EP 3: Path to Kinghood
Miles southwest of the great Fire Kingdom, bordering a vast plain of fiends and danger, a group of mercenaries was making their way up a hillside towards a bush of woods surrounded by the wall of a mountain…
I felt hot. I was sweat-soaked and worn out. The sun of the moonsun bore its heat among my gents and me while my gents fought off a pair of blindinus upon arriving at the thicketed hill of a mountainside. During the days, fiend after fiend—lagardientes, titanomyrmas, blindinus, baphos, and meganeuras toyed with us. Never giving us a damn rest, and when night came, shadows and skeletons refused to give us sleep.
I was riding upon Mare, my sturdy black horse bred by the finest horse breeders the Earth Kingdom had to offer, when the ground began to tremble—meganeuras again!? I circled to face the direction of the vibration coming from over the bend and down the slope.
GRUNGIR
Get the wagons moving!
I ordered my gents.
The worst horses the Earth Kingdom had to offer were pulling on our wagons of supplies. These pitiful creatures, with their heads down and eyes barely open, were cheap, and I had no choice but to buy them.
GRUNGIR
Kratos!
I called out for him—my right-hand gent, a purple-skinned gent armed with two axes at his sides and dressed in loose green clothing and a black cloak, rode up to my side.
KRATOS
Yes, Captain?
His yellow eyes peered through his sweaty strands of yellow hair.
GRUNGIR
Watch over the wagons! Don't let any harm come to them!
I took off towards the back to rally my one hundred and seven gents—young, healthy boys and gents they were. Fit for mining and working out tunnels. I started with one hundred twenty at the beginning of this journey, and losing about twenty—most of which were grown gents—was a great outcome. I required the boys; they will eventually grow up loyal under my command.
GRUNGIR
Fire arrows at the ready!
I took notice of five additional gents, all Mages, who had hoods covering their heads in green and brown cloaks.
GRUNGIR
Don't wanna help?
One of them watched me from under his hood with his pupils of white and black resembling chaotic lightning.
MAGE GENT
How is the breeze up there on ya horse?
His deep voice rattled.
MAGE GENT
We were commissioned for a specific task, and that task is all we will do.
They slowly moved onward toward the woods.
MAGE GENT
Never once seen ya off that horse.
He added, and I scowled at the back of his head as the trembling grew—
YOUNG GENT
Giafullo!
I spun back around, the young gents sprinting away from the slope from something that could be mistaken for a gigantic horned green cloud; a giafullo. As it stormed the slope, the enormous abominable fiend of a buffalo was all by itself.
GRUNGIR
What!? Why is this thing attacking us?
I turned back to the Mages, who were already turning back toward me,
MAGE GENT
Strange, I agree. Since it also poses a threat to us…
They materialized their staves and prepared for battle.
GRUNGIR
Get back in formation!
I shouted at my fleeing gents.
KRATOS
Captain!
He called out, and I snapped my head back at him in annoyance.
KRATOS
We're counting on you!
Wh—What was he on about? He eyed me sternly, and I had a clue.
MAGE GENT
Ya going to have to stop the thing. Earth magic is a bit slow.
I turned and galloped before my rear gents.
GRUNGIR
Pull back!
I shouted to my rear guards.
GRUNGIR
Help the wagons through the woods!
REAR GUARD
Are you about to face that beast, Captain?
A rear guard asked. I nodded and faced the slope.
GRUNGIR
I have to.
REAR GUARD
Please allow us to watch.
I dismounted and materialized my Iron Warhammer +2 with a wide grin.
GRUNGIR
Absolutely. Allow me to show ya how it's done.
The ground shook at each decisive step of the giafullo, and I wondered if I could actually stop this beast.
MAGE GENT
Any time now would be great.
It was meters away, and I didn't have any ranged abilities. Fucking hell, I charged the beast in a mad dash, jumped into the air—
GRUNGIR
Calamity!
—and slammed my war hammer into the ground. A wave of destruction caused the giafullo to sink into the ground before the ground erupted with lava. Tch—the lava explosion did nothing to the damned thing, but I stopped it.
It roared out in anger, its three pairs of eyes down, its narrow head flared with green mana energy, and before I could retreat, vines whipped from underneath its green fur and grabbed hold of me.
GRUNGIR
Any time now!
I grimaced under the fierce grip that wanted to pull me into the beast's unhinged mouth of sharp teeth. A gigantic slab of Earth in the shape of a sword came from behind me, inches above my head, and pierced into the giafullo with such force that it ripped through it and into the ground behind it. I was set free and fell to the floor covered in the giafullo's blood. I wiped my face and stomped up the slope towards the Mage gents.
GRUNGIR
Earth is a bit slow, my ass.
I growled at them. My rear guards were cheering as the Mage Gent uttered,
MAGE GENT
You're welcome.
At the edge of the woods, I ascended onto my horse and joined the rest of the party.
Kratos approached me as I arrived,
KRATOS
We have wudos.
He pointed his yellowish hands at a creepy visible wudo, staring back at us. I grunted in response and eyed the Mage gents walking past me,
GRUNGIR
Is that in ya contract?
MAGE GENT
It certainly is.
I exhaled heavily, struggling to clean off the remaining blood with a handkerchief from my horse's satchel. I turned around to face the ominous wudo. A full-grown tree the size of a child, its branches were its arms, it had hollow slits for eyes and a carved smile in its extremely smooth trunk. Wudos stuck out like a burning tree in a forest but were harmless fiends... Until night came. When their prey wasn't looking, they would silently and quickly crawl after them, and if they got close enough, they would quickly swallow their prey whole.
Since we were camping nearby, it would be wise to burn them. Another creepy thing about those fiends was that they were as hard as stone but burned like wood. So, the Mage gents formed earthly shells around them so the fire wouldn't spread.
GRUNGIR
Get back on watch, you lot.
I ordered the rear gents to form a perimeter at our rear. It wouldn't surprise me if a griffin came down and had its way with us.
GRUNGIR
What the hell was that?
I growled at Kratos.
KRATOS
Hmm? What was what?
GRUNGIR
Don't play dumb with me; We're counting on you, Captain.
He pursed his lips and looked away.
KRATOS
I just had faith in you.
GRUNGIR
Stop playing around!
He snapped his head back towards me and nodded toward the cliff's edge. We moved away from the group before continuing.
KRATOS
Stop acting like you're already king.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
He mumbled.
KRATOS
Return to the mercenary mindset.
GRUNGIR
My gents can't always count on me keeping them safe.
KRATOS
But isn't that what a king does?
I cocked my head,
GRUNGIR
Stop acting like you're already king. So...
Kratos looked at me dumbfoundedly and sighed.
KRATOS
You know what I mean. Grungir, we are not as strong as you. You established a goal of twenty years, not five days.
I looked out into the distance.
GRUNGIR
I understand. Play it nice and loving.
KRATOS
Be nice and loving.
I shivered in disgust,
GRUNGIR
Sounds gay.
Kratos laughed,
KRATOS
The Gay King. What a name would that be.
GRUNGIR
Stop it.
I took a deep breath.
GRUNGIR
The number of fiends in this area...
I shook my head.
KRATOS
Welcome to the wilds.
GRUNGIR
It's insane...
Kratos followed my gaze toward the creatures roaming through the plains. Killing each other and feasting on corpses were various fiends and animals.
KRATOS
Eat or be eaten life out here.
GRUNGIR
Tch—an understatement.
I circled my horse back and waited in the middle of the group to wait out the clearing of the woods.
My mind wandered, and I recalled a few months ago when I stood before Murphy Ververnot, the richest gent of the Earth Kingdom. He never eyed me once— his head down—keeping his gelled-back blond hair pointed at me. He sat behind a carved marble desk designed with golden puries along its edges, his right hand scribbling nonstop in a ledger.
His office exuded affluence, and at his sides were lovely young women serving him in revealing silk gowns. One stood before a marble pedestal that held only a glass pitcher of water upon a Purifying Plate; the other held an elegant golden Scryer with a gold and silver handle at her chest.
MURPHY
This is not a rite of passage, Grungir.
He mumbled as another beautiful female servant rushed in, took the ledger, and plopped another one before rushing out. From the corner of my eyes, moving pictures of well-known warriors hung on either side of his office—I swore this bastard had moving frames of Reh Bekah of Sante June and Joshua the Golden Tyrant. Legendary paintings that must be worth several goddamned castles.
Six heavily armored knights glared at me from the slits of their full helms, three to my left and three to my right. I dared not to look straight at them. Their heads faced ahead, but I could feel their glare upon my skin. Their gold and black armor were enchanted with various Health Affinities, and their broad swords were held upside down and gripped with both hands.
MURPHY
Not that I care, but you might die out there—
He stopped writing for a second and shook his head,
MURPHY
Oh, what am I saying? I do care—I do care that I might lose a bit of money.
A bit? The bastard was lending me five hundred thousand puries, and he called it a bit? The Scryer spark to life, and the female servant spun it and held it up to her face,
SERVANT
Master Murphy's study.
She sang with a smile.
ORALATH'S VOICE
Pardon my intrusion, Oralath here.
MURPHY
One moment Oralath. Do you understand this, Grungir?
GRUNGIR
I do.
MURPHY
This is a special project—not even the Adventurer Guild Master Sarumonin and his adventurers wanted to take part in it… probably because he couldn't afford it... and probably some of them would die... and probably because they're nothing but cowards...
He was ranting. He was mad about something.
MURPHY
Anyhow,
He exhaled but paused when a new female servant barged in and tried to grab the ledger. Murphy hurriedly put his slick black pen in his left hand and slapped his right palm on the book. She jumped back and bowed slightly in confusion.
MURPHY
Mess this one up, and I will have you sold into slavery.
He stated bluntly without looking at her.
MURPHY
But anyhow,
He allowed her to take the ledger before continuing, still writing with his left hand.
MURPHY
You are a well-known mercenary, gathered the gents on your own—so to hell with Sarumonin and his adventurers—and now, you only need the puries.
Unfortunately, not many gents like you are in this harsh environment, so I will provide the means.
I remembered how relieved I was to hear those last few words.
KRATOS
Are ya not hot in that armor?
Kratos' voice broke me out of the trance, and I blinked at him and figured he was referring to my refusal to take off my set of Iron +2 armor. I shrugged,
GRUNGIR
Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger. Have the gents move faster and get the camp ready,
I changed the subject.
GRUNGIR
Now that we have arrived, we have only two days before those five Mages return to the Earth Kingdom.
*****
Two hours later, the moonsun was dimming, and the camp was set up in a clearing along the mountainside. How perfect it was how the mountainside curved around the spacing and joined with the woods. We haven't run into any fiends of late, and I sat in the entrance of a wagon within the heart of the camp, nurturing a tankard of white-orange beer. Kratos was leaning against the wagon near me as we watched the Mages form a passage into the belly of the mountain.
GRUNGIR
Aren't you excited, Kratos?
He shrugged.
GRUNGIR
What kind of attitude is that?
KRATOS
I would be thrilled if all goes to plan. I am worried that you're crossing the wealthiest and most powerful gent in the Earth Kingdom.
GRUNGIR
Keep your voice down.
He shrugged and looked off towards the Mages working. I took a gulp from my tankard,
GRUNGIR
Oh yea,
I exhaled,
GRUNGIR
This is the good stuff.
KRATOS
We don't have a lot.
I let out a belch,
GRUNGIR
More than enough for me and you.
KRATOS
Give some to the gents.
GRUNGIR
What?
I responded in disgust,
GRUNGIR
This is white-orange beer, a delicacy.
But he smiled back,
KRATOS
All the more reason to. Boost up their morale, c'mon now. One trait to have is to be loving—.
GRUNGIR
—and gay. I get it.
I stared, watching my gents lounge around campfires, sitting before their tents, and figured Kratos was right. It was also time to give a speech, but as my balanced wobbled slightly when I tried to stand—
KRATOS
Okay there, Captain?
He caught me fail.
GRUNGIR
No, a bit drunk now.
*****
Night was upon us, and the wind was cold. I exited my wagon and was greeted with the singing and laughter of my gents. Kratos was eyeing me,
KRATOS
Good sight, isn't it?
I reluctantly nodded at him, and he joined me as I marched to the head of the camp with my back to the tunnel that led into the mountain. I watched my gents cheer me in their drunken stupor. No more white-orange beer, but it was a price to pay. These bastards better work harder than they ever did tomorrow.
GRUNGIR
Gents!
They roared in response.
GRUNGIR
As you all know, you left homes to follow me in our search for wealth and power!
They cheered again.
GRUNGIR
You all held fast to the secret. Spread the word without alarming the royal bastards! You all left home to become the new legends of the new Iron Kingdom!
I paused for them to cheer.
GRUNGIR
And that is what I am going to give you. Here behind me, we have discovered a growth of iron puries. Here behind me is where you, young boys not of age yet, will learn how to become gents. Learn the ways of the sword—
I materialized my Iron Warhammer +2 and slammed the head into the ground.
GRUNGIR
—or the ways of the hammer! Here behind me, we say, damn the queen!
They roared and shouted insults toward the queen, and I pounced on their hatred,
GRUNGIR
We are gents! Not to be ruled by some cow! By some baby pusher! It is here we regain control!
I paused to enjoy the bliss of them chanting my name.
GRUNGIR
But understand we are not rebels. We are not exiles. And we are not traitors. We are people who do not want a queen to ruin the incredible power of the Earth Kingdom. Even the Kingdom of Fire, the one that has cut the hide of a dragon, bows down in the face of our past Earth Kings. That is why they fought for the queen. Because the Old Kings were strong gents, and strong gents, do not bow down to weak cows!
I paused for their cheers.
GRUNGIR
So, here behind me is not just a cave filled with riches, power, and status—Here behind me is a path to Kinghood!
They roared, spilling their costly white-orange beer and thrusting their swords, javelins, and maces into the air. I smiled— now work, you bastards.