The Capital of Ardene
Year 820 | Month 7 | Day 8
Archibald de Luna holds himself back from gritting his teeth as he looks out the window of his royal carriage at the sides of the sandstone street. Where he can see slaves working away making repairs to damaged sandstone buildings despite the harsh sunlight baring down upon their heads.
One of the reasons Archibald has always avoided going to Ardene and has purposefully made it so his children have never had to go to the nation was this very thing. Because of the slavery that is perfectly legal and even expected in Ardene, unlike the other two continents.
It’s to the degree that people could be enslaved for ridiculous reasons in Ardene, and the king of Ardene is perfectly happy with the system.
Archibald just finds it disgusting. But he can’t express that here. He can’t let it show.
Because if he did let it show then it would be a political incident between the nations. And right now they can’t have that happening.
Not when they’re at war.
And not when Archibald is already full of worry over Cassandra, who has been gone for two months now.
He closes the window’s curtain so as to put the outside out of his mind for the moment.
If it were up to him he wouldn’t have come here. Even during the war with the otherworlders.
But now the only place with any hostile otherworlders still on it here is on Ardene. With the otherworlders on Aulta beginning to work together with the Aultan king, and the otherworlders on Liathtria having been forced out of the world.
Archibald lets out an inaudible sigh before glancing at his status to see his progress on his Tier Breach Mission.
He’s been stuck for a little while now in Tier 3 without much progress whatsoever. All because of a single objective within the Tier Breach Mission that he just can’t clear no matter how hard he tries.
Because he can’t find one.
A corrupted dungeon of a Sin energy.
And if he can’t find one, he can’t clear it.
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At least I might be able to search Ardene for it while I’m here…
The carriage continues traveling through the capital until it comes to a halt and the door opens with several of Archibald’s knights on either side. And when he steps out of the carriage, he is immediately greeted by the sight of the King of Ardene leaving the large sandstone castle atop an even larger pyramid to come meet him in person.
Unlike when the Ardene King is at the gatherings, the man is currently wearing a very light-on-fabric outfit. With just some straps of cloth on the man’s torso and a very fancy and royal looking pair of shorts on his legs that cover down to his mid-thighs. Additionally, the king has a wide and twisted looking grin on his face as he climbs down the stairs with his gauntleted hands held out to each side. Meanwhile his greaves clack with every step he makes on the sandstone beneath him.
“Welcome, King Archibald, to my lovely abode!” King Slycaria exclaims with an array of soldiers walking down either side of the massive staircase leading up to the castle atop the pyramid. All of whom are wearing heavy armor that covers every inch of their skin with the sole exception of the officers in their midst.
“Greetings, King Slycaria,” Archibald manages to say without any of his distaste audible in his words.
“Please! Enjoy your stay in the palace!” King Slycaria says as he stops the moment he gets within ten steps of the bottom of the stairs. Then he claps his hands, making dozens of slaves walk out from the buildings located near the stairs. “And do make use of these as you please! Whatever you would like, my fellow king!”
Archibald barely holds himself back from gritting his teeth at the display in front of him. One he knows the Ardene King is putting on just to grind on Archibald’s nerves.
Despite his never having slipped up while in front of the Ardene nobility or royals, it isn’t exactly unknown to people how liathtrians feel about Ardene slavery.
And Archibald knows full well how sadistic the King of Ardene is.
His eyes glance at the soldiers that have come to a stop on the stairs. All of whom are proof to that sadism.
The social custom of the Kingdom of Ardene that mandates that commoners are not allowed to show any skin in public. And that even the nobles are required to cover up depending on how high their social status is.
Archibald didn’t come unprepared, however, as he quickly answers the Ardene King, “There’s no need, King Slycaria. I have brought my own attendants from Liathtria.”
His words make the Ardene King show a brief flash of disappointment before he snaps his fingers, making all of the slaves leave in an instant. Then he claps his hands one last time and says, “Very well. Then how about we go discuss the war front now?”
Archibald blinks at the shift in the man’s tone from sadistic and twisted to serious. Clearly noting how serious he is taking the otherworlders even if the man is usually unbearable in every way possible.
So Archibald grows serious as well as he answers, “Of course.”
There isn’t anything I can do about the slaves. Cass might be able to do something about them in the future with the pull she has on the Sacred Beasts and the Ancestor, but I can’t do anything. Not now or in the future.
His eyes narrow a little bit.
But I can deal with the otherworlders and stop this bastard here from using the slaves as human shields against them.
And with that thought in mind, the King of Liathtria follows after the King of Ardene in the direction of the palace. Where their first of what is no doubt to be many war councils will begin.