by Adam Drake
It was Rob's turn to blink in confusion. “What's a pace?”
“If you would indulge me, my Lord, could you please take one step forward.”
Rob took a step forward, avoiding a large rock.
“There!” Saif said. “That is one pace. And since you are the king, it is now the new official length of a pace. Let me record this and I'll make the adjustments to all measurements in the kingdom.”
The Sage produced a ball of string from another pocket and squatted down to stretch it from where Rob stood in the sand to where he had just been.
“Uh,” Rob said. “What just happened?”
Saif stood, rolling the string. “You've made your first Royal Decree, my Lord. The previous length of a pace is now no longer valid. This will be the new one.” He grinned happily as he pulled out a small leather-bound notebook and scribbled in it with a thin piece of charcoal.
Rob shook his head. “So a league is 500 of those paces?”
“Correct,” Saif said, pointing at a formula he'd scribbled on a page. “But a league is now a greater distance in length than before. You have a long stride, my Lord.”
Not wanting to wreak any more havoc on the local measurement system, Rob changed the subject. “So I have a shrinking kingdom without a castle. What else do I have?”
Saif thought for a moment. “There's a swamp.”
“You say that like it's a good thing.”
“Well, it's where we get our rats. Which reminds me, are you hungry, my Lord? Fumi should have some spare meat laying about from this morning. Unboiled, sadly, but still edible.”
Rob was starting to miss the tutorial island.
Before he could refuse this generous offer, a man appeared walking toward them down the path. He carried a fishing net rolled up under one arm.
“Ah, your first royal subject, my Lord,” Saif said.
Realizing he was still holding the beachwood club, Rob stuck it under an arm.
As the man approached, his eyes lit up at the sight of Rob. “Is this him?” he asked excitedly.
Saif nodded. “Yes, this is him,” he said and turned to Rob. “My Lord, may I introduce Erwin to you, the kingdom's dock master. Erwin, this is his Royal Highness, King Robert Barron, First Janitor of the Bellworth Office Tower.”
Erwin shifted the netting around so he could remove his cap. “Most honored, my Lord,” he said with a bow. “This day has been too long in coming, if you asked me.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Rob said. It felt strange being referred to as his Royal Highness. Even my Lord, made him feel a little uncomfortable. But he figured he needed to start getting used to it. Rob nodded at the netting. “Going fishing?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Erwin said, donning his cap. “Figured since there were no more ships due to those damned walls, I'd try my hand at catching us something to eat other than rat.”
“Any luck, yet?” Saif asked, hopefully.
The dock master shook his head. “Nothing. Not a fish or a minnow, or even a crab.”
Rob shivered at the mention of crab. “Could it be that the walls have stopped any fish from getting in?”
Erwin scratched his chin. “Afraid that isn't the case, my Lord. Not that it's my place to correct you, but the fish started to vanish long before those damned walls appeared.”
“It has been over a month since anyone has been able to catch anything edible from the sea,” Saif said. “We compensated the food loss by going to the trading post past the bridge, but even that was eventually blocked.”
Both men gazed sombrely at the ground, then Erwin brightened and looked to Rob. “My Lord, might you be able to help us with the missing fish? Finding out what happened to them, I mean?”
A prompt appeared.
You have been offered a quest. 'Trouble Beneath the Surface'.
The fish stocks off the shores of your kingdom have vanished without a trace. Discover the cause of their disappearance and, if possible, set things right. Reward: Unknown.
Accept or Decline?
“Uh,” Rob said, uncertain what all that would entail. “I accept?”
Quest accepted.
The prompt vanished and he found Saif and Erwin grinning at him.
“Oh, thank you, my Lord!” Erwin said as he bowed his way past them toward the water. “I figure I'll still keep at it, though. You never know if the gods will decide to smile on me today.”
Rob watched Erwin walk away with a spring in his step. What did he just get himself into?
Saif grinned at him. “My Lord, that is so wonderful of you take on such a responsibility. I suspect it will be the first of many!”
Oh, great, he thought. “I don't know anything about fish, other than they taste great smothered in butter.”
“Neither does he,” Saif said nodding to Erwin who cast his net out into the waves. “But as king, you are far more capable at taking on this task than him. Or any of us, for that matter.”
Well, that's why I'm here, apparently, Rob thought. “Did you see that message?”
Saif's eyes widened. “My Lord?”
“I get these messages from time to time telling me what to do or feeding me annoying bits of information. I got one just now when Erwin mentioned the fish. Did you see it, too?”
“My Lord,” Saif said, his voice grave. “Please. Your communication with the gods is a sacred act. One that should not be talked about lightly or even mentioned, especially with the likes of me.”
Baffled by this statement, Rob said, “What do you mean, the likes of you?”
“I am not a chosen one. Only a chosen one can communicate with the gods.” He looked about nervously. “If they choose to speak to you in such a manner, then that is between you and them. Please, I'd ask that you do not bring this subject up again.”
Thoroughly bamboozled by Saif's reaction, Rob said. “Okay, no problem. Forget I mentioned it.” The Sage looked quite upset, so he tacked on a smile for appearance sake.
Saif sighed with relief. “Very good, my Lord.” He motioned up the path. “Shall we continue?”
The path became steep with long steps carved into the hillside. As they climbed Rob glanced at Saif, who's face held a tight smile. His demeanor had changed. Talking about the messages had really scared him. But why?
Honing his kingly diplomatic skills he tried to change the subject, again. “You said there was a trading post?”
“Yes,” Saif said. “It's run by a trog named Xuthus. A real copper-pincher that one. There's no such thing as a deal at his trading post unless he's the one getting it.”
“Trog?” Rob asked. He was beginning to think everything he said was another question. There was so much to learn about this world. He wished he had his phone with him so he could at least type all this information into it.
“Troglodyte,” Saif said. “They're cave dwellers, mostly, and since they control the tunnels through the mountains, we have no choice but to deal with them if we want supplies.”
“I don't understand,” Rob said. His new mantra.
“Other than the sea, the kingdom is flanked on all three sides by mountain ranges. Traveling over them is very difficult, even impossible most times, especially in winter. Getting goods in and out of the kingdom is slow and expensive. But there are tunnels that run through to the other side of the mountains...”
“And the troglodytes control the tunnels and as a result control the flow of goods,” Rob finished.
Saif grinned. “Very good, my Lord. Yes, that's correct. But it's of little matter now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the trading post is located at the southern end of the kingdom where a wall now blocks the way.”
“So there is no trade going on at all?”
“None whatsoever. Well, that may change now, of course, with your arrival.”
Another prompt appeared and Rob stopped walking to read it.
Much of your kingdom has been lost, but can be recovered over time. By finishin
g quests, performing various tasks, and leveling your character, more areas and locations will become available. As you grow and prosper as a king and adventurer, so will your kingdom.
Huh, Rob thought. So I need to unlock content.
He was familiar with the concept thanks to Todd and his gaming exploits. The security guard bemoaned the fact he needed to pay real money to unlock most content so he could 'get to the good stuff'.
But since Rob didn't think the 'gods' accepted credit cards in this world, he figured he'd have to do it through plain old hard work.
Rob waited a few seconds to see if another message appeared. When none did, he swiped it away.
Saif was waiting, making an effort to look anywhere but at Rob while he was reading.
Wanting to put the man at ease, Rob said. “I think gaining access to the trading post again is a future possibility.” There, that sounded kingly.
“Oh, that is wonderful to hear, my Lord,” Saif said, elated. “The kingdom is in dire shape and the trading post is its lifeline.”
“I'll add it to my list,” Rob said. Something else I don't have a clue as to how I'm going to deal with.
They crested the hill, and the land leveled out. Lush grassy fields and rolling hills stretched out before them ending at a forest. The path led into it.
Again, Rob stopped and stared into the distance. He could see two walls, now. The one on the west side he'd seen in the sea sliced southward presenting a barrier of gray. Bits of hills and trees peeked out of its lower portion.
“The western mountains have been totally blocked off,” Saif said. “But you can still see some of the eastern range. That wall has not advanced as quickly, for however long that lasts.”
To the east the forest stretched out further and ended at a line of mountains. But the space between the mountains were comprised of a gray wall.
“That barrier is inside the mountains?” Rob said in awe. “Cutting into it?”
Saif shrugged. “We don't know, my Lord. There is no way to be certain. Only that the wall exists and there is no passing through it.”
Clouds played along the upper surface of the walls like fish in an aquarium seeking escape.
They continued walking along the path into the forest. Huge trees towered on either side. Thick bushes and rocky outcroppings made it impossible to see further than a few feet through the foliage.
Birds called from deep within and there were other sounds, too. Odd hissing noises and clicks.
“Trench lizards,” Saif said, seeing Rob's confusion. “Pack animals and a terrible nuisance. Oh, don't worry, my lord, they never venture too far from their dens during the day. They are mostly nocturnal and almost always eat one thing.”
“What's that?”
“Cows.”
“We have cows? Can't they be used for their meat instead of rats?”
“Well, yes they could, my Lord, but the cattle stocks have been greatly depleted since the walls arrived. Without other means of foraging the lizards have grown bolder and have been raiding the outer farms for their livestock.”
“What about our cattle? How many do we have left?”
Saif counted his fingers on both hands, appearing to start over several times. Then he said, “You have one, my Lord.”
“I have one cow? Just one?”
“Unfortunately, yes. As I've said, the kingdom is in dire need of help. The problem with the trench lizards will only continue and I suspect their craving for a particular meat will become less selective soon.”
“Meaning people,” Rob said with a nod. Lizard-eating people. Great.
Saif arched an inquisitive brow at Rob. “I think the trench lizard situation now falls under your purview, my Lord.”
You have been offered a quest.
Oh crap, Rob thought.
'Lizards, and Fangs, and Cows, Oh My!'
The trench lizards have destroyed the kingdom's cattle stocks, and it is only a matter of time before they start munching on your subjects. Find the main trench lizard den and eliminate the problem once and for all.
Reward: Unknown.
Accept or Decline.
“Accept,” Rob said, trying not to sound burdened by the choice. The prompt vanished.
They kept walking, Saif smiling from ear to ear. For several minutes neither spoke. Rob thought the Sage was giving him a little break from the stream of information being showered over him.
This suited Rob fine. But his anticipation grew. How the hell was he going to deal with all this? He was armed with just a club and a pathetically small bit of knowledge of the world he was expected to save.
The path emerged from the trees and continued on through a huge clearing. A large grassy hill squat at its center. The path led around the base of the hill and Rob could see a kind of camp of tents and some small buildings, ahead. A column of smoke from a cook fire trailed up into the sky.
“Ah,” Saif said, “We are here, my Lord.”
“Here, where?” Rob said as they walked. The encampment became more and more pathetic the closer they got to it. The burlap tents were dirty and torn, and the small buildings where made of crumbling mud-bricks with sagging roofs, the practical embodiment of the word ramshackled.
Stunned into silence, Rob followed Saif to the center of the camp. It was a wide muddy space surrounded by the pathetic little structures. Rob noticed something was amiss.
“Where is everybody?” he asked, glancing around at the horrid state of the place.
Saif looked apologetic. “That's another problem I was hoping to get to later, my Lord. There is no one left, really.”
“What? Did they leave?”
“Not exactly, my Lord. Some were caught behind the walls when they moved. Others simply vanished into thin air, without a trace.”
“Saif,” Rob said, his voice tense. “How many people are left in my kingdom?”
The Sage did his finger counting routine again. After several annoying moments of this he appeared to settle on a number.
“Four, my Lord.”
“Four? There are four people left in the entire kingdom?” His mind reeled. How was he expected to be a king if there wasn't anyone around to be a king to? “Does that number include me?”
“Five!” Saif declared happily at this revelation. “Yes, five people in this kingdom, including your Royal Highness. See? Your arrival has practically swelled the local population. Things aren't as dire as I originally thought.”
Rob had the overwhelming urge to take up his club and drop his kingdom's population back down to four. He could get by on just four.
But before he could commence his mini-genocide a woman burst out of a nearby tent.
Rob looked at the new arrival and did his best not to gasp.
She was old, with long gray hair pulled up under a bonnet. To call her stout was being conservative. Her body was like of a huge wine cask and just as shapely. Her muscular forearms were bigger than Rob's thighs. The angry scowl on her face was made even more terrifying by the lack of one eye. She wore a blood spattered apron over a long dirty brown dress which threatened to burst at its seams trying to contain her wide figure.
Gripped firmly in one meaty fist was a small axe, its bloody blade glinting in the sunlight.
“Saif!” she roared, spotting the little man.
“Oh, by the gods!” Saif said, cowering. “It's Fumi!” He darted behind Rob, using him as a shield.
The large woman surge forward, her booted feet smacking through the mud.
As she marched toward him, Rob made a tremendous effort not to run to the sea and swim back to the island.
The large woman stopped in front of him, planting her feet in the mud and placed her fists on her non-existent hips.
“Saif!” Fumi bellowed looking past Rob. He felt slightly relieved he wasn't the focus of this ogre's rage.
“You are going to answer my question and answer it now!” She said at the top of her lungs. Rob swore he could hear her voice echoing of
f the walls in the distance. “And if you don't then we're going to be dining on unboiled Sage for dinner!”
When the petrified Sage didn't even squeak out an answer, Rob worked up the courage to speak. “What question would that be?”
Fumi turned her head to pin Rob with her only eye. “Are you the new Sage?” she screamed. Her breath was so horrid it could melt off wallpaper.
“No,” Rob said, swallowing. “I'm the new-.”
“I don't care who you think you are!” she shouted. “I just want an answer!”