The First Archmage

(Gavin)

"Who's the kid?" A guard asks at the castle gates as two more take Gabriel's body away.

"A new Adventurer," Bryant answers. "He acquired Access as we were passing through his village, and he willingly came with us to pledge fealty to the crown. He took on the Scout Class."

"Very well," the guard dips his head to Bryant, then signals to the guards at the gate to let us through.

We pass through, and I look around, taking in every detail. The thick, stone walls, the wooden floors, the tapestries and statues and servants and guards…

All of it, and I commit it all to memory as well.

After almost ten minutes of walking, we enter a room where a group of men are standing around a table, discussing what sounds like battle plans.

"Majesty," the Adventurers clap their fists to their chests, all looking to the same man, who is, no doubt, the king.

He's not wearing his crown, though.

+1 PER!

Shut up!

"Does the child not know his place?" One of the other men in the room asks. "Show respect to the king!"

"Good luck with that," Interrupting Adventurer mutters under his breath.

"Considering I's don't know which one's the king," I look at him, keeping my expression bored, hiding my amusement. "I'd say is quite difficult. And judging by the attitude ya just issued to an Adventurer, I'd say if I accidentally saluted the wrong person, ya'd have made a comment as well."

Skill Gained!

Acting 8/10: You possess the ability to conceal your true emotions, and deceive others with your attitude.

Oh, I've got attitude, alright.

"Adventurer?" His attitude changes immediately.

"Ya, Adventurer," I restate. "I gained access ta the System while theys was passing through my village a couple o' days ago."

"Is that Gabriel's charm?" The king asks.

"Ya," I answer. "It is. I looted his body months ago, before I knew he's an Adventurer. Me an' my friends, that is. I took his charm and the book o' spells, though I din't actually bother ta learn any o' 'em. By looters' rights, they're mine, and ya can't take them from me."

"Actually," another man says. "That only applies to-"

"I believe," I look at him. "That ya'll want ta shut yer hole, mister. Who the hell are ya people, anyway?"

"They're the Council," Bryant tells me.

"Ah," I say. "The Council. That makes sense, them being in a room with the King by themselves, no guards about. Ya, the Council. Hrm. Well, I guess I can tell ya, though I'd intended on just the king, ya know how it is, with strangers and all."

"And you believe that, as a new Adventurer, you can simply request to speak with the King?" A Councilman asks. "You were brought here to swear fealty to the king, not to make requests."

Actually, I could just request an audience with the king, no others about, but we won't get into that little detail.

"I's not here ta swear fealty ta the king," I state.

"And I shouldn't have you arrested, why?" The king holds up a hand as the Adventurers move toward me, and they stop. "Your words were treason, there."

"I will swear fealty not to ya, Yer Majesty," I say. "But ta the kingdom. That is the greater force, ya see. I swear fealty ta the kingdom, then I swear to ensure its survival. So long as yer aligned with the interests of the kingdom, I'll serve ya as well. As a servant of the kingdom, it means I's to keep you in-line, should ya start ta stray. It means I's to let ya know when yer going wrong, and put ya back on the track to protecting the kingdom. Yer goal is to protect this kingdom and make it strong – that is in the better interests of the kingdom, and so, that's my job as well, as a servant o' the kingdom. Ta make sure the kingdom is protected, ta make sure its strong, and ta wipe out corruption within it. Our goals, for now, align. If you start ta destroy the kingdom with yer actions, then it'll be my place to make sure ya know it, and ya stop. That be why my fealty ta the kingdom is greater than any fealty to ya, Yer Majesty – I will protect ya, so long as ya protect the kingdom."

+1 CHA!

What part of 'shut up' did you not understand?

"And if I don't protect the kingdom?" The king asks.

"Well," I say. "That's treason, by yer own authority, Yer Majesty. I wouldn't kill ya, no, simply do what I can ta make sure ya stop and return ta someone who wants ta protect his land."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I kill ya," I answer. "But see – I'm protecting the same land that ya, currently, want to protect. If ya enter a mode where ya can't be returned to reason, then ya are no longer the person ya want to be, and ya can't see the reason. Ya'll have been influenced too heavily by evil, so's killing ya would, in fact, technically be me obeying yer will, even though I'm acting in the better interest of the kingdom."

+1 CHA!

"And why, exactly, should I trust you to protect my kingdom?" He asks. "As it stands, I see no reason to let you live, after your treasonous refusal to swear to me."

"Well," I say. "See, the reason you should accept my fealty to the realm you wish to protect, instead of ya directly, is because I's not like other Adventurers."

"No!" Bryant realizes what I'm about, and I step forward as he reaches to grab me, his hand missing my arm. "Gavin, no!"

+1 AGI!

"Because I's the first to ever have access ta a magician Class," I state. "And only a fool would kill such a valuable – and rare – being. 'Specially as I gain one to every stat each time it gains a Level, and have a boost to learning spells."

"Oh?" The king raises an eyebrow. "Normally, I'd laugh at your claim, but Bryant's reaction tells me he's seen this Class."

"On me screen, ya," I nod. "I act'shly had two Classes – having Wizard as an option grants two Classes to start, instead o' just one. Scout's the other. Bryant wanted me ta just say I had Scout, until I got Wizard up a bit more, but I's figures I can do my own thing, 'cause I's got Wizard, not Squire, and so technically, he ain't my superior. We's in two different sets of Classes. I mean, ya, he's got Scout, but I's got the Mythical Class o' Wizard. Mayhap it be better ta follow 'is advice and not 'veal it now, but ya know what? Who the fuck cares? I's a Wizard, and that means that, with training, I can be a powerful asset ta protecting the kingdom. And everyone knows any true magician would die 'fore they break a vow o' fealty, and I made a vow o' fealty to this land. In fact, aren't all magicians bound by oaths of fealty? See, Yer Majesty – this protects you, for if I swore fealty to you, then you told me to murder innocent villagers 'cause you thought they's a threat 'cause you blinded by evil, then I'd have to murder innocent villagers, and have that on me conscious. With a vow ta protect the kingdom, I'd defend those villagers against yer forces as I seek a way to make you realize yer wrong, while also try to end the evil blindin' yer eyes. Then once the darkness cleared, ya'd realize what you ordered, and feel glad ya had me on yer side. If I's ta swear to you, then if the darkness cleared, ya'd realize that ya forced me to do that, and be filled with regret and stuff, instead of glad. So it's better for both the kingdom and for ya for me to be sworn to the kingdom, and not ya. Especially 'cause I'm a Wizard, soz that if darkness orders ya ta order me ta do something bad, and the influence works, I don't have ta do it. I can just smack ya instead of and say 'snap out of it, Yer Majesty'. Does that all make sense?"

+1 CHA

NO ONE CARES!

"That does make sense," the king nods.

+1 CHA

If it grants me one more freaking Charisma… Imma freaking beat the shit out of something.

Like – why is it even going up in the first place? That's four times this conversation! Three after I worded my stuff exactly as I might have intended it, then again when the king accepted it! Pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work. Maybe if I tried that a lot and it worked a lot, but one time?

Hell no!

Acting is now Level 9!

Okay, that didn't surprise me. I'm concealing this anger and confusion and shit pretty well in a group that actually intimidates me pretty bad when I'm terrified I'm going to be killed for treason even though I'm being completely serious.

Especially when I'm being completely serious because it's going to cause the Council to screw up.

Now that I'm a Wizard, instead of just some Adventurer, they're going to fight for me to be working for them on the side. They'll rush, and they'll make mistakes.

And when they make mistakes…

The king will finally begin to have reason to start killing them off.

Or just imprisoning them, but I like the idea of killing them off. Not like they'd be killing people off, but more like with executions in a square for everyone to see that the king doesn't care your position, if you're a traitor, because then it's a former position, isn't it?

Yeah, it is, and that's why you're being executed, you betraying, back-stabbing, no-good jackasses. The wolves we had to chase away from our sheep and cows and chickens were better than you, you birdbrains.

Specifically, pigeons. I ain't even seen them before coming to this city, but I hear they're real stupid. They'll walk right up to you, if you're still enough, and then you can just grab it and kill it – and even though the others will fly off, they'll be right back walking up to you again, even though the corpse of their fallen comrades are right there!

I bet these men will do that.

Oh? You just killed one of us? Well, okay. Here, let us come back to you, even though we do the same thing that idiot did that got him killed.

Oh? You just killed another of us? Okay. Here, we're coming back.

Then you've got a big ol' pile of pigeon carcasses, and can make a feast. Though I doubt we'd eat them, since cannibalism is rightly outlawed, and I doubt the king would stoop to such a disgusting, vile thing.

"What are you thinking about right now?" The king asks me.

"Cannibalism."

"And I think we should find him somewhere to sleep for tonight," Bryant clamps a hand over my mouth from behind. "Before his mouth gets him into trouble, Your Majesty. Forgive him – he has a twisted sense of humor."

I lick his hand, and he quickly releases me.

"I'm more hungry than tired," I say. "And ya did say we should show the king Tristan's Grimoire, though since I'm a Wizard, I expect I'll be keepin' it, as it's gots spells and shit I can use to become an even more powerful asset."

"Tristan's Grimoire?" The king asks.

"Yes," Bryant says. "Gavin's charm caused me to forget. When he and his buddies looted Gabriel's corpse months ago, thinking it was just some wandering warrior who got himself killed in the woods, one of the looted items was a book. Gavin kept it for himself, along with Gabriel's ward, because of curiosity more than anything."

"And the fact that me mates ain't able ta read."

"The book," Bryant continues. "Is one of Tristain Lightblade's Grimoires. It seems that Gabriel managed to find it, before he passed. It is filled with spells of varying levels, and I do believe it would be beneficial for the young Wizard to have possession of it, for his training. While it would be useful in the hands of a magician, they wouldn't want to give it up to a boy, even if he's an Adventurer and better-capable, in the long run, of learning the more advanced magics within it. To allow him to keep it on him at all times would be a huge advantage for him, as he could learn new spells when he's able and ready."

"Very well," the king says. "Though I would like to examine it, tomorrow. For now, get some rest. I'm sure you're all hungry, after your trip, so I will arrange for the kitchens to send you food. Dismissed."