While I was talking with Arraka, it seems that the discussion between the king and the ambassador had gotten a bit more heated.
“You would defend this filth?!” the ambassador shouts loudly at the gnome king.
“I’m not defending anyone,” Golmyck answers him, calmly. “I’m simply saying that before condemning them, they need to be offered a fair trial.”
“These scum do not deserve a trial!” the ambassador shouts. “They deserve to be executed on the spot! Do you want war, king of Thilias? Need I remind you that I represent the king of Ollendor himself? I will not stand here to witness this mockery of a trial when we already have all the information we need to pass their sentence this very instant! You will have them killed right here and now, or there will be war! Do you hear me, Golmyck? War!”
“I’m afraid that I can’t let you execute these people, ambassador,” we hear Eiden’s voice coming from behind us.
As we all turn around, Eiden starts to walk slowly towards the ambassador, and he stops right in front of him. The ambassador is now sweating all over, and it looks like he’s barely able to maintain his composure.
“What’s the matter, ambassador?” Eiden asks, with a smirk. “Aren’t you going to bow before your Creator?”
The whole room falls completely silent, as the ambassador tries hard to force a humble expression on his face, while he bows slowly before Eiden.
“As always, I am but your humble servant,” the ambassador says, sounding as if he were experiencing great pain with every word he spoke. “It is an honor to have you in these halls, oh great Creator.”
“What?!” Flower and Daren both shout at the same time.
“Wait a minute,” Hadrik says. “Creator, as in, the founder of Varathia’s civilization? Is that the Creator we’re talking about, here?”
“I’m surprised that you didn’t know this by now,” Eiden says, with a puzzled expression on his face. “Didn’t Arraka tell you? She was there when it all began, after all.”
There are a few moments of silence, during which we all turn our gaze towards Arraka’s amulet.
“What, didn’t I mention it?” Arraka says. “I guess it must have slipped my mind. Aha- Ahahahahaha!”
“So, you are the Creator that I’ve been hearing so much about,” Golmyck says, while stroking his chin.
“I am indeed!” Eiden says. “And I must say that I am a big fan of your work. I heard that the first thing you did when you moved into the royal castle was to strip it of anything of value, sell everything, and then give the money to the poor. The nobility in all of Varathia had been in an uproar for months after the event. It was a most entertaining spectacle to see!”
“I was always of the opinion that the royal castle belongs not to the royal family, but to the people,” Golmyck says. “I only did what anyone else would have done in my place, if they had been chosen by the people to represent their interests.”
“I think you might be holding too high of an opinion of the people under your rule, king of Thilias,” Eiden says, with a polite smile.
“Creator,” the ambassador says, as he finally musters up the courage to speak again. “I know that your word is law throughout the whole continent of Varathia, but I must insist—”
“The continent of Varathia…” Eiden interrupts him. “You people always called it that, didn’t you? But the size of Varathia is nowhere near the size of any other continent in the world. If anything, it’s more of an island, really. In fact, if I recall correctly, that is how I named this place after the still winter. The island of Varathia. The island of freedom. Why did people start calling this a continent, I wonder? Was it because you felt left out, when you discovered that there was a world outside of Varathia? Was it perhaps to satisfy your own egos, fooling yourselves into believing that you could compare with the civilizations from the other continents?”
“Creator, please,” the ambassador says. “I don’t know what your affiliation is with these mages, but they have done us a great harm. A life has been lost that can never be replaced. It would be most tragic if the victim’s killers were to be simply set free.”
“Oh?” Eiden says, with an evil smile. “And what if I told you that I was in fact the one who gave them the ability to hurt the people of Varathia?”
The ambassador is now sweating even harder than before, and he seems to be too afraid to give Eiden an answer. Seeing the expression on his face, Eiden starts to laugh.
“Do not worry, ambassador,” he says. “I never suggested that they should be set free. However, I believe we can all agree that an execution would be a dull way for such powerful mages to meet their demise.”
“What do you… have in mind, then?” the ambassador asks.
“The arenas, of course!” Eiden says. “Have them thrown in the arena, and if they somehow manage to survive until the end, then it will mean that the gods have seen fit to acquit them of their crimes. The rules of the arenas state that you may not use magic during fights, so they won’t get any unfair advantage over any of the other gladiators. There are even magic detectors placed all around the fighting area, to make sure that there’s no cheating.”
“Yes, but,” the ambassador says, “if they somehow manage to survive, the king of Ollendor will—”
“Are you trying to say that the fabled arenas of Varathia, the pride of your ‘continent’, are not enough to stop a mere handful of mages that can’t even cast any spells?” Eiden says, with a wicked smile.
“No…” the ambassador says. “No, of course not…”
The ambassador stops for a few seconds, to clear his thoughts.
“Very well, then,” he says, finally. “The criminals will face their sentence in the arena. But I will oversee the proceedings personally. I want to make sure that nothing goes wrong.”
“Of course, ambassador,” Golmyck says. “The arenas are yours, for the duration of these events.”
The ambassador pauses again.
“Three days,” he says. “In three days, I will arrange the greatest arena event in the whole history of Varathia. Until then, the criminals are to be locked in the cells beneath the arena of Thilias, along with the other gladiators.”
“It is settled, then!” Eiden says. “I look forward to seeing what you will have in store for us, ambassador. I will be seeing you again on the day of the main event. Do not disappoint me.”
With these last words, Eiden teleports out of the room, without a trace, as he always does.
“You criminals are coming with me,” the ambassador says. “I don’t want you roaming the streets and putting any more innocent lives in danger.”
“Actually, ambassador,” Golmyck says, “I would like to have a word with them in private first, if you don’t mind. I’ll be sure to have one of my servants escort them to their cells shortly afterwards.”
“Hmph,” the ambassador says. “Do what you will. I’m not planning to waste any more time here. I’ve got business to attend to. Just make sure that they’re all in their cells by midnight.”
The ambassador then walks away from us and out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him on his way out.
“Alright, then,” Golmyck says, as he gets up from his throne. “Follow me. I’d rather not have our discussion in this dull place. I am now going to lead you to my real castle, where we can talk to our heart’s content, until it is time to lead you to the arena.”
“What makes you think that we’ll simply agree to be led to the arena?” I say.
“Well, you are free to resist arrest, of course,” Golmyck says. “But that would also result in your immediate disqualification from the tournament. Is this what you want?”
I open my mouth to say something, but I can’t think of any clever retort to give him. Instead, I choose to remain silent.
“Of course it isn’t,” Golmyck says, answering his own question. “I do not know what any of your reasons or motivations for coming here might have been, but I would imagine tha
t if they were strong enough to make you want to risk your lives in a tournament like this, then you would definitely not let such a minor obstacle stand in your way. If it helps, then you can consider this arena as an extra qualification round, of sorts. To get you warmed up for the main event. Now, where was that hidden lever, again?… Ah, yes, here it is!”
The gnome reaches behind the throne with his right hand, and he pulls on a lever. This causes one of the stone blocks forming the floor in front of us to move aside by itself, revealing a hidden staircase that leads to the lower levels of the castle.
“Barry, I leave the throne room in your care until I return,” Golmyck says.
“What?…” I say.
“Yes, your highness,” the king’s servant says, almost at the same time as me.
“Oh, my apologies,” Golmyck says, after he realizes the confusion he’s created. “I was talking to my servant. He is also named Barry.”
He then turns to face all of us.
“Alright, this way, if you please!” Golmyck says, as he starts to go down the stairs.
The rest of us exchange a few looks, and then we follow the gnome, until we reach an underground room filled with machine parts and prototypes, as well as various tools that seem to have been thrown around randomly after their use. In the middle of the room, there is a workbench on top of which we can see a large device that looks like a bigger version of Daren’s transmitters, with a green light at the bottom.
When we entered the room, Golmyck was in the process of taking off his mantle and crown, and putting on the oil stained lab coat that we saw him wear earlier, when he appeared on the hologram. Now that I look around more closely, I realize that this is in fact the exact room that he was transmitting from, and that the device on the workbench is likely the one that he’d finished fixing, right before the transmission.
“Welcome to my castle inside my castle,” Golmyck says. “I found this secret room shortly after moving in here, and I quickly decided to take advantage of the large unused space in order to set up my new workshop. I haven’t really been tinkering with devices as often as I would have liked since I became king, but I find that this place always relaxes me after a heated discussion such as the one that I had with the ambassador earlier.”
“You said that you had something you wanted to discuss with us in private?” Daren says.
“Yes, I did,” Golmyck says. “Let’s start with your giant friend over there, who is currently shapeshifting into a dwarf.”
“Damn it!” Hadrik says. “I should have known that it was all too good to be true. Is this the part where you kick me out of the tournament?”
“Of course not!” Golmyck says. “The rules of the tournament never explicitly stated that giants were not allowed in the tournament. We only avoided inviting giants to this contest because of the overwhelming advantage you would get from both your size and your strength. However, given that you have willingly shrunk yourself to the size of a dwarf, we have decided to make an exception in your case. You will be permitted to participate in this tournament, as long as you do not shapeshift yourself into anything bigger than what would normally be possible for a dwarf. And also, since you seem to be so fond of your dwarf form, this is how you will present yourself to all other participants from now on. I don’t want any of the other mages finding out that you are in fact a giant. Are we clear?”
“As clear as can be!” Hadrik says, grinning happily.
“Well, in that case, you are free to go!” Golmyck says. “I no longer have any business to discuss with you.”
“You mean I’m free to go to the arena, or…”
“No, I mean that you are free to carry on with the first round of the tournament,” Golmyck says. “Unlike your friends, you were not present at the scene of the crime, so there is no reason for us to incarcerate you. There is no need for you to go into the arena.”
“The hell there isn’t!” Hadrik shouts. “Do you think I came all the way here to go looking for pinecones? I came here to fight, damn it! I swear, if you don’t let me fight in this arena, I’m going to start thrashing the whole neighborhood until your guards throw me in there themselves!”
“Well, if you insist, then I can write a letter of admission for you, which you can give to the guards at the arena’s entrance,” Golmyck says. “They’ll be sure to let you in once they see the royal seal.”
“Perfect!” Hadrik says. “Much obliged!”
“Should I also be writing a letter for the girl and the banshee over there?” Golmyck says, as he looks towards Flower.
“Uh, well—” Flower starts to say, but Illuna interrupts her.
“No, we’re fine,” she says, as the girl’s eyes turn blue. “We’ll watch the show from the spectator seats.”
“Very well,” Golmyck says. “Then I’ll be sure to provide you with a ticket.”
“I see you’ve done your homework,” Hadrik says. “I didn’t think you’d also know about Illuna.”
“My spies have been instructed to be extra vigilant when it comes to mages from other continents,” Golmyck says. “They’ve been keeping a close eye on you ever since you entered the city.”
“Does this mean that they were also watching us when we attacked the noble?” Daren says.
“Yes…” Golmyck says. “This is the second reason why I wanted to speak to you in private. First of all, I would like to offer you an apology. I imagine that the scene you witnessed that day must have been quite shocking for outsiders like yourselves.”
“You don’t sound like you approve of what was happening with the slave girl,” Kate says.
“I do not,” Golmyck says. “I personally find that the way our society treats slaves is sickening, and that we are all responsible in a way for allowing this system to continue. I, myself, am not much better than my predecessors, because I’ve barely done anything conclusive to address the problem since I moved into this castle.”
“But why?” Daren asks. “Why haven’t you done anything? You are the king. You could do so much to help these people…”
“Look up there,” Golmyck says, as he points towards a metal device hanging from the ceiling.
“What about it?” Daren asks, after he gives the device a cursory glance.
“What you see over there is an invention of my own making, with the sole purpose of blocking communication towards the outside,” Golmyck says. “I installed it here shortly after my arrival to the castle.”
“You’re saying that someone could be trying to listen to our conversation?” I say.
“Oh, they are most certainly trying!” Golmyck says. “You might not have noticed, but the room above us is littered with dozens of hidden devices, made for spying on conversations. Make no mistake, I am not the only person with an information network in this city. And the control I have over my kingdom is in fact a lot more limited than you might think.”
“And who are these people that are keeping tabs on you, exactly?” Hadrik asks. “The other kings?”
“Yes, in a way,” Golmyck says. “The ones in charge of keeping an eye on me are a group of lessathi who are allies with the other kings, but who work independently. They control a vast underground network of spies and assassins who rival my own, and their purpose is to make sure that I don’t take too many initiatives that might ‘endanger’ the future of Varathia. If I try to take a decision as bold as freeing all of the slaves in my city, I may well get assassinated even before I manage to sign the decree.”
“So, you’re just going to stand here and do nothing, then?” Daren asks.
“Not at all,” Golmyck says. “In fact, I have been working for years to improve our relations with the animal kingdom for this exact purpose. Their territories have been getting smaller and smaller due to the increasing number of monster attacks in recent years, so their negotiators have become a little less rigid lately. I promised to provide them shelter within our walls, on the condition that they help us clear the lessathi threat fr
om our city. I will have a meeting in this very room with one of the representatives of the animal kingdom in a few days, where we will discuss this exact topic. If everything goes well, it is very likely that we will be reaching an agreement in the next few months.”
“So, what you’re trying to say here is that you’ve got everything under control, and that we should no longer interfere?” Hadrik asks.
“Yes, exactly,” Golmyck says. “I wanted to make sure that you were aware of the whole situation, in case you’d be tempted to do something rash again.”
“A few months is too long,” I say. “Maybe we can take care of your lessathi problem, instead.”
“Oh?” Golmyck says, while stroking his chin. “And do you speak for your entire team, when you are making this proposal, young lessathi? Or do you only speak for yourself?”
The gnome’s words took me off guard. While we’ve already been travelling together for a week, I’m not sure if everyone would agree to join me on this potentially suicidal mission.
As I stand there, and try to think of an answer to give the gnome, Daren takes my side, and he puts his hand on my shoulder.
“He speaks for me as well,” Daren tells Golmyck.
“And for me,” Hadrik says, as he steps forward. “After hearing what happened to the slave girl, yesterday, I would be more than happy to teach these bastards a lesson, if they are the ones responsible for what’s going on in this city.”
“Interesting,” Golmyck says, and then he turns towards Kate. “What about you, artificial mage? Are you volunteering for this mission as well?”
“These lessathi you spoke of…” Kate says. “Do you know if they are working with other artificial mages? Is there a woman called Diane, who controls electricity, helping them?”
“As far as I know, the lessathi from my city are not using any mages as bodyguards,” Golmyck says. “My spies would have certainly found out by now, if there were any other artificial mages in Thilias.”
“I see…” Kate says, and she pauses for a few seconds. “Even if Diane is not in this city, there is still a chance that the lessathi might know something about her current whereabouts. If you’re all planning to storm their headquarters anyway, then I’m coming as well.”
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