The Last Experience Point

Chapter 141: Zach's First Press Conference

Although the high-tech city in Tomb of Fire was indisputably the number-one tourist attraction for humanity—driven largely by its lucrative Diamond Paradise—it was common knowledge that Slopes of Dal’Zarrah, the closest thing to humanity’s “capital,” was a not-so distant second. Hell, it might’ve already pulled into first due to the unprecedented boycott taking place as a direct result of what the Guild of Gentlemen had done to Ogre’s Axe with their nuclear weapon. Earlier today, Zach recalled learning on the news that the total number of confirmed deaths in Ogre’s Axe had now exceeded nine-hundred-fifty thousand, with rescue workers warning it was likely to hit a million by the end of next week as they continued their search for survivors.

The grisly images of burned, charred bodies being pulled out of the rubble by men and women wearing strange, protective suits was so jarring that it’d actually driven the dragon out of the news cycle, something Zach honestly thought they’d be talking about for months. But…putting aside such an inconceivable amount of pain and death, which he really did not want to dwell on right this second, the point was that Zach had wanted to visit Slopes of Dal’Zarrah since he was a little boy. And as he shook hands and took a picture with yet another of its well-dressed, upscale inhabitants, he found himself thoroughly impressed.

It definitely lives up to its reputation, he thought, now shaking the hand of a woman wearing an elegant, flowing, ruby-red dress. He then turned his head to exchange pleasantries with yet another member of this rapidly growing crowd.

“I watched you on the news during that awful ordeal with the wyvern,” said a haughtily dressed man wearing a morning coat and a large hat. “A fine young man, you are.” With the hand opposite to the one shaking Zach’s, he puffed on a cigar. “Thank the Gods we’ve moved beyond that bit of trouble.”

Zach smiled. “Glad to be of service.”

At the moment, he was standing beside Jimmy towards the southwest of the city in a large public park lined with flowers and statues depicting ancient human heroes from wars and events past. It served as something of a “backyard” to the impressively huge grand library he’d appeared inside with Jimmy after roping their way out of Trials of Nolak. Much like the grand library in Shores of Wrath, the head librarian, an old man with a dusty beard, did not appear surprised to see them appear. He’d barely reacted at all, to be honest. All he’d done was lift his head out of a book and ask them to avoid an overhanging shelf not far from where they’d emerged.

“Didn’t even know there was an exit in row 29,” he’d muttered, though it’d sounded like he was speaking mostly to himself. “Must be a niche dungeon.”

Zach had opened his mouth to say something in reply, but then he’d nearly doubled over from the pain in his ribs, which seemed to worsen the longer he tried to ignore it. Thus, having reached the point he could withstand it no longer, he’d called upon Bank and Storage, and with that, he’d retrieved two items: one of his red rejuvenation stones, and a Dungeon Escape Rope, which he handed to Jimmy to replace the one Jimmy had given him.

Sighing, Zach had extended his arm holding the red stone, which was flat in his palm. He’d then clamped his hand shut, squeezing it tightly. This caused the stone to simply shatter and vanish. Within seconds, he began to feel relief spread throughout his body. His injuries, though crippling, turned out to be minor enough that a single red was sufficient. His ribs and broken nose began to heal, and the aches and pains in his body followed soon after.

“Jimmy, now that we’re done with that,” he’d said, turning his head. “I think we should probably…uh…Jimmy?"

Jimmy had somehow slinked away and had moved half the distance across the private back room of the grand library; Zach was beginning to suspect one of these rooms resided in all of the grand libraries, and they all probably contained a number of exits or entryways to various different dungeons. Both this one and the one in Shores of Wrath also contained a desk right in the middle where the head librarian sat, and that was where he’d seen Jimmy. He’d appeared to be in the middle of a conversation with the man.

“Just across the street?” Zach had heard him ask of the head librarian.

“Yes. Or if you want something cheaper, they sell decent phones four blocks down on Dignity and 7th.”

“Thanks, old dude.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“H-hey!” Zach had shouted at him. “What the hell are you—”

“Shh,” the old librarian said with a scowl as Zach saw Jimmy hurriedly exiting the grand library.

He’s going to rat on me to Kal! I know it! Zach had thought.

Zach, hoping to catch up, had raced after Jimmy, following him across the street and into a store that sold cell phones, accessories, and subscription services. In the process, he’d accidentally knocked over a glass display case, which made a loud, startling crack as it smashed against the floor. He’d sworn aloud, knowing he’d be in even more trouble if anyone told Kalana about that. He’d also realized he hadn’t checked in with her for a while. And so, knowing he couldn’t actually stop Jimmy from buying a phone if he wanted one, Zach had exited the store in defeat—but only after trying to bribe the owner—and he’d then proceeded to call his girlfriend.

Jimmy, who’d finished his transaction faster than Zach had been expecting, seemed to then choose that specific moment to emerge from the store, and since he’d been distracted, Zach did not even hear him stealthily approach from behind.

Caught off guard, Jimmy successfully snatched the device out of Zach’s hands. Before Zach could stop him, he’d spilled their secret discovery to Kal like a total dick. What followed was something of an impromptu wrestling match that saw him and Jimmy rolling over the white-painted, unusually aesthetic sidewalk as they grappled for the phone. Since Zach could easily kill him by trying to overpower him, he had to deliberately use far less than his full strength, which meant it took him longer to get back the phone. But by this point, Jimmy had already gotten Kalana’s number off it and was busy texting away on his own, newly purchased device.

During all this, Zach’s hood had slipped off his head, revealing his face, and so rather than feel fear at seeing two people who were clearly greater than level 1 tussling around on the streets, Zach’s appearance did the opposite; immediately, he had begun drawing a crowd. But instead of feeling annoyed, Zach, for once, had decided to encourage, rather than discourage, this from escalating, as he’d realized it actually served his purpose. Since he didn’t know his way around this city, and since he still wasn’t sure how to get in contact with Mr. Oren, he’d reasoned that this would be as good a way as any of making his presence known and drawing him out.

And so, patting Jimmy on the shoulder and nodding across the way at a large, fancy park in what had to be the most stylish, uniquely decorative city he’d ever visited, the two of them made their way over there while a larger and larger number of people hurried after them across a very impressive, very classy city that Zach could easily see himself wanting to live in if given his pick.

Ruled by the Lords of Justice and situated as the northern-most region in North Bastia, Dal’Zarrah was known for having bitterly cold winters and moderately warm summers. Right now, the air temperature, though warm, was significantly cooler than the unbearable heat and humidity baking all of South Bastia and about three quarters of North Bastia. By night, it would become even more crisp, to the point many of the people going about their daily activities would likely begin to don sweaters or light jackets.

Framed by numerous large groupings of mountain ranges to the north and west, and home to one of only two naturally forming hot springs on the entire planet, Dal’Zarrah was a unique region steeped in history that Zach knew had once been the site of humanity’s last stand against an invading Orcish army thousands of years ago, resulting in the holiday known as “Perseverance Day,” which involved celebratory fireworks and large feasts. At least, that was what the history books said, and you know what? Zach really wanted to just leave it at that. Because, these days, any time he found out anything about history, it always turned out to be more nuanced and less simple than what he’d been taught in school.

The pictures don’t do this place justice, Zach thought as he’d walked with Jimmy to the park, flanked by the excited, eager crowd behind him.

One of the first things that caught Zach’s eyes was the sheer number of monuments to be found all over the place. Some took the form of tall statues on islands in the middle of busy intersections, others were found along the sidewalk, and some seemed to be the sole focus of entire streets. Along with statues, there were large pieces of stones with names engraved into them, as well as stone-carved murals depicting battle scenes from ancient history.

The city itself had very smooth sidewalks made of a soft type of stone that was almost perfectly white yet free of any visible scratches or stains. A green wastebasket was never more than a few steps away, ensuring people never had a reason to litter, and plaques containing various historical documents or artifacts with descriptions inscribed into them resided at the head and foot of every block. And this was the unexciting part of the city.

One thing Slopes of Dal’Zarrah did not have was the typical jungle of tall buildings and skyscrapers. In this regard, it had a bit in common with Shores of Wrath and, to a lesser extent, Shadowfall Coast. What it did have, though, were unusual but magnificent structures the closer towards the center that one ventured, and Zach couldn’t wait to see them for himself. Apparently, the nearer one was to the center of the city, where the UCH—United Council of Humanity—assembled, the more the city transitioned into the political center of humanity. This meant even larger, more elaborate monuments, some of the most elegant cathedrals dedicated to the Gods, coliseums where the best of musicians performed, and of course, at the very center of the city, the UCH itself, which was a gigantic amphitheater where all the political guild members with any kind of status could gather to see if they could agree on something.

Now, as he continued to shake hands, take photos, and exchange words with the citizens of this city, he did so intentionally and willingly. At the worst, he might annoy Mr. Oren a tiny bit. But he knew it’d also go a long way towards making Kalana happy, as he was technically going above and beyond what she’d constantly said he needed to do while in public. Right now, he was really, really knocking it out of the park—no pun intended. In fact, Zach was doing so well he was actually shocked by how good he was doing. He never knew he had it in him.

Laughing merrily, he was pointing at a woman who herself was currently pointing at him. “No way, miss,” he said, forcing another laugh. “You’re the young one. Not me.”

She blushed furiously. “I’m sixty four years old!”

He shook his head. “Impossible. You’re twenty five at the most.”

“Oh, you charming angel! The princess is the luckiest gal in the world. Such an impressive boy, you are!”

“I’m the lucky one, actually,” he said. “Almost as lucky as your husband,” he added, giving a firm handshake to the man, who stood next to her.

“Don’t flatter her too much,” he said. “It’ll go straight to her head.”

The woman gave him a playful slap. “Oh, you stop that, Willdrith.”

Zach made another laugh and continued to flatter her while numerous members of the crowd—and now even the first reporter working for one of the news organizations—filmed every bit of it.

“Sir Calador!” called one of them, his professional demeanor evident in his tone. “Sir Calador!”

So, today’s the day, he thought. He’d been hoping to draw out Mr. Oren before something like this happened. But he wasn’t entirely upset, either. Because he knew what he had to do. He’d known this day would come.

Zach looked over at the reporter. He recognized the man and recognized him well. He was the guy Zach watched every morning after waking up next to Kalana. He was actually Zach’s “favorite.” The irony of the fact that Zach even had a favorite was not lost on him, yet it was just sort of something that had happened gradually to the point where Zach no longer watched anything else in the morning.

“Oh, hello there,” Zach said to him, waving at the reporter. Before the reporter could say another word, Zach took the initiative and actually beckoned him to come closer. “You’re with Galterra Daily News, right? I recognize you from the early-morning show. Please, come on over.”

The reporter did not need to be told a second time. Actually, he didn’t even need to be told a first time, as he’d already been moving towards Zach the moment Zach met his eyes. Now, Zach watched as the professionally dressed man glided over to him with a camera operator a bit behind. Standing to Zach’s side, he raised his hand so that the microphone he carried was situated between them while they both faced the camera.

“Yes, that’s right, Kristil. I can confirm reports that Zachys Calador has in fact appeared here in Peace Park on Dignity Avenue in Slopes of Dal'Zarrah, and what’s more, I have the privilege to be standing with him right now. It’s good to see you, Sir Calador.”

“It’s good to see—and meet—you as well, Paxton,” he said.

“Ah, you know who I am?”

Zach nodded. “I’ve actually been waking up just before sunrise local time on my girlfriend’s island to watch your morning report. You’re one of my favorites, actually.”

The reporter gave a broad smile that looked so authentic that Zach could genuinely not tell if it was real or just for the cameras. “Woooow!” he exclaimed, drawing the word out. “You heard it here first, folks, Sir Calador is a fan of the program. And for those of you who missed it, by ‘girlfriend,’ Sir Calador is referring to the Elvish princess, Kalana Vayra. Does she watch our program too, Sir Calador?”

“Just Zach is fine, actually,” he insisted. “I prefer it to be honest.”

“Humble, too! I’m so honored to have you as one of our viewers, Zach.”

“You guys are like the only thing I even watch,” Zach admitted with a laugh, making sure he looked properly into the cameras so he didn’t come off like an unhinged maniac as he had the last time reporters had stuck a camera in his face. “I stopped watching anything that’s not on GDN.”

It wasn’t a lie, either. Zach really was a fan of the program, though it wasn’t something he’d chosen to be and he was even a little bitter regarding the circumstances around it. But it was something that truly did just kind of “happen,” and it was largely due to the weird dynamic at play between the various guilds and the media. In particular, for whatever reason, different networks were unequally positive and negative towards different guilds.

From the moment Zach had been wounded by Ziragoth up until around a week ago, any time he got mentioned on the news, it was usually positive: very much so, in fact. But something changed early last week. Seemingly out of nowhere, Zach became aware of the fact that about three quarters of the various news networks had begun getting really critical of him. At first, he’d told himself he wouldn’t let it get to him, but before long, he was starting to yell at Kalana’s screens whenever they said nasty bullshit about him or raised questions about his character.

Initially, Fylwen had taken him aside and explained to him that it wasn’t actually personal. She’d explained to him the dynamics at play and how this was to be expected. Even still, it pissed Zach off so much that he’d actually had to see Jascaila over it. And even that didn’t make it any better. He’d had to avoid watching certain networks entirely. And it was all because of the weird way that the news handled politics.

Basically, even though all the North Bastian guilds were coexisting fairly well—other than the Guild of Gentlemen, their common enemy—and despite the fact that, across the board, the media censored or covered up anything catastrophically damaging, it seemed like each guild had one or two networks that were clearly on their side yet opposed to all others—despite them all claiming to be fair. And these networks could be really, really harsh when discussing Zach or pretty much anyone whose “side” they weren’t on.

But, of course, there was also the flipside of things.

Paxton, as well as his entire network, GDN, was so obviously on the side of the Royal Roses that it was kind of funny that his network pretended to be anything otherwise. Therefore, due to nothing more than human nature, Zach had begun to slowly become a bigger and bigger fan even despite knowing it was all bullshit and all part of some stupid, but admittedly nonviolent kind of tug-of-war the guilds played with each other. And Zach, who used to believe himself above all this crap, could never in his life have imagined himself getting roped into the politics of a guild he didn’t actually belong to. Yet, day after day, for more than a week, he’d shout out obscenities as the other networks called him things like “reckless,” “immature,” and “irresponsible.” But not GDN! They only said positive things about him any time he was brought up. Him or any other member of the Royal Roses. Sometimes, they even said positive things about him when he clearly didn’t deserve it.

Fuck Domanik and GNT, Zach thought bitterly, trying to keep the sudden anger off his face. N-B-O-N too.

He forced himself to terminate the chain of thoughts before he risked it showing up in his demeanor. Instead, he focused on Paxton and the question being sent his way. “So, Zach, can you tell us why you’ve shown up here to Slopes of Dal’Zarrah? I believe this is your first official visit to the capital, correct? And also, what do you think of our humble city?”

As Zach listened to the question, he found himself nodding along. He was surprisingly not nervous. In fact, of all possible things, he was even prepared. One of the side effects of having watched so much news during his two-week vacation with Kalana was that he’d seen how other guild people spoke, and he was shockingly ready to play along. To his own disbelief, he knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and where to look whenever he spoke. Incredibly, it wasn’t even until right this very moment that he even realized he was so competent at this kind of thing. It was like he’d received a stealth education in media training without knowing he’d undergone it.

Fylwen also helped me a lot, he thought, recalling his mid-afternoon conversations with Kalana’s mother. Actually, I think I learned more from her than anyone else.

Zach made sure he kept his eyes pinned to the camera. He paused a moment to breathe, exhale, and then smile politely yet firmly. “Well, Paxton,” he began, “I’m here to meet with Lord Alex Oren of the Lords of Justice. He and I have a very good working relationship, and the Royal Roses values our partnership with our friends in the Lords of Justice. But, as you said, being that this is my first official visit, I just knew I had to stop by and greet some of the wonderful citizens of your city—which I find to be beautiful and charming, by the way.”

Zach knew he nailed it even as he was still speaking. The moment he finished, the crowd let out a cheer, Paxton smiled, and Zach waved at numerous citizens, who raised their hands and cheered back at him.

No way anyone gives me shit with an answer like that, he thought.

Even though this was a completely unplanned, unofficial visit, and even though his answer had been a partial lie, Zach had learned enough about how things worked to know that, as long as he handled himself properly, it would never be questioned by anyone, and the other guilds were more likely to just roll with it. So much of politics was performative. But that had been a lesson he’d learned during the dragon raid.

I nailed that fucking question, he thought, concealing a smirk. He knew he was being stupidly proud of himself, but how could he not be? He was seventeen years old, and he just nailed it like someone who’d been doing it for years. No one in “his” guild was going to be upset with that answer. Not even Mr. Oren was going to have a problem with it—he hoped.

****

“He’s good,” Dalin said, sitting beside Alex in the DEHV limousine that was currently making its way towards Dignity Avenue. Traffic was horrendous today. Typically, it wasn’t quite this busy during the early afternoon, but ever since the city had seen a predictable uptick in tourism thanks to outrage from the nuclear blast, the city had been forced to deactivate all hover lanes and relegate DEHVs to ground travel only.

Alex gently stroked his clean-shaven chin with his thumb and forefinger as he observed Zach on the screen built into the back of the DEHV’s leather seat in front of him. Though Zach had only answered a single question, the way he spoke and the words he’d used had come as a great—but welcome—shock to Alex, who mere seconds earlier, had been on the verge of a rare panic at the thought of what Zach might do or say just for the purpose of getting his attention.

That was a very good answer, Alex thought.

Truly, it was almost as though Zach understood that, reality aside, he was publicly perceived to be a very real and very significant member of the Royal Roses. More so, given how much his recent actions made it into the news, he really did have a moral responsibility to appear before the public sooner or later. Even still, he was speaking to a very friendly member of the press right now, and Alex was certainly afraid of what might happen when more confrontational reporters began showing up—which they almost certainly would now that the dam had burst. For Zach to finally enter the public sphere and only answer questions from a friendly network, it would be worse than him saying nothing at all.

Somehow, he always ends up putting me on edge.

Whether or not Zach understood this, by performing this little stunt, he now had a very real obligation to follow through with it, and Alex was not going to be able to just show up and save him. The best Alex could do was make a joint public appearance after he’d sufficiently taken questions. But this was assuming he did not lose his cool or say something politically disastrous. For the moment, however, Alex was impressed by what he saw, and to that end, if Zach was somehow able to continue on this way, he had absolutely no problem making a public appearance with him—especially after that astonishingly skillful and perfectly spoken reply he’d given regarding the Royal Roses’ cooperation with the Lords of Justice. How did he know how to say that? Who taught him such a thing? Surely, someone must have.

“You look surprised,” Dalin said.

“I am,” Alex admitted. “I don’t know how Zach knows how to…I’ve never seen him show any kind of aptitude for this. I almost don’t recognize this version of him.” Alex had more to say, but he quieted as the reporter addressed Zach then asked another question.

“Wow, so it’s your first time in Dal’Zarrah as the newest member of the Royal Roses, and you’ve already got an audience with the third-in-command of the Lords of Justice? Sounds like a big day for you. I don’t suppose you can give our wonderful viewers an exclusive scoop on the nature of your meeting?”

Alex held his breath. “Oh no. This could be bad.”

“Not at all,” Zach replied, smiling diplomatically. “As I’m sure you guys know, um, Mister—sorry, Lord Oren.” He paused, awkwardly, and now Alex winced, terrified of what might come next. The crowd seemed to feel the same way as well, because they fell silent, and so too did the reporter. Yet Zach surprised him once again.

“Whoah, sorry about that,” he said. “My apologies to Lord Oren. I’m sure just about everyone in the world has learned by now about Lord Oren’s humble upbringing. After all, he’s the first civilian in the history of the Lords of Justice to ever be given a leadership role. But what a lot of you guys don’t know is that he used to be my science teacher. So when I say ‘Mister Oren’—and hey, I’m only human, so there’s a good chance I might make that mistake again—please understand that it’s not me disrespecting the Lords of Justice or slighting his title. It’s a completely unintentional slip from a former student who knew him by a different name.”

“Wow, he’s so good,” Dalin said, patting Alex on the knee. “I had no idea he was your former student. Looks like you’re going to be back on the front page of every news site again. But wow. You never told me this. No wonder he’s so smart.”

“Yeah,” Alex whispered, so baffled and amazed he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “It’s the kind of thing I’d have eventually mentioned anyway. But I’m glad Zach was able to use it to alleviate any tension there.”

Alex watched intensely and closely as Zach, along with Paxton of GDN, made some light back and forth conversation regarding Alex’s former life. First, he began by expressing his amazement at learning this bit of trivia, and then he asked several questions about what Alex was like as a teacher. Zach, displaying a rare level of discipline, kept his answers positive, short, and any humor to be found within them was very light-hearted and family friendly.

Through some inexplicable means, Zach somehow knew where the line was when it came to what level of “joking” was socially permissible in public from a low-rank member of one guild to a high-ranking member of a different guild. In this case, Zach’s only humorous comments pertained to the cat-eye glasses Alex used to wear. This, of course, was absolutely within the realm of acceptable, media-friendly “playful teasing” that would not be considered disrespectful and would be well-received by both the Royal Roses as well as the Lords of Justice. Alex even laughed at Zach describing the glasses in detail.

“Everyone in class loved those glasses,” Zach said. “And yes, he really did keep them on while teaching.”

As his DEHV continued southeast towards the park, Alex began to feel somewhat more at ease—but he tensed up once again when the reporter returned to his original query.

“That’s incredible, Zach. And a true example of the Gods at work. But if I may return to something from earlier: you said you’d tell us the nature of your meeting.”

“Oh yeah. Of course, sorry. So uh, I’m actually here today on very serious business. We’re meeting to discuss human outreach towards the other Galterran races.”

A good answer, Alex thought. How does he handle the obvious follow-up, though? Anxiously, Alex leaned in towards the screen, studying the interaction between Zach and the reporter.

“Ahh, so the young and talented Zachys Calador has taken an interest in foreign politics, is that it?” Paxton asked him

Zach gave a firm, confident nod. “That’s right. As you yourself reported yesterday morning, some of my recent actions have alarmed world leaders. I want to discuss with Mr—ahh! There I go again!” Rather than chide him for his breach of decorum, the loyal—and tradition-upholding—crowd erupted with heartwarming laughter and applause, and so did the reporter. By this point, peacekeepers could be seen filing into the park, keeping a low profile and maintaining public order as the size and number of citizens grew.

“I want to discuss with Lord Oren ways in which I can ease their concerns and hopefully act more as an asset rather than an obstacle as your friends over at ‘GNT’ suggested last week I’ve become. What they reported about me is false. I want to put minds at ease, not worry people.”

There was just the tiniest trace of bitterness in Zach’s voice as he spoke, but it was so minor that only someone who knew him, like Alex, would likely be able to detect it. And though harsh, the criticism from GNT was actually true. Zach had caused numerous problems worldwide: problems that Alex had spent many hours smoothing over as humanity continued to try courting better relations with the rest of the world. But more to the point: Alex was simply amazed that Zach was even aware of what was being said about him. He’d never given any kind of indication before this that he watched the news or paid any attention to it. It was good that he had. That much was obviously clear. Though the media were far from honest and could often be manipulative and duplicitous, much of what they said did contain elements of truth or reflect real concerns of the people.

“To that end, Zach, what do you make of the demands for accountability from the numerous world leaders who have called for you to appear before a council and answer some of their questions and concerns? Although we here at GDN have obviously debunked many of the dishonest things said about you, there are still those who remain unconvinced of your good intentions.”

Zach replied immediately. “I realize some of the stuff I’ve done has spooked the world a bit, but I promise everyone watching this that I’ve never intentionally tried to scare anyone. I’m being more careful with how I use my abilities now. What happened the day before the dragon raid was not on purpose.”

And there it was. Alex knew this moment would come. How could it not? The thing Zach just said was going to prompt a follow-up question. And no matter how Zach answered that follow-up question, which the reporter had clearly coaxed out of him with deliberate intent, Alex knew it was going to immediately become the top story across social media and in every single news outlet.

The reporter, as though sensing he’d just landed the most important interview of his career, changed his tone to become even more soothing and friendly as he nodded along and asked the question that Alex suspected he’d been hoping to bring up from the moment this conversation began. Even as friendly a network as GDN might have been to the Royal Roses and its members, Alex knew that a tough but fair question like this was unavoidable. To not ask it would be to invite mayhem down on their entire network.

“I’m glad you just brough that up, Zach,” he said, cleverly concealing the way he himself had wrangled it out of him. “Because for weeks, people have been asking questions about what they saw and heard that day: what we all experienced during your raid preparations against the dragon. The explosions you caused could be heard worldwide. Windows in many cities were shattered. I myself got a little frightened. Can you finally tell us, for the first time, what all of that was, Zach? Why did that happen, and was it actually necessary?”

Alex almost couldn’t breathe as he watched this unfold. He prayed to the Gods despite no longer being sure he even believed in them. This was a question Zach needed to answer seriously and without any trace of defensiveness. To do otherwise would not just further enrage the rest of the world, but it could even cost him the support of humans, too. It would also imperil any chance they had at rejoining the global community—assuming they succeeded in dealing with the nuclear issue first. For now, Alex had to force oxygen to enter and exit his lungs as he waited for Zach’s reply.

“When that happened,” Zach began after a contemplative moment, “a lot of my fellow guild members were in danger of being killed. I’d just leveled up and unlocked a new ability, and I was really desperate at the time, and I didn’t know what it would do, so…regrettably, I used the ability without reading it first. But since then, I’ve made sure never to do that again.”

“To never do what again, Zach? Use that specific ability? Or use an ability without first being aware of what it does?”

“Both, actually,” Zach said. Then Alex’s jaw dropped as he delivered a response so perfect it made Alex wonder if the kid was being coached in real time with an earpiece. “Look,” he said, contrition in his voice. “I realize I scared a lot of people, but that was never my intention. And for those who I frightened, I want you to know that I apologize, and everything I did was to protect North Bastians and their families from a terrible threat. And to your other point, Paxton: if foreign world leaders want me to appear before them to answer their questions, I’m more than happy to do it. Everyone has to be held accountable for their actions, and I, like my unfairly imprisoned guild-leader, Vim Alazar, believe we live in a civilized world, and no one of any level or race has a right to exist free of law and justice or to threaten the lives of others.”

Alex lifted his hands out of sheer awe, unable to stop himself from giving a quick round of applause. He couldn’t believe Zach was the one who’d just said those words. It was mind blowing. Yet, even amid his satisfaction and pride in his former student, he did feel just a bit of unease, because no matter how much Zach had changed, Alex knew him well enough to know that Zach was only saying what he believed Alex—and others—wanted him to say.

To be clear, Alex was certain that Zach did mean what he was saying—but the sentiment, only. And that would end up being a problem Alex had to deal with later on. Because whether Zach realized it or not, by publicly committing to appear before a special delegation of world leaders, he was now required to do it. There was no backing out of this. In the strongest of terms, he was now required by law, by honor, and by decency to appear before a delegation comprised of multiple foreign races for the purpose of providing honest answers to their questions. This, he could not possibly know.

Zach being Zach, the boy likely believed he’d be able to just say those words, make such a commitment, and then get on with his life while hoping everyone forgot about it over time. But things didn’t work like that. Simply by making that commitment, Alex, as chief diplomat, would have to immediately begin reaching out and making preparations for him to appear. In fact, Haisel Ragora, the second-in-command of the Royal Roses was already calling him.

Alex lowered the volume a moment, as the interview became much softer and more playful now that the most serious question had been asked and answered. It would likely pick up in intensity once the reporter had concluded, as a full press corps had already stormed the park, and they would be far more adversarial and demanding than anyone from GDN.

“Senior-Lieutenant Ragora,” Alex said, addressing his colleague in the Royal Roses. “Funny you should call.”

“Are you watching, Lord Oren?”

“I am.”

“Did you teach him how to do that?” he asked, sounding just as shocked as Alex felt.

“No, but I take it your guild is pleased?”

“Pleased doesn’t even begin to describe it. Folks over here in Giant’s Fall were shitting themselves when they saw him on the screen, but now we’re all drinking and cheering him on. He’s doing so good. Gods, I wish Vim could see this.”

Alex knew that the sadness that crept into his voice towards the end there was not pretend. The members of the Royal Roses, particularly those born in Giant’s Fall, actually, truly loved Vim Alazar. He was, respective to the regions he controlled, the most beloved guild-leader in all of humanity. The people of Giant’s Fall and Spider’s Eye Oasis were engaged in round-the-clock unrest as a result of his capture. That he was reportedly going to be executed in public tomorrow morning…it was going to cause a breakdown in society in those two regions.

Right now, with Vim unable to lead, Haisel was acting as the current stand-in leader of the Royal Roses. Yet, despite this, Alex knew that Haisel would sacrifice himself if it meant bringing Vim back safely. This was not something that one could take for granted in guild politics. Given the chance to rise upwards in rank, there were many whose loyalty would fall off rather quickly.

As Alex did his best to offer reassurance to Senior-Lieutenant Ragora, he became inundated with messages and texts from his various colleagues. Anyone who had ever actually met Zach in person was reacting with delight, disbelief, and shock at his unannounced media appearance, which was already being labeled a “press conference.” In fact, the news chyron at the bottom on N-B-O-N was already reading:

LIVE FROM ZACHYS CALADOR’S FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE IN HUMAN CAPITAL: SIR CALADOR VOWS INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY

Alex tried to respond to as many people as he could, but eventually he had to end his conversation with Senior-Lieutenant Ragora and put down his phone as Zach finally concluded his conversation with the reporter from GDN. Shaking hands with the man, he seemed to partially turn away—and then came the hail of questions from the sea of reporters that Zach likely hadn’t even noticed assembling before him as he’d been so engrossed in his conversation with Paxton.

“Sir Calador! Sir Calador! Sir Calador!”

So many voices rang out at the same time that it was impossible to understand a single thing anyone said. It all came out as a jumble of words. “Where did when Ziragoth what why abilities responsible Lord Oren the dragon war Vim Alazar Sir Calador!”

Zach made a dismissive face, and a bolt of fear went straight through Alex’s heart. Zach, for as well as he’d done, did not seem to know. He did not seem to understand that he couldn’t simply just walk away now. It would reflect terribly on his guild and himself if he was said to have only been willing to deal with a friendly outlet. He could not possibly know or understand this. He was going to walk away, wasn’t he?

Alex gritted his teeth, took out his phone, and began to text. Although it was no longer possible for anyone without significant status to directly contact Alex, he could still reach out and initiate contact with others. And thank the Gods for that, because this was certainly the time for it.

*****

Zach rolled his eyes at the storm of reporters who tried every trick in the book to get his attention. He didn’t want to talk to any of those assholes. He recognized many of their faces, though he wished he didn’t. So many of them had taken shots at him last week out of nowhere. It was like someone had just decided one night that he was fair game. And he might’ve been, too. Even still, he hated it.

I kicked so much ass during that interview, he thought, pleased with himself. I bet even Mr. Oren is going to think I did good.

There’d been a few close calls there as the questions got tougher, but he trusted Paxton, having seen the guy defend him every time they said bad things about him the news. He hoped the interview he’d given served to quiet a whole lot of that. Even Jimmy looked impressed, and Jimmy probably had no idea of half of what they were talking about.

There’s no way I’m actually going to some weird world leader bullshit, though, he thought, concealing a laugh. Zach had totally bullshitted about that. Most likely, with everything that tended to go on in the world these days, people would forget it in a week or two. All that would be left would be the memory that he’d done a good interview.

At any rate, all that should’ve been more than enough to get Mr. Oren’s attention. As Zach half-turned around to see if his former teacher had shown up, he realized the crowd had grown fantastically huge. Finding him now would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Maybe he tried to contact me, he thought.

Glancing down at his phone, he saw that Mr. Oren had, indeed, sent him a few messages: no, not a few. Many. Like more than ten. And they all said the exact same thing.

YOU HAVE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

APOLOGIZE AND TAKE QUESTIONS

YOU HAVE TO!!!

ESPECIALLY THE ONES YOU HATE THE MOST. PICK THEM FIRST!!

YOU HAVE TO DO THIS ZACH!

Zach almost frowned, but he stopped, knowing cameras were still on him. There was nothing ambiguous or uncertain about what Mr. Oren’s texts implied. Even still, it meant he’d seen Zach’s interview and thus he’d succeeded at getting the man’s attention. Outside of that, though, he wondered why he had to talk to all these other people. Especially after he’d done such a good job with Paxton.

He wouldn’t be texting me like this if it wasn’t really important, Zach thought, breathing out a sigh. Deciding to reluctantly oblige Mr. Oren, he turned back around once more and faced the swarm of reporters that had assembled before him.

“I apologize for that,” he said. “I received an important message. I’d be happy to take a few questions.”

Once more the voices roared at him collectively, and Zach became puzzled. How was he supposed to answer them when he couldn’t even understand what they said to him? This reminded him of those press conferences, where high-ranking members of a guild would—

Oh, right! This is just like that, he realized.

He raised his right hand with his pointer finger lifted. The moment he did so, the reporters all fell quiet. Picking at random, he selected a red-headed demon-woman who he vividly remembered saying some really bullshit things about him back when he still watched GNT.

“Veskora, with GNT,” he said, remembering the way and manner in which he’d seen guild-leaders “call on” members of the press.

“Thank you, Sir Calador,” she said with incredible politeness. For a moment, Zach thought maybe she was going to be nice to him, as her tone really was friendly and pleasant. But then came the question. “You told Paxton of GDN that you believe in facing accountability. But your actions are not limited just to that one specific incident with the dragon. Just two weeks ago, you and Princess Kalana Vayra sparked a worldwide panic by triggering some kind of quest event, which not only caused global travel delays, but even led to economic disruption for the Whispery Woods region. So, when you tell us that this is all about you ‘not reading your abilities carefully,’ how can we feel comforted when your actions clearly extend beyond what you convey as one single mistake? How can humanity feel reassured when you seem to display a pattern of poor decision-making?”

****

“Uh oh,” Kalana said. “He’s mad. I can tell.”

Once again, things had ground to halt, and this time, it was Zach’s fault. From the moment an adventurer had run over and shouted out that Zach was holding a press conference—something nobody saw coming—everyone had basically glued themselves to their phones to watch. Well, everyone but Eilea, who didn’t need a phone. She claimed she could see and hear everything in real time.

“You’re right,” Eilea said with a sigh. “He’s angry.”

Kalana pursed her lips. That mean lady asked such an unfair question! Kalana wasn’t the only one who thought so, either. There was a general disgust among many of those here who knew and liked Zach, especially the adventurers. Fluffles was angriest of all. The kitty cat, who was snuggling next to Ruby and Chumpkenwiffles while the three watched on a tablet someone had set down—which Kalana thought was super-duper cute!—was hissing and meowing angrily, likely the most outraged of everyone. Ruby actually had to talk him out of going to Slopes of Dal’Zarrah and ‘eating’ her.

To Eilea, Kalana said, “Um, I got an idea.”

“Hm?”

“My mom’s really good at this stuff. Maybe she can come up with an answer, and you can transmit it to his mind. Actually, that might really work! Umm, if she tells you what to tell him, and you—”

“Absolutely not,” Fylwen replied.

“Huh? Why not”

Fylwen folded her arms and gave Kalana a stern-faced look. “He needs to be able to do this sort of thing on his own or he will never grow into the man I’ve come to believe he can be. Would you not agree, daughter?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Your mother is right, young princess,” Eilea said. “I can send him feelings of calm and let him know we’re all right there with him, but he has to face this himself.”

Kalana pouted. “So unfair.”

*****

Like a warm embrace from afar, Zach immediately became aware of Eilea’s presence, and as he did, he realized she’d reconnected with him just for the purpose of sending him her support, which he appreciated. He knew that the entire world would probably watch this. More people than he could ever envision. If he blew up and lost his cool, he’d be viewed as a dangerous threat or an incompetent fool—or both.

“Sir Calador?” the reporter asked, making him realize he’d gone silent for too long.

Zach wet his lips, realizing he couldn’t hesitate for all that much longer. “I’m only seventeen,” he began, pausing yet again as he tried to think how best to reply. It was such a brutal question. When he sensed the reporter about to cut in, he resumed, realizing that he’d paused at a bad spot. Very quickly, he added, “But that does not mean I’m making excuses because of my age.” This time, as he paused yet again, she at least had the decency of waiting for him to continue speaking, which he soon did.

“I guess I deserve some of this criticism,” he said. “Much like my former teacher, Lord Oren, I also grew up poor. My mom died before I was old enough to realize how much I lost. My dad was…” He had to really dig deep to say this next part, which was a lie by necessity. “My dad committed suicide before I got to tell him I loved him. Kalana—excuse me, Princess Vayra—she also grew up in a really tough environment, but she’s told you guys all about that, and it’s not my story to tell.”

He paused a moment to swallow; his throat had dried somewhat. “The reason I’m saying this stuff is because the two of us are still struggling with adapting to our new, elevated positions in life. In a perfect world, we would have come forward and apologized to you—and the world—personally for causing any kind of fear or disruption when we mistakenly triggered that quest. Instead, we both allowed people to do it for us. Lord Oren spoke in my defense, and Queen Vayra spoke on behalf of Kal—Princess Vayra’s. We are still young and we’re learning. I speak for both of us when I say we are sorry that we did not come forward and address the public immediately after it happened like we should have.”

Zach had no idea if that was a good or bad response. The only thing he could be absolutely certain of was that Kalana would not mind him apologizing on both of their behalves. Kalana was such a softie that she’d apologize for anything if you asked her nicely enough. And more so, Zach would willingly bet all the gold on Galterra that, if he were to take out his phone right now and check social media, Kalana had likely already drafted an apology statement and published it. Hell, she’d probably end up recording a video as well. The thought actually threatened to make him chuckle, but he stopped himself.

The moment he stopped speaking, he pointed at another reporter, and this one, an older man, seemed to pick up right where the woman left off. “You say you’re sorry, but that’s still not an explanation. We want to know why this happened and what steps are being taken to prevent this from happening again.”

These questions were actually a whole lot easier than the last one, and Zach was able to answer without having to pause for thought. “Excellent questions,” he said. “Um, so to answer the first one: Princess Vayra’s island has lots of mobs on it, and by hunting one of these mobs, we spawned a quest that led us to another area on the island. As a result of completing that quest, we triggered a worldwide event, but one that’s not dangerous to anybody.”

“And my second question?” the man asked. “Regarding what steps are being taken?”

“Oh, they’ve already been taken,” Zach assured the man. “Kalana’s mo—Queen Vayra shut her island down and won’t let us hunt there anymore until she’s consulted with her archives or something and made sure that there’s nothing else like that going on. So, until she gives us permission and reopens the island for hunting, we aren’t going to be leveling there anymore. So you don’t actually have to worry about anything like that happening again.”

Zach had hoped this question would put the issue to rest. It didn’t. And while it didn’t quite make things “worse,” it certainly didn’t help in changing the topic. The next woman he called on fired off her question immediately, and this time, it wasn’t even really about him at all.

“Sir Calador, are you saying that the decision of when—or if—this island is going to be, to quote you, ‘reopened,’ is one that is going to be made solely by the Elvish queen with no input from the other guilds or public safety advocacy groups?”

Zach’s mouth opened, but he did not release any words. How the hell was he supposed to answer something like this? Now, he was treading dangerously close to speaking for a guild that wasn’t his own. Or wait. What the fuck did he just think?

The Royal Roses isn’t my guild either, he chided himself. I can’t believe I just thought of them as ‘my own.’ Gods-be-damned!

Without any clue as to what he could say, he decided to punt the question. He’d seen people do this before on the news. “That matter is something you’ll have to consult with Queen Vayra on,” he said. “I can’t speak towards Elvish policy.”

For a moment, Zach thought that, now, surely, he’d have put the matter to rest. But Gods, it only made things way, way worse. Now, dozens of them were shouting out questions to him, all of which were about Queen Vayra, who he’d somehow brought into this conversation by mistake, and who was now facing the brunt of their attacks. As Zach tried to restore order and select someone else to call upon, he received a message on his phone. He read it. Then he read it a second time in amazement. Returning his phone to his pocket, he straightened his back and faced the crowd, his hands by his side.

“Um, excuse me,” he said. Surprisingly, they quieted upon hearing him speak. “So, I just learned that Queen Vayra will be holding a press conference at 8PM tonight in Shores of Wrath with the People of Virtue to address the issue of Elendroth’s safety.”

Oh, Gods, I hope she’s not mad, Zach thought. My press conference is creating a chain of press conferences. How the fuck did this happen? At this rate, even Fluffles is going to have one.

He decided to make absolutely sure he dd not implicate his cat in anything, because there could be no nightmare worse than Fluffles being ordered to lie on top of a podium and take questions from reporters. The cat would answer each question with a bolt of lightning, killing a number of them. Just the idea of that caused him to shiver apprehensively.

Zach’s phone vibrated twice more. “Excuse me, one moment. Guild business.”

Take two more questions. I’m almost there. Tell them I will speak briefly + questions.

Also, you’re doing great so far. You don’t have to make them love you. Your job is to make people feel heard and understood.

Zach smiled at the sign of confidence from Mr. Oren. Under such intense scrutiny, his smile did not go unnoticed, now requiring Zach to explain it. “Lord Oren will be joining me here and will speak briefly and take a few questions as well. As for me, I can take two more. Okay, you—from N-B-O-N.”

The reporter he called on was a younger woman around Mr. Oren’s age, and when she spoke, there was an earnest sincerity in her voice that set her apart from the others. “Sir Calador,” she said. “I’m Emisa from N-B-O-N. First, I just want to say that I truly feel some of my colleagues in here are being overly harsh to you. You’ve risked your life to protect us and we all owe you our gratitude.”

“Th-thanks,” Zach said, genuinely touched and a bit surprised.

“Having said that,” she continued. “We are all normal, level-1 people. And when we sit down to have lunch with our families or feed our children, and the sky goes dark, and we start hearing explosions in the sky, I really hope you can understand that this is…this is a very frightening thing to us. I say this only because I’d like you, sir, to please make a commitment to address the public and the media from now on if for any reason you plan to take—or accidentally take—actions that can startle or spread fear.”

The answer to this question was obvious, but Zach still took a moment to meet her eyes before giving it. With actual sincerity, he said, “Yes. I promise you.” He meant it, too.

Finally, he called on one last reporter, who wanted to know if it was true that the Royal Roses were going to raise regional tariffs on produce. “I’m not up to date with that information,” he replied simply and truthfully. “You’ll have to consult someone from the Royal Bureau of Taxation Policy for more information.”

The fact he knew that was a testament to how much Gods-be-damned fucking news he’d been consuming these past two weeks. He could hardly believe he was speaking those words even as he said them. “Thank you.”

As if on cue, Mr. Oren, who’d probably arrived several minutes earlier and who’d likely been waiting around for him to finish, now approached the spot in the park where Zach was currently standing, and then he took his place beside Zach, shook hands with him, nodded, and smiled. “Go easy on him,” he said to the reporters as he turned to face the bulk of them. Many of the camera operators were kneeling on the grass. “It’s his first day in Dal’Zarrah. Let’s not make him too afraid to come back.”

The press laughed immediately as though charmed. Mr. Oren, extending his arms widely, once more faced Zach. And with a much louder speaking voice, he said, “Sir Calador, it’s a pleasure to have you visit our city. I didn’t expect this particular venue to address the press, but this is far from the first impromptu press conference to be held here in Peace Park, which stands as a monument to the heroes who died for human peace in the battle against the Orcish Invaders over two-thousand years ago. Without their sacrifice, none of us would be here today.”

The audience applauded loudly. If Zach was a celebrity, then to the people of this city, Mr. Oren was a super celebrity. When he spoke, he did so with such grace, elegance, and poise that by the time he’d finished his first sentence, Zach finally understood why he’d switched professions, and now, he agreed with it, too. Mr. Oren should never have been an adventurer. He was meant to do this.

“You know,” he said, looking around and meeting the eyes of the people before him. “When I accepted the honor of my current station, I did so for one reason alone: because I believe in humanity, and I believe we can change for the better.” He closed his eyes briefly, pausing at just the right time and taking a deep breath. “When Sir Calador called me earlier today and told me he’d like to discuss reassuring humanity’s neighbors, I told him to fly up here as soon as possible. And he did, as you can all see. Because that’s the kind of young man Zach is. He recognizes his mistakes, and he grows from them.”

At first, Zach felt kind of icky, because the lie contained a compliment that he didn’t deserve. But as Mr. Oren continued to speak, Zach realized that he wasn’t really lying. Only the first few words were untrue, but they were inconsequential. From that point on, he tried not to get emotional as Mr. Oren not only defended him, but finally relieved at least some of the emotional burden of secrecy that Zach had been carrying around for a while now. Zach would never forget the words he spoke in this moment.

“Let me start by saying what Sir Calador told you about me is true. I was, until recently, his teacher. He told you much about me, but he said little about himself. For example, what he didn’t tell you was how, as a student, he nearly died one night trying to stop a vicious criminal from kidnapping one of his classmates. Earlier, I heard him tell you all that his father committed suicide. But I want you to know that this is not true, and that he was forced to tell you this. You see, Zach does not have the clearance or rank to dispense the truth. But I do.”

Mr. Oren again looked at numerous members of the crowd, including reporters. “Sir Calador’s father did not die by suicide. He was murdered—by a man you all know as Varsh Gellor, formerly of the Royal Roses!” The crowd erupted in gasps, yet Mr. Oren continued to speak, now even more loudly and more emotionally. “I know because I was there that night. His father was thrown out of the window of his apartment in cold blood. I attest to this myself. I saw his body on the concrete. Sir Calador was instructed to remain silent, and this is a wrong that has been inflicted on him. And as I promised you the day that I was given the honor of serving in the Lords of Justice, I will speak for justice!”

“Mr. Oren,” Zach whispered, trying not to be swept away by emotion. “Are you sure you’re allowed to—”

“The student Varsh tried to kidnap and sell,” he continued, “was none other than Princess Kalana Vayra.”

Now, there was a true and genuine uproar: from the crowd, from the reporters, and even from some of the peacekeepers. Mr. Oren had to practically shout to continue being heard as outrage and shock permeated the crowd, taking over one person after the next.

“Yet here he is, a loyal, dedicated servant of the Royal Roses, putting the people above himself. He’s speaking for the guild that murdered his father and tried to sell into slavery the love of his life, and he’s doing it because he feels it’s right: not because he has to. Has Sir Calador made mistakes? Yes. Has he learned from them. Yes! So let me just be clear on this one point: I am proud to work with this young man on reuniting our world, and I implore the global community, in particular the Dwarvish people, to forgive him.”

Forgive me for what? Zach wondered. I haven’t seen a Dwarf since I was a five.

“And for those of you who have been glued to your screens in recent days waiting for word of what is to come, I have a major announcement to make to all of you. This was going to be made a few hours from now, but since I am here before you, I suppose you may as well hear it early.” With strength and determination in his voice, he lifted his chin and said, “I have just spoken with High-Lord Besh. We, the Lords of Justice, officially decline to surrender, and we will never bow to the tyranny of the Guild of Gentlemen. I call upon all other guilds of humanity to stand with us and fight: just as we did when the dragon threatened to reduce our world to ash. People of North Bastia, I implore each and every one of you to remember just one thing: we, of humanity, did not bow down before a dragon, and we will not bow down before a bomb!”

An explosion of noise from the crowd reached such an intense volume that Zach could not hear what Mr. Oren said to him immediately following his remarks. As if understanding this, Mr. Oren smiled and gently shoved Zach as if to indicate he should begin walking away. Jimmy followed. That…was unexpected.

Now, out of the spotlight, he watched as Mr. Oren stood there and took questions for over forty-five minutes. Zach, who truly believed he’d done pretty well, realized Mr. Oren was on a whole different level. He really was born to do this. It was no wonder he’d ended up where he was.

As Zach watched him in action, he maintained an upright posture and continued to keep a calm, confident look on his face, as he could likely still be seen on the side of whatever screen or device people were viewing this on.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to do this again for a long, long time.