Chapter 168

Jay and his friends walked to breakfast along with the throngs of other adventurers who had much the same idea. The line to get inside of the dining hall was long and moved slowly. Eventually they made their way inside. The line continued to move slowly as the dining hall was filled to capacity that morning.

As Jay reached the front of the line he grabbed a tray and smiled at what was on offer. He took a plate of blueberry waffles and a side of hash browns. He grabbed a glass of cranberry juice and some cutlery wrapped in a napkin before he turned to look for a spot to sit. M'redith was right behind him and helped him look while Aiden heaped two plates of waffles on to his own tray behind them. Norri watched Aiden and just shook her head as she waited her turn.

All of the tables were full but they kept looking and were finally rewarded with someone who waved them over. Jay smiled and sighed at the same time as he waved back.

“Anyone mind sitting with Carly and Chen?” Jay asked as he realized who had been waving at them.

No one replied, they were too hungry, so Jay led them over to the pair. He dreaded the conversation that he assumed he was about to have. Carly would most likely be a bit upset over being left out over yesterday's ceremony – not something he had anything to do with. If the King had wanted Carly there then she would have been there. He had not.

“Hello Glimmerhides!” Carly said cheerfully and offered them all a seat at their table.

As Jay had earlier noted, the dining hall was packed. It must have taken some doing on Chen and Carly's part to keep four spots open at their table with everyone looking for a place to eat at. It seemed like they had been waiting just for Jay and his group.

Still, a spot was a spot and Jay and his group weren't about to pass it up. They were too hungry.

Chen nodded in greeting as he was still chewing but wiped at his face with his napkin and offered a closed lipped smile as he pointed to the empty seats.

M'redith sat down between Jay and Carly. “Long time no see,” she said with a slight smile.

Carly nodded. Everyone had sat down and had gone straight to eating with the exception of M'redith who was picking at her food as she watched Carly and Chenowith who both appeared to be working up their courage to ask probing questions.

“We heard you all had an exciting day yesterday.” Carly offered with a raised eyebrow.

Jay laughed through a mouthful of blueberry waffle. He chewed for a few seconds and swallowed. “It was eventful. I'm just glad everything worked out. It could have gone so many different ways.”

M'redith jumped in when Jay finished his sentence. “How have you been since we've gotten back?”

Carly grinned, “Pretty well. I almost missed breakfast yesterday from oversleeping. If Chen here hadn't pounded on my front door loudly for minutes straight I would have stayed in bed! Running dungeons is more exhausting than I had anticipated.”

Norri chuckled but continued eating. Aiden was shoveling food in to his mouth as fast as he could chew and looked as if he wasn't even hearing anyone else speak.

“So we heard you met the King? What, didn't want to bring Carly along?” Chen said as he motioned with his fork towards Carly as he spoke.

Jay shrugged, “We didn't have any say in pretty much anything, trust me. Where were you yesterday anyway?”

Carly sighed, “I was in class where you lot should have been as well. I'm not joking when I say I'm a little sore over being left out of the dungeon reopening.”

Jay nodded, “We're sorry about that, but again, not our doing. To be entirely honest I'm not sure who was in charge yesterday. Between the King, the Mayor, the bishops, Walter, and Brother Orin it was all just a bit confusing.”

Norri spoke up in between bites, “It was boring. We just sat there all day while we waited for things to break down so Jay could fix it. Although I did meet a druid!” Her mood brightened visibly towards the end of her sentence.

Carly raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Well, those are rare, and I mean no disrespect, but why the excitement over meeting one?” Norri had momentarily distracted her from the topic at hand.

“I'm a druid too! Or at least I'm going to be one. Hopefully,” Norri said as she returned to eating.

Carly shrugged, “Ok. It still would have been nice to get to talk with the King!”

M'redith smiled at Carly almost sadly, “We didn't meet the King really – Jay did. The rest of the group might as well not even have been there for all the attention we got, which is fine by me. I'm not looking for attention. Loot, yes. Attention, no.”

Carly went quiet for a bit after that as she pondered how enjoyable a day of sitting around and being ignored would have been for her. Not very, she finally decided. Perhaps things had worked out well after all.

She would have liked to go just for the political advantages she might have been able to squeeze out of the occasion. From what Norri described though it sounded like Jay and his group had been mostly excluded from the real gathering and instead had been relegated to monitoring the dungeon for problems.

“So there were problems?” Carly asked and M'redith raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

“Not really. The dungeon's runners had just outgrown the way the dungeon had been set up originally. It had been designed for the passage of a single group in a single day, no more.” Jay paused to chew some crispy salted hash browns before he continued.

Jay wiped at his face with his napkin, “There were just too many people going in and out of the portal, it was too much for a single room to handle. So I fixed it.”

“You fixed it?” Carly asked in wonder.

The story had gotten out as there had been quite a few people present when Jay had 'redesigned' the dungeon entrance setup.

Jay nodded, “I wasn't sure who was in charge of the ceremony but I can tell you who is now in charge of the dungeon – me. So yes. I fixed it.”

Chenowith grunted, “I thought all the talk of a new Patron was just silly gossip. So you're the new Patron huh? I've read about them but never thought I'd meet one.”

Jay nodded, “Yup, that's what the King said anyway.”

Chenowith shared a quick look with Carly before they broke eye contact and returned to the conversation.

“The King made you Patron? So are the stories true? Does being a Patron make you rich?” Carly asked with a crooked smile as if she were teasing him.

M'redith answered for him and did so simply. “Yes.”

Jay smiled and shrugged, “I think so. I still have to check in with my financial consultant but I think I qualify as rich now.”

“Can you mold the dungeon to your will like in the stories?” Chenowith asked.

Jay nodded, “I think so. I was able to mold the entrance in to what I wanted it to be. I don't see why the inside of the dungeon would be any different.”

Chenowith nodded and bit the corner of his lower lip. “Are you sure you should be telling us all of this? You seem pretty free with your information.”

It was M'redith's turn to shrug. “A king doesn't hide who he is, even a tiny one.”

Carly leaned in and scoffed, “Come on, a king, seriously? Are you really in charge of the dungeon? I'm guessing the Church might disagree.”

Jay nodded and tried a different approach. “Well, where do titles come from?”

Chenowith shrugged as he chewed and waited until he swallowed before speaking. “Titles are granted by the system. Some say the Goddess. Depends on the story you're reading.”

Jay smiled, “Ok. And what if you weren't reading a story but actually looking at a real title?”

Chenowith nodded, “I get it. Carly already showed me her titles. I'm guessing that the Goddess didn't grant them to her though. It was the system, right?”

Jay shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine but I would think that if you have a system given title then that would be the final word on things, wouldn't it?”

Chenowith shrugged, “What do you mean?”

Jay went in to his menus and turned on one of his newest titles. His status screen showed him a list of his titles. However, the newest title hadn't been appended to the end of his list of titles but had instead been inserted in to the list and had taken the second spot behind his first title, Prophet of Gaia.

Jay, Ruler of Kagan's Dome appeared over Jay's head for a brief moment, just long enough for Carly and Chenowith to see it before Jay toggled the title off again. Some of the people at nearby tables had caught the title light up over Jay's head but for only a moment before it disappeared once again. Those that had noticed it began to pay more attention to Jay and those at his table.

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“As far as I can tell, the dungeon is mine. I alone rule over it. The King himself granted me dominion over it after claiming the Goddess herself granted me dominion first. So you tell me Chen, who made me a tiny king? The system? The King? Or the Goddess?” Jay said with a playful smile.

Chenowith shook his head, “This conversation is straying dangerously close to religion. I've no problems with the Goddess and I'm not about to say anything that will cause me any.” He took a bite of his waffles and chewed as if that was all he had to say on the subject.

Carly had been mostly quiet and smiled. “That's good enough for me Tiny King,” she said in a teasing tone of voice.

Jay frowned and Aiden perked right up.

“I've been trying to get him to agree to Little King but I'll take Tiny King too!” Aiden said as he pointed a finger accusingly at Jay who was now shaking his head.

Chenowith laughed and looked over at Aiden. “So your friend is made a king and your first thought is to make fun of him?”

Jay nodded towards Aiden, “Hey! Chen makes a good point!”

Aiden shrugged, “If I didn't come up with a nickname for you someone else would. And already has,” he said as he pointed at Carly. “I do kind of like the way Tiny King sounds though...” he mumbled under his breath thoughtfully.

“JAY. ME JAY.” Jay insisted loudly.

“Can I call you TK for short? Yo, TK!” Norri called out playfully.

Jay groaned.

“Well you didn't miss much yesterday in class,” Carly offered. It seemed that Jay was a tiny king and she had decided that she was going to try and maintain their working relationship. Small talk was a part of that.

“They mostly just went over the plans for the graduation exercises.” Chen offered in between bites.

“Well, not really plans – they're supposed to be a surprise. It's our last exam before graduation.” Carly said as she reached back and put her hair in to a pony tail using a leather strap she had pulled out of her pocket. Once her hair was restrained she went back to eating.

“What kind of exam is it?” M'redith asked intensely. She hadn't even known there was an exam coming up.

“They bring us out in dungeon groups of five but not necessarily in to a dungeon. They watch how students handle themselves and see if they've learned what they've been taught.” Chen answered with a shrug.

“Right, but where? Where are we going and what are we supposed to fight?” M'redith pointed out.

Carly shrugged and pushed her plate away from her, she had finished eating, “No one knows. Like I said. It's a surprise.”

Jay rejoined the conversation. “Wait – so we're getting ready to graduate?”

Carly let out an exasperated sound. “Yes! There will be lectures and workshops available to us over the next few days. Attendance is not mandatory. They're also offering remedial classes for those who might still be struggling. Students get to pick and choose what they want to learn, even if they want to learn anything more that is.”

Chen pointed at M'redith, “Your group has already been running dungeons. I can't imagine that any of you would fail the final exam.”

“Will we get to take it together? As our adventuring group? Or will they break us up?” Norri asked worriedly.

Chen shrugged, “No idea. I don't even work here,” he pointed out.

Norri smiled faintly and nodded thoughtfully.

They had been talking for a while and it was getting close to class time.

Chen rose to his feet and picked up his tray, “We should get going. They're doing sign ups for some of the workshops this morning and space is limited. I don't want to miss out on anything. It was great talking with you though, and we'll see you in class.”

Carly rose to her feet as well. “Don't want to be late! I feel like T'lly is even more intense now that she knows I've been through a dungeon! See you there!”

The two nodded and smiled as they walked off to return their trays.

M'redith smiled at Jay as they left, “Well that went well.”

Jay looked down at her, “What exactly just went well?”

Aiden grunted in amusement but continued eating.

“Carly was feeling us out to see if we had purposely excluded her yesterday. She tried different approaches to see if your story would evolve or change. It didn't. She'll assume that we were being sincere. She was probably worried that you had cut her off after her difficulties with the balance challenge in the Landlocked Lighthouse.” M'redith explained as she began to finally eat her breakfast.

Jay nodded as he thought about it. M'redith always seemed to know exactly what other people were attempting to accomplish in conversations. Jay usually only noticed the surface details, the words they used, their facial expressions and he had come to rely on M'redith often to explain what was really going on.

“So – I'm sure I should already know this but I don't. I apologize in advance for not knowing this stuff. Why would she care what I thought?” Jay asked with both hands held out in front of him in frustration.

Aiden's head popped up for a moment before he returned to eating. “Tiny king,” he reminded Jay.

Jay thought that was ridiculous. “What? She cares what I think because I've been made a king? And yes, a tiny one at that. What do I possibly have to offer her?”

M'redith smiled, “She probably doesn't know yet. Part of playing politics is picking out the up and comers before they become powerful. Making friends with someone before they are powerful can pay big dividends down the road. And that is much easier than making friends with someone who is already powerful.”

“So she's just preparing for the future?” Jay asked in confusion.

M'redith nodded happily, “That's it, you get it! And you should be doing the same!”

Jay shook his head, “I don't want to play politics,” he insisted.

Aiden laughed and popped his head up again, “Tiny king!” he reminded Jay once again.

“Kings, even tiny ones, don't always get to pick and choose when they play politics. Being a king is politics! Don't worry, I'll be here to help you as you grow in to it,” M'redith said with a warm smile.

“What about Chenowith? What did he want?” Norri asked M'redith. Having M'redith around was almost like having a mind reader in the group. She could usually tell a lot more about people than Jay and his friends could.

M'redith sighed, “He was looking to see how Jay would handle being second guessed. He wanted to see how Jay would respond to having his new position questioned. Jay handled it mostly well.”

“Wait. Mostly?” Jay asked in confusion.

“Don't worry, you'll get better!” M'redith said brightly.

“So I did ok?” Jay asked with a smile.

M'redith laughed, “You have a tendency to talk too much and you often trust people you've only just met or even worse, barely know – awful habits to have in politics. You need to learn how to say as little as possible – you don't owe anyone explanations. Let the other person do most of the talking.”

Jay nodded, “Ok.”

M'redith grinned, “See? Just like that! That was perfect!”

Jay laughed and the others joined in.

“I'll work on it.” Jay said with a grin. Things were going pretty well and Jay was in a great mood.

“You gave Chenowith a lot more than you gave Carly. You just don't know enough to know what you should hold back and what you should talk about. That's not your fault, but it is something you need to work on. Plenty of people saw the King make you a tiny king, but you didn't have to verify it yourself.”

Jay looked confused, “Why bother keeping it a mystery if there are stories already out about what happened?”

M'redith shook her head, “That's just it – there are stories, multiple stories, none of which match up. You just told Chenowith which story was the correct one. Remember, he wasn't there, he didn't see it, and all he had to go on were the many stories going around. Now he has facts, which you gave him.”

Jay's mood soured. “Am I in trouble?”

Norri laughed, “Yup. You're grounded!”

Jay smiled slightly but was still a bit worried.

M'redith shrugged, “I doubt it – it wasn't a big deal really. I'm just using those examples to help point out where you could use some...improvement? That's the word.”

Jay nodded dumbly. He seemed to hemorrhage information any time he carried on a conversation. That had been fine when it had just been him and Aiden, then M'redith, and then Norri. No, even with them he had started off a bit too trusting. They could have easily taken advantage of Jay. The fact that they had not was a major point in their favor.

Now he had been introduced to a mayor and a King. Others would begin to pay more attention to him and he would need to make some changes if he were to continue living in Eden.

Jay realized that he had been acting a bit immature when it came to his relationships with other people. He was just open and outgoing and a little too easy to forgive. He was not a good fit for politics. He had no choice now though. Jay wondered if a tiny king could still abdicate his tiny throne.

Then Jay wondered if he was expected to fashion a throne. Where would he put it? In the dungeon, obviously. Would a wooden throne suffice? How about just a comfortable chair?

“Hey! You! Where'd you go? Come back!” M'redith said as she poked Jay in the side which his armor mostly absorbed.

Jay came out of his thoughts and saw a scowling M'redith, “Sorry, I got distracted.”

M'redith sighed, “Add that to the list too I guess. It's a good thing I like you,” she said with a smile. “Come on, time for class!” she said as she gathered up everyone's trays and brought them up to the counter.

Aiden was sitting with a hand on his belly which he rubbed lightly. “Erg.” he said as he breathed out.

Jay helped him up and Norri stood as well. M'redith returned empty handed and led the group out of the dining hall.

Time for class!