Chapter 6: Growing Pains
Current Population: 19,571
Original Inhabitants: 143
Immigrants: 19,412
Ogres: 979
Orcs: 1220
Aquan: 1881
Eagin: 675
Grimlings: 14657
Gods: 4
Dungeons: 12
Congratulations!!! You’ve hit a milestone: 10,000 citizens.
Roads Unlocked!
I was so excited to hit a milestone that I ignored the fact that my kingdom consisted mostly of grimlings. The message popped up the instant I returned to Albion, but I had no clue what to do with it. I knew I should be able to make roads using kingdom mana, but nothing accompanied the message telling me how to actually do so.
“Does anyone know how to make roads work?” I asked, looking at the rings on my fingers.
This time, Sir Percival appeared. “Kingdom perks are coordinated through the underground capital, Albion Castle.”
I’d nearly forgotten there was a whole city down there buried underground. It wasn’t clear why there were two castles. The good news was one of the entrances was conveniently close to the lava fields. All I had to do was make my way to a stairwell hidden in the back of the magma chamber.
Bori and I excused ourselves from the rest of the procession, leaving even Lilith behind to situate herself in the new home of the Grimlings. The eaglin and the aquans were nowhere to be seen. I figured I’d check in on them later to see where they decided to settle.
“This is amazing, Daddy,” Bori squealed when she saw the underground city for the first time. “Can I make this my dungeon?”
“I don’t know,” I hesitated.
While I hadn’t decided what to do with it, the city was far too massive for just Bori to live in. I wanted to use it as my capital city, but only after establishing the rest of the kingdom. We walked through the silent streets toward the capital, stopping from time to time to explore the many vacant buildings.
“Why don’t you let everyone live here?” Bori asked. “I don’t see why they should all have to make houses when we have these already built.”
As usual, my kid was wiser than me. I’d been saving it for, I don’t know what.
“You’re right, hun,” I ruffled her hair, causing her to pull away from me. “I’ll talk to everyone about it when we get back to Camelot.”
Arthur made an appearance as we approached Albion Castle. “I had a feeling you’d show up.”
“Let’s make some roads,” I said excitedly.
He guided us through the castle to a duplicate of the round table room in Camelot Castle. Only this one had an opening in the middle.
Bori yawned. “I think I’m going to take a nap now, Daddy.”
She hugged me before her avatar vanished.
“Place Excalibur in front of you,” Arthur said, pointing to a sword-shaped indentation.
When I did as instructed, a shimmering hologram of Albion appeared in the opening. It was accurate and lifelike, complete with roiling sea that stopped at the inner edge of the table. Several areas glowed in different colors, each labeled in the key.
Camelot Castle
Orc Cavern
Ogre Camp
Eaglin Nest
Aquan Sea Caves
Grimling Domain
I didn’t have to figure out where they went anymore. It was all right there on the map. I noticed a shimmering button next to Excalibur. When I pressed it, the entire continent rose, and I was treated to a map of the underground, along with something else.
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“What is that?” I asked, pointing to a cave system spidering over the map and beyond.
Arthur smiled. “That is the Thief’s Corridor. It runs throughout Gaia. Albion is no different. You can travel from here to Celestea and Solitair to the north.”
“Does it go where Jericho went?” I wondered if he slipped past me in Dabia by going underground.
“Yes,” Arthur nodded. “The Thief’s Corridor extends even to Xanadu. There are rumors that it extends to the Puppetmaster’s castle itself.”
“Xanadu?” I asked.
He pointed in the direction to the west of Albion. “That is the name of the continent the Vestaras rule. Mardella currently lives in Solitair, but the Vestara family rules Xanadu.”
“Do you think we can sneak in and get Jericho out without this Puppetmaster noticing?” I asked.
“That all depends,” Arthur rubbed his ghostly chin. “If your friend is there against his will and wants to be rescued, there is a chance that may work. However, if he has sided with the dark ones, you will be walking straight into a trap.”
I took out the note Pi left for me.
I left to do what you cannot. You have all the tools you require to complete the trial. Meet back in Albion when everything is over.
Pi
What was it he was trying to accomplish? Did he intend to kill Mardella for me or conquer the entire world? And why had he kidnapped Nax and Zelle? The least he could have done was leave them for me to sort out.
“That…is an option,” I dragged out my response, leaving it vague for the moment. “Show me how to make roads.”
“That’s easy,” Arthur grinned. “Select the perk you wish to use.”
Roads Unlocked
I noticed the option was now highlighted. Once I selected it, the dirt roads glowed red, along with other paths that glowed yellow.
“Red marks the roads you’ve seen,” he explained. “Yellow are suggestions for where you might wish to place a road. Of course, you are free to put them wherever you like.”
“I’d like to place them everywhere!” I announced. “Is there a button for that, or do I have to select them all manually?”
Arthur chuckled. “If only it were that easy. You have maybe enough mana to make a road from the castle to the harbor at this point.”
“What?” I balked. “Doesn’t the kingdom have plenty of mana?”
“You do, and you don’t,” Arthur explained. “While Albion has accumulated a bit since you got here, the kingdom requires a lot to sustain itself.”
“I still can’t believe I only have enough for one road,” I groaned. What was the point of milestones if I couldn’t afford to use any of them?
Arthur patted me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It will go up quickly now that you’ve had an influx of new citizens. If you’re impatient, there’s always the other way.”
“The other way?” I asked.
“How did your friend put it?” Arthur asked with a smirk. “Screw your way to glory?”
“How much mana do I get from that?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Arthur admitted. “I only ever had relations with my wife, The Queen. As the king, you will get a bonus with any woman you bed.”
I sighed, going over the list of willing women I had on the island. First, there was Ceru. With the pregnancy, I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. She was also at the beach with the ogres. While I desperately wanted Isa, I knew there was no chance of that happening. My most likely bet was Pippa and Zelda. Even though they were willing, I always felt guilty sleeping with them. They spent a good portion of their adult lives in the brothel doing things I wasn’t sure they wanted to. They did pursue me, though. That gave me some solace.
There were two others. Aura was in Yew.
“Hey, Arthur,” he turned to look at me when I addressed him. “Do I have to be in Albion when I do the deed? Can I go to…say Yew? Will Albion get the mana?”
“Why would you…” Arthur’s eyes narrowed when he made the connection. “Wait a second. You’re going to see her, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
The other option was Cordelia, but I wasn’t sure where she was. Perhaps I could ask Primith to see if her sponsor knew where she was.
Arthur cleared his throat to get my attention. He still looked agitated. “Ahem, there is another way. I didn’t recommend it initially because it’s generally not a good idea. You can raise the tax.”
“Tax?” I asked. “I don’t need money, not that beastmen use human currency.”
Arthur laughed. “Not money. You levy a tax on mana. By default, every living thing in Albion donates ten percent of their life force to Albion. They hardly ever notice such a trivial amount. However, if you increase the tax, they will most likely feel it. Depending on the person, they may feel fatigued or ill.”
“I wouldn’t want to do that to anyone,” I balked at the idea.
He pointed at the road map in front of me. “I thought you had goals. Raising the tax to twenty percent greatly increases your mana gain. Bear in mind that a portion of that initial ten percent is spent on the upkeep of the nation. Every percent you raise it is pure gain.”
“I can’t put them through that,” I repeated. “Let me think about it. For now, let’s build that road to the harbor.”
I selected the red line between Camelot Castle and the harbor I’d sailed into.
Would you like to build a road? Y/N?
The Y/N made me smile despite myself. It was something I was used to seeing from Pi, and even though he might have turned to the dark side, I still missed him. The line turned green when I chose YES.
“Will you be staying here tonight?” Arthur asked when I closed the map. “A duplicate of your chamber in Camelot is prepared for you if…”
I shook my head, unsure how to tell him I didn’t want to sleep alone. “I think I’ll head back to Camelot.”
“Perhaps you’d like to take the shortcut then,” he offered, beckoning me toward a passage behind him.
“There’s a shortcut?” I gasped. “You made me walk when I was doing the trials.”
“That was before we accepted you as our king,” Arthur replied. “I am about to show you the passage of kings. It links the two castles. Only you or your blood can use it.”
I chuckled to myself, thinking he was about to show me the Thief’s Corridor. Instead, he opened a wardrobe and said, “Step inside.”
“Really?” I snickered. “You know C.S. Lewis probably has a copyright on this, right?”
“I’m afraid I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lewis,” Arthur replied. “Now, step inside so we can return to Camelot.”
He closed the door, and it was dark for only a moment before he opened it again. The room I emerged in was similar but different. It was the round table room in Camelot Castle. I’d returned. After bidding Arthur a good night, I hurried to Primith’s room, knocking on her door.
She answered, wearing a nightgown and looking quite grumpy. “Do you have any idea what time it is, because I don’t.”
I shrugged, realizing my only use for time was whether it was night or day. “Never mind that. I’m trying to find Cordelia.”
“Do you think I’m keeping her in my room?” Primith snorted, rolling her eyes. “You’re more than welcome to check…if you come back at a reasonable hour.
“Can you ask Michael to send her here?” I asked. “If she needs a boat, I’d be happy to send one and…”
“Actually, I haven’t been able to get ahold of Michael,” Primith said, her brows furrowing. “That’s never happened before.”
“Oh,” was all I could think to say.
“I’m going back to sleep,” Primith replied, slamming the door.
----------------------------------------
My room was empty when I returned. I plopped down on the bed and groaned. “I should have just slept in the underground castle. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.”
The child knight, Bors the Younger, appeared in front of me. “Shall I send The Perils to keep you warm tonight?”