it was royal by the purple color.

“His Majesty, King Ferrigualt!” someone at the door yelled simply and the room went silent as everyone in it bowed or curtsied.

Jay wasn't used to bowing for anyone so what the King saw as he entered was a crowd of people bent over and then Jay, who stood six feet upright and had a confused look on his face as he belatedly realized he was expected to bow. Instead Jay remained upright and bowed his head.

The King walked past the others who had gathered there and approached Brother Orin directly. “Rise,” the King commanded and the people in the room rose. As they did so many noticed that Jay had remained standing. This caused no small amount of muttering among the attendees.

Brother Orin had just begun to scold Jay in a barely whispered voice that he was supposed to bow for the King. Other people in the audience had noticed.

The King smiled and reached out a hand to Brother Orin, who had no choice but to stop speaking with Jay and accept the handshake.

“Brother Orin, don't worry about Jay. Jay is new here and We hold him in high esteem and consider him a friend of the Crown whether he bows or not. Right Jay?” the King stated with a sly grin.

Jay blinked, completely caught off guard, “Yes, I'm new here.” He looked like a deer caught in headlights. The King was exuding a feeling of power that Jay was ill equipped to deal with. The King was in his element and his charisma was dazzling as the attendees hung on his every word and dissected every nuance for meaning.

The King laughed and patted Jay on the back. Jay kept his hands still and visible as the King's nearby guards glared at Jay with barely restrained violence. This was different from the first time Jay had met the King. This time it felt like talking with a King, not just some guy over breakfast.

Jay wasn't entirely enjoying the experience so far.

The King turned and spoke to the gathered group of important people. “I would like to thank the Church of Gaia for inviting Us to this ceremony. It has been too long a time since We have attended one! We thank you, Brother Orin, for making the arrangements that brought this ceremony about in the first place. Our thanks also goes out to Mayor Figs for his efforts in managing such a sudden and intense influx of hungry adventurers.”

The King paused for laughter and smiled before he continued.

The King nodded towards Walter in the back, “We especially thank the Adventurer's Guild, who has helped nurture and house the groups that We depend on for dungeon management! Lastly, We would like to thank the Glimmerhide Group, M'redith, and her group mates, Jay, Norri, and Aiden, as well as those that assisted them in doing the work required to make today possible.”

The King paused and smiled at the crowd who dutifully smiled back. It was expected of them.

“We are delighted to attend this reopening of Kagan's Dome. We appreciate all of the tireless work the Church does in protecting our cities from co-located dungeons and we are happy to be here to witness today's dungeon ceremony! Brother Orin, if you would?”

Brother Orin nodded and bowed to the King a few times before he turned to speak to the crowd. “As the caretaker of Kagan's Dome it is my honor to introduce to you Jay, Kagan's Dome's new Patron-elect.” He turned away from the crowd and faced Jay as he focused on him and him alone for a moment.

“Jay, do you swear to care for Kagan's Dome, to nurture it and protect it, and to grow it as the Goddess wills?” Brother Orin read out of a book he had opened up to a bookmarked page.

Jay looked over at M'redith without even meaning to. She was watching him, everyone was, and she smiled and nodded at him. The next face he saw as he turned back to Brother Orin was the King's, and he was grinning as he watched Jay.

“I do,” Jay said simply.

The King stepped forwards towards Jay and Jay was momentarily taken aback and almost took a step back before he stopped himself. The King had noticed and gave Jay a comforting smile.

“Jay,” the King's voice boomed throughout the room, “as Patron you will be given dominion over Kagan's Dome. As the Goddess has granted you this small portion of My Kingdom I grant it to you as well. In exchange, do you swear to honor and obey the laws of this land?”

A susurration broke out among the crowd. This was unexpected. They had been told a Patron would be named but no one had really believed it. It had been forever since a Patron had last been named. It was one of the very few times a King would grant dominion over even the tiniest portion of His land to another.

Brother Orin had been following along in his book of ceremonies and realized that it was his turn to speak. He quickly picked out the next portion and began to read. “Jay. Please kneel.”

Jay paused. He had to kneel? He turned to look at M'redith in confusion. She made shooing motions with her hands as if to say 'get on with it!'

The King watched Jay and smiled at his inner turmoil. Finally Jay got down on to his knees. The King placed one hand on Jay's head and spoke in a loud voice, “As above,”

The voices in the crowd responded, “So below.”

The King smiled, “You went to your knees as a subject, I ask you to rise to your feet as a Patron, King of Kagan's Dome, in accordance with the will of the Goddess Herself. Let any who have cause to object do so now or forever hold your peace!”

No one spoke and in the silence Jay was suddenly presented with an unexpected notification.

You have been offered a royal title! As a Patron you will rule over Kagan's Dome as its sole ruler, in effect, its king. While the land it lies on remains the domain of King Ferrigualt the dungeon itself will become its own separate kingdom with you as its sole ruler.

Do you wish to accept the royal title of Patron, Ruler of Kagan's Dome? Yes/No

Jay grinned. That was an easy question to answer. Jay mentally selected Yes and waited. He could feel a pressure building up behind his eyes and it was not very pleasant.

That was when Jay fainted.

*****

Initializing...

Merging Dungeon Management package...

Merging Royalty package...

Connecting Synapse shunt #1321 through #1389

Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Range Elevated (!CAUTION!)

Stimulation Overflow, Emergency Shutdown Initiated

MEDALERT: CAUTION

Restarting...

Set Sensation I/O Restricted: TRUE

Set Motor_Control: FALSE

Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Range Normal

Initiating Line by Line Installation...

Installing Dungeon Management, line 1 of 233,098...

*****

“It's the first sentence in the chapter! The applicant should remain seated throughout the ceremony! They wrote it for a reason!” someone was yelling angrily next to him.

Jay opened his eyes and tried to get up but couldn't. His arms and legs weren't working quite right. He tried opening his eyes and then remembered that he had already done that. He still couldn't see.

The King was standing next to Jay as he looked down at him sprawled out on the floor. “Sorry Jay, I'd forgotten that it does that. If it makes you feel any better I was standing too when I was made King. It's worse the larger the kingdom too, so you can imagine...” The King spoke in a low voice meant only for him.

Jay's vision had just returned and he managed to sit up groggily. Everyone was still in the room but M'redith had joined him in front and was cradling his head in her lap. As she noticed Jay wake up she disentangled herself from him and stood up.

M'redith gave him a hand and helped him up. “Sorry about that, no idea what just happened,” Jay said with an embarrassed smile.

The King was next to him as well as Brother Orin. The King was waving off his guards who were trying to convince him to leave due to Jay's unexpected syncope.

“It's fine! Really. Give the boy room to breathe for a moment. No I'm not leaving! Enough!” the King griped to his guard before settling the argument by volume where words alone had failed.

Brother Orin looked quite embarrassed and kept apologizing to the King. The King nodded before He finally spoke. “The Crown welcomes Jay as not just a subject, but a peer as well. Welcome Jay, and may your reign be as long as it is wise!”

The crowd obediently clapped and wondered if it was over already. At least they had gotten to see someone pass out in front of the King – that would be a story worth a beer or two at the bar.

“Are you ok to continue?” Brother Orin asked Jay as the King looked on.

Jay nodded, “I feel ok, just... tired?”

The King nodded knowingly “That is normal,” he assured Jay and Brother Orin opened his book to the bookmarked chapter once more.

“You should approach the dungeon entrance now and... activate it? It doesn't say how to do that, just to do it.” Brother Orin admitted sheepishly.

Jay smiled, “I think I know what to do.” He approached the entrance and Inspected it.

00:00

Dungeon Ready!

Begin activation? Yes/No

The timer had run out. Jay mentally selected Yes.

Instantly the silver patch smudged in front of them as all of the stitching began to meld in to one another as if made out of liquid. The surface began to swirl faster until the surface had transformed in to a sheet of liquid, silver in appearance, that hung over the entrance. The portal was now shiny and silver and appeared to be motionless.

Do you wish to rename Kagan's Dome?

Jay chose no and could feel something click in his mind.

Do you wish to change or remove the entry fee?

Jay didn't even have to think about that one and chose no.

Do you wish to set up an account for entry fees?

Jay chose yes and was presented with a screen with various options. He could have the money go to his person, or to his rooms, or to his bank account. He could also send it to a person of his choosing as well as split the money and have percentages sent to multiple accounts.

He quickly set it up so that the Guild, the Church, and the City would each receive 10% of his entry fees. The remaining was all his and he set that up to be deposited in to his bank account at K'tharkle Bank. Finally he selected the accept button and locked it all in.

Do you wish to reopen the dungeon at this time?

With a wide grin Jay selected Yes and the portal in front of him began to swirl faster than he could see. The portal had been activated. As he did so a new notification popped up.

Your character sheet has been updated!

He dismissed that notification and it was replaced with a new one.

Kagan's Dome is now ruled by Patron Jay. The dungeon has successfully been upgraded to Instanced. Kagan's Dome is now open!

It appeared that others had received the same notification and clapping broke out as the ceremony drew to a close.

The activation of the dungeon served as the conclusion to the ceremony and Brother Orin thanked everyone for coming just as everyone broke up in to smaller groups to chat and gossip. The King did not leave but remained and had walked over to speak with one of the bishops who respectfully bowed upon His approach.

Jay had turned to face M'redith but found her engaged in conversation with a well dressed man who wore quite a lot of gold jewelry. He seemed very interested in asking M'redith questions and she seemed to be handling them just fine on her own.

Aiden was talking with one of the bishops – a pretty woman with her hair done up in braids that were then done up in a complicated bun. Jay bet he was flirting with her, knowing Aiden.

Norri was talking with a woman who had her laughing about something that had interested her and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Jay felt a bit out of sorts and really wasn't looking forward to talking to people he didn't know. The King had finished talking with the bishop and turned to face Jay from across the room with a smile.

Jay sighed. He had promised to have a word with Fair after the ceremony. Here we go, he thought to himself as he walked over to the King.

“Jay!” the King said with a grin as Jay arrived in front of him. Jay nodded his head and smiled. The crowd around them frowned as Jay neglected to bow.

“Hi Fair,” he said and the people around him looked scandalized. “I can't tell if I'm supposed to bow or what at this point.”

The King smiled widely. “Let's settle on a nod for now. I told you calling me what I want might be more difficult than you'd think. It's tough having everyone stare at you like that isn't it?”

Jay nodded and smiled, “It is! You sure I can't just call you King?”

The King nodded, “Just Fair is fine. Unless you want me calling you king too? Or Patron? Our conversations would get confusing rather quickly wouldn't they?”

“I'm hardly a king compared to you, just a Patron,” Jay said as if the entire thing was ridiculous.

Fair shrugged, “A Patron is a king, at least in their dungeon. So stop comparing. Just be you,” he offered reasonably. “Anyway, I think we've caused enough confusion among the royals. Don't be surprised if you start getting invites to places you've never heard of after this! I'll be seeing you again, soon.”

Jay was about to respond when he realized that he had been dismissed for the moment. The King turned and began to speak with the other attendees one at a time as the King made His way to the exit.