by Scar, Rick
“Emin. The Swarm needs Adamarona. I don’t know why, but they need it. Though”—a new idea flashed across Will’s mind—“not the whole country. Only…” He peered closely at the princess. “Please tell me, Nanel. Is it true that the only reason you left the country was to find Lamia and rescue the shard?”
Daltaro and the captain frowned, trying to see the broader picture. Even being in power, the enemy king took no serious action against Adamarona. He seemed to be waiting for something. They hadn’t thought of his reasons before, but now, according to Will, one of those stood right before them.
“Princess!” Will stood up, addressing the silent girl in his no-arguing voice. “Come on. Tell me that.”
“I can’t,” Nanel said softly, her eyes down. “This secret will die with me. I’ve promised my father it will.”
Looking at the girl, whose face instantly fell, Raven struggled to connect the puzzling details that had seemed a perfect fit before. Another mistake. But how bad? Where did I go wrong?
Among all the ideas swirling across his mind, one demanded to be tested immediately, face-to-face with the princess. If his guess was right, it was not even for his comrades-in-arms to hear.
“Daltaro. Emin. Please leave us. I need to discuss a couple of things in private with the princess.”
The two men exchanged surprised glances but obeyed, nodding and closing the door behind them. It must have been the rogue’s tone that surprised them. Although he was just asking, he did so like a king-to-be.
Will’s voice was gradually becoming imperious. He remained oblivious of it so far, but back when he’d first thought of conquering the floor, his inner demon had started to transform from a small, daring animal into a larger one, with sharper teeth and farther-seeing eyes.
“Please forgive me for being harsh with you, but if you keep this secret from me, I’ll have to act blindly and probably fail. I have no idea what your secret could be, but I will keep it whatever it is. You have my word. I see you are scared, but you can trust me. I see your pain. It will subside when you share with me.” Raven spoke to the princess in a comforting whisper. Extending his hand and bowing slightly, he peered into her lowered face. “What’s going on with you? What… or who are you trying to escape? Is it yourself?”
Nanel jerked her head up, staring at Will in fear. “So you kn-n-now?” Her voice trembled. Hiding her face in her hands, she cried loudly. “I… I… don’t want anyone to ever know it! Ev- everyone will hate me if they do. Even you.” Removing her hands, now wet with tears, she stared at the man facing her.
“Easy. Easy… I don’t hate you. This world is not perfect. Many are looking for ways to escape the reality, oblivious of the reality driving them deeper and deeper into their holes while they do so. You want to be free, but you can’t while you wear these invisible fetters. I remember your dream. I promised you I would help to make it reality. And… and I can follow you there if you wish.”
“Why? Why? I d- don’t get it.” Wiping her tears, the princess looked at Will, waiting for his response.
“It’s really simple. I’m not sure if I should tell you such a common truth, but getting out of a pit is much easier with a ladder someone throws down for you. Here’s the ladder.” Will shifted his gaze to his palm. “The question is: will you accept it?”
Nanel’s face showed a brief hesitation. Then she closed her eyes, nodded, and…
…removed her disguise to stand before him as a half-human, half-Latian. The right half of her body had all the features of the Swarm race: a compound eye, a wing, and a paw that could transform into a weapon.
Softly, Will put his arm around her shoulders and smiled to her face. “Please tell me: what is your story?”
Attention! You have unlocked a secret quest chain: The Heiress.
You have convinced Nanel to share her story with you.
Part I: Listen to Nanel’s story.
Reward:
Princess Nanel’s approval up to Trust
Accept? Yes/No
Note: Secret quests are unlocked when an NPC willingly shares their main secret with you.
***
How real they are, Will thought again as he listened to her story. It was a simple one, but it was full of loneliness and pain. Although she had friends, the superstition was too strong in her people, and she had never dared to reveal her true self to anyone before.
Nanel never left her father’s vast chambers from when she was born up to when she learned to put up her disguise. Her father spent a lot of time playing with her and telling her about the adventures of his young years when he’d run away from the palace to travel east.
At the age of five, Nanel left his chambers for the first time. The court had been told she was badly ill, so no one was allowed to visit her but for the royal elder. The king often reminded Nanel that she must not let anyone know her true identity. He never answered her questions about her mother, so Nanel knew nothing about her.
The years passed. Raised on adventure stories, the princess eventually decided to start the one of her own. For a year, she left the palace to travel east, accompanied by her warrior friends. That was when she came to love the life of an adventurer, wishing she never had to come back to her responsibilities.
The girl’s main secret, deserving the name of her inner demon, was finally let out for the first time in her eighteen years. Will knew what she was feeling. He knew it better than anyone else.
The first part of the secret quest chain “The Heiress” is completed.
Current attitude status:
Princess Nanel 0/400 – trust
The second part of the secret quest chain is unlocked.
Part II: Discover the reason why the Latians are hunting the princess.
Rewards:
+50 000 XP;
+100 Princess Nanel’s approval points;
Secret Knowledge.
Accept? Yes/No
Note: Secret Knowledge allows you to learn one skill outside your class. Unique, epic, and legendary skills can’t be learned.
She must be the Swarm Queen’s daughter. Raven winced at reading the message. But why does the queen want her? To kill her or pass her the power? More likely it’s to kill her.
She won’t be able to ruin my plans whatever. I just need to figure out a way to escape that bureaucratic limbo and get my hands on this country.
Chapter 125. The Sovereign’s Ring
T o design a solution to this problem, Will called Emin and Daltaro back in. They’d been discussing the matter for some ten minutes when Will could no longer contain himself and blurted out what he really thought. “I can’t believe it’s the only possible way to the throne! That’s damn impossible. You’re a whole motherfucking kingdom, after all! For all the centuries of your history, did no one come up with a better idea than filling in lots of forms? I don’t believe it! A simple guy I may be, but I’m not that simple!”
The throne ascension procedure he’d heard about was a total disaster. He’d only wish it on his enemies to make them cry blood.
“We’ve never said it’s the only possible way.” The princess smiled. “There’s another one. We acquired it from the barbaric Isles of Khaol when we were ruled by Iron Throne.”
“I’d love to hear a bit more about that.”
“Iron Throne was one of Adamarona’s greatest rulers,” Daltaro explained, proving himself knowledgeable in history once again. “He’d conquered a vast territory that was lost by the kings who followed him. Some lost their lands to military defeats, others to natural disasters. One king even lost a piece of territory over a game of cards! Can you imagine that? And that’s how this country came to be as small as it is today. Losing all of Iron Throne’s conquests, now it can barely keep its native lands.”
“Well. Now I know a bit more about Adamarona’s history, but what about the way to the throne?”
Nanel kept silent for a while, but eventually, she spoke. “Iron Throne was a very strong man. Incredi
bly strong. He could defeat a cave troll in a bare-knuckled fight. So one of his laws—it is still in force, like most of his—says that anyone can become the king if he overcomes a cave troll in hand-to-hand combat.”
She paused, waiting for Raven’s reaction, but all she got were his eyes asking: So what? Seeing it took more than that to surprise this tough guy, she went on, adding: “If anyone wanted to become the king according to this law today, they’d face two main problems. The first is that cave trolls are ten feet tall, with incredibly thick skin and fists as heavy as large stones. The second is… no one has even seen one in the past two hundred years.”
“Two hundred years? Why tell me about it then? I asked for a way I can use right now. Not for an impossible condition I’d have to meet to become the king. Can you not remember any feasible ways?”
The rogue was really annoyed by her last words. He could have tried to overcome a troll in battle, by taking the golden dragon form or using other special skills, but since that was no option, their talk was back to its starting point.
“I know of one more way,” the captain spoke. “But it’s not much different from the one suggested by the princess.”
“Killing another creature that hasn’t been seen for ages?”
“Not really. It is known to many adventurers. Actually, I’m a bit surprised that a man like Daltaro is unaware of it.”
The archer became thoughtful, trying to figure out what the captain meant, but his search for the memory fragment holding this knowledge was slow. Or maybe that fragment was one of those he had accidentally destroyed long ago. “I have some memory problems in my current condition,” he admitted. “Please continue.”
“Um. Maybe the name Sovereign’s Ring will ring a bell in your memory?”
Daltaro jerked his brows up, apparently recognizing the name. “Oh, now I see what you’re talking about. Sure, I know this story. I must’ve just forgotten the details.
“This place is the second most dangerous I’ve ever visited, after Ishi-Lastiya’s ruins. I was there in my younger years, in search of treasures.
“I was nineteen when I accidentally overheard a talk in an inn and learned about the Monarch’s Door—that’s a corridor with thousands of doors. You must choose one and go all the way—to victory, defeat, or death. If you win, you get the treasure—and a chance to obtain the Sovereign’s Ring. Only two such rings were known to exist back when I took this challenge. One was owned by the Holy Land’s ruler, and another by the chieftain of the remote Shakhra’Maer tribe.
“So what’s the power of that ring?” Will knew Daltaro could spend an age telling his stories, wandering into more and more detail unless nudged in the right direction.
“I was just going to tell you,” the adventurer said, displeased at being interrupted. “These rings, just like the corridor itself, were created by the Emperor of Dragons who ruled this world long before it was separated. This corridor is rumored to connect all the floors. Its magic is so powerful it even withstood the force separating the worlds, and—”
The rogue interrupted him again, in a cold voice.
“Daltaro.” A shadow fell to his scaly eyes. “Get. To. The. Point. You damn charlatan!”
“You!” The archer screamed at his sore spot being hit. He’d rather not remember the time he’d spent pretending to be a merchant. “Do you really want to talk about our first meeting? With other people around to hear it?”
Raven advanced his palm, stopping Daltaro who started to work himself up. “I don’t want to win this duel again. We both know each other’s parts. I’m just asking you to finally tell us about the damn senior’s ring!”
“Ahem…” The princess sitting on her bed was about to correct Will, but he cast such an evil glare it stopped the words in her throat.
“Senior’s?” Daltaro screamed. “Did you really say ‘senior’s’? It’s the Sovereign’s Ring!”
“Don’t wake the beast in me, you legendary coward. Just tell me about the bloody ring!”
The archer’s face flushed. Panting with indignation, he jumped up and bent his bow, aiming at the rogue and demanding that he immediately take his words back. The princess giggled.
Emin stepped in to stop the quarrel, giving explanations instead of Daltaro. “Well, you see, the Sovereign’s Ring allows you to become the ruler of any country, empire, tribe, or any other group for two years. If the ring does not consider you as a worthy ruler, it won’t stay with you longer than that. It will just disappear, putting an end to your rule.”
“Hey, wait. A sapient ring?” Raven was bewildered. “So, my worth as a ruler will be judged by… by a holed piece of metal?”
“If you prove your worth as the king over the two years, the ring will stay with you forever, as a symbol of your greatness and a sign that you have passed the dragon emperor’s challenge.”
You’ve got a hint for an epic quest: The Sovereign’s Will
Find the Monarch’s Door to start on this quest.
Do I really have to go devil-knows-where? Or would it be better do the paperwork?
Will knew things wouldn’t be easy for him in this country. But what he faced now reminded him of those old games Pak had told him about: running all about the vast map as the killing, fetching, and discovering tasks were all located at the opposite end. Just a moment after he’d come back, he was offered a new challenge.
Compared with the other option, paperwork no longer seemed that much of a pain. According to Nanel, collecting all the documents would take just one or two weeks. And there was no risk of getting killed or losing levels. Plus, there were opportunities to learn more about this country.
Weighing up all the pros and cons, Will sighed and braced himself for the bureaucratic grind when a knock on the door came, interrupting his reflection and bringing controversial news.
Chapter 126. The Private Chat
R at-a-tat.
The door opened. On the threshold stood one of the princess’s guards.
“My princess.” He bowed slightly. “The royal elder is calling you and your betrothed.”
Nanel jumped up, apparently puzzled. “Master Lamaniel? Do you know why?” She slapped herself on the forehead. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that, Mark. The elder never explains anything. Thank you for information. Please wait outside. I will need a bit of time.”
The guard bowed again and closed the door behind him.
Smiling, the princess watched the door being closed. Once it shut with a soft pop, she started to dash about the room, her eyes wide. “What does he need? Why? Why? Why?” Running about, she snatched various items and put them back instantly, unable to concentrate.
“Stop!” Raven grabbed the girl by her braid as she ran past. Taken aback, she lost her balance and thumped to the floor.
“Ouch! It pains, you fo… er… you horrible person!” Nanel moaned, remembering her manners.
“Stop running about and tell me: what made you so panicky?” the rogue asked, extending a hand to help her back up.
The girl pushed his hand away. “No need, you damn gentleman. I’ve told you: one of things you must do to officially become the king is meet the royal elder. But because he’s lived so many years, he’s become rather… um… unfriendly, to put it mildly. Combined with his magical power, that makes for a really dangerous mix. He would hit even me when I was a child,” Nanel explained sadly, rubbing the back of her head.
“I see. So we’re to visit a crazy wizard.”
“No, no. He’s not crazy at all.” The princess forced out a weak smile. “He’s just very angry. Fierce. Irritable. Peevish. And he’s obsessed with magic. He’s been the royal elder for 476 years. And this whole time… no one but a few would visit him at will.”
As Nanel started to list the old man’s traits—seemingly to comfort herself—each word came out more like a nail into the coffin lid.
“I ha-a-a-ate going to him,” Nanel howled. “Better to ki-i-i-ill me.” To show just how bad she hated i
t, she put an invisible noose around her neck and titled her head to the side, sticking her tongue out.
“Nanel!” Emin lost his temper. “Stop that! You’re a royal lady. Are those the manners you’ve been taught?”
“But, master!” The girl pointed at him. “You shudder all over every time he summons you.”
“I… I don’t think I ever do,” the captain objected—and he shuddered instantly, as though shaking big slimy bugs from his shoulders.
“Stop that.” Will yawned. “I see no problem in coming to his call. If he’s not as crazy as one bastard I know, I think I can handle that. And you”—he nodded to the girl—“if you aren’t ready in three minutes, forget taking a journey with us.”
Hesitating for a moment, the princess then jumped up. “I am ready.”
“Great. Then lead the way. As we go, tell me about how many other princesses have been able to get their husbands on the throne.”
As he asked Emin and Daltaro to wait, the captain protested: “We’d better go take a drink. This old man is anything but easy. I once stayed in his chambers for two days.” He shivered. “Oh, I’d better get a drink, or I might remember what happened then.” He walked towards the exit with Daltaro while Nanel took the opposite direction along the corridor, followed by Raven and her four guards.
***
The videos about Raven’s journeys were particularly popular with those who tried to guess what floor he was playing on. Lots of threads were created to discuss this very question. The four main versions were Floor 1, Floor 2, Floor 3, and… and the one provoking the most heated arguments.
The only person who knew a bit more than the rest was Emma, but even she was unaware what exact missions Raven was completing, what titles he was awarded, and what skills he used. Some of the videos he’d forwarded to her had large parts missing. She wondered what was going on there that he’d rather keep parts from everyone else.