Ch 99. Intermission

Antiam, Stromgar Capital

The clacking of horseshoes echoed out across the well paved stone street as a column of mounted knights made their way through the packed and decorated streets. Each soldier adorned with heavy armor, bright white in color and polished enough so as to catch the light as they moved, the metal plates shining like polished porcelain, dazzling white broken up only by deep red of their vermillion tabards; the decorative cloth they wore over the armor to show their status as the king's personal soldiers. 

The jostling of armor from hundreds of men moving through the wide open streets ran together like a river of sound, impressing upon the crowds of watching citizens just how powerful their kingdom really was, while young maidens in white followed the procession with baskets of colored petals that they scattered to the crowd. The air filling with flowers and the ringing of bells as churches signaled the military's victorious return. 

"Glory to the king! Our great leader, vanquisher of beasts, savior of the people, and first of the realm, has today duly declared today, this evening as the King's day! In celebration of his majesty's conquest of the Antalushian beastlands a feast will be held in his honor!" A crier declared to the curious crowd, only for the same message to be echoed further down the street by a man with an identical job, spreading the good news to the people about the military's success. 

Of course, their success had already been a foregone conclusion. Under their king, Stromgar had seen nothing but victory after victory against the beast kingdoms. But even if such celebrations had become commonplace, for the citizens it hadn't grown old at all. They led tough lives, and these parades and celebrations were a source of great pride for those who had none. Commoners filled the streets, filled the alleyways, and dozens climbed the buildings to catch a view as the procession thundered by in perfect unison.

A roar coming over the crowd as their King came into view, surrounded by knights in white armor and crimson tabards who peered silently out at the crowd, surveying with a cold and unfeeling gaze that remained hidden behind their mask-like helmets, each shaped so as to appear as if they had the head of a lion; drawing inspiration from the royal symbol. 

Their beloved king sitting behind them upon a great golden throne, the throne centered upon a massive yet still ornately decorated marble platform. The platform itself lurched forward unsteadily, as rather than being drawn about like a carriage, it was instead being carried by great lumbering beasts. Four lion-headed 'were-beasts', struggling below with labored breaths as they struggled to bear the massive weight above them. Great irons, like those used to anchor a ship, wrapped their arms, legs, and neck. The massive lion-headed monsters demonstrating the power contained in their bodies with each step that shook the earth. The eyes of these once proud beasts showing nothing but humiliation and defeat, the heads of their men being proudly displayed behind them alongside the women of their lands, beastkin of all sorts forming a massive line stretching through the city, and even out the gates as they were shown for all to see.

The king looking out upon his subjects with the same cold eyes as his knights, unmoved in the slightest. Beastkin, human, it made no difference to him, they all existed solely for his own enjoyment. And enjoy them he did. You would never be able to do things like this in the real world, but here? What difference did it make. This wasn't Earth, and none of these people were real. When he selected his God, he specifically did so because of the dark theme, and it seems the others sent to this world alongside him were also having the same idea. 

A bird above watching the king from thousands of feet up, suddenly dove, screeching to a halt and landing besides the king with grace. Revealing the bird was actually a man, dressed in black feathers, and wearing the mask of a raven. Vials of ominously glowing liquid corked into vials and secured around his waist, but no real weapons in sight, aside from his overly long nails, twisted and black that extended from his fingertips. 

Despite the man's sudden appearance and threatening visage, the king looked no different from before. 

"You've metsss the newcomer, so what'ssss your impression?" The crow-like man asked, his voice coming out in a strange hiss. 

"I won't say he's useless... but he's undeniably going with an enhancement build. Unimaginative." The king said, speaking with a tinge of boredom. As if neither the flying man, nor the crowd of millions were enough to catch his attention. 

"That'ssss too bad." The crow said, shaking his beak-like mask, before digging through a pouch at his side. 

"At leastsss he can help with finding these," handing over a transparent crystalline dagger that the king simply held for a few moments, examining it to confirm the genuine nature of the item. 

Beckoning over one of his guards, who dismounted his horse and obediently climbed up the platform, standing deathly still as the king plunged the knife into the knight. The dagger slipping through his armor like butter, and drinking the blood thirstily as the knight stood by passively, letting it happen as his body shriveled and dried. Eventually falling over into the former husk of a man. 

The dagger in the king's hand glowing with an ominous scarlet liquid that filled it like it was a bottle, not a drop of blood to be seen on the outside. 

"Well, that makes eight now. Just the phylactery and the shield remaining now. I'd love to see what the quest reward is."

"Hatessss this quest, I do." 

The king just nodded in agreement, "Raiding ancient ruins is fine and all, but the problem is we don't even know where these ruins are, or which ones have what we're looking for. thirty years, thirty long years spent looking for these damn items." Letting out a tired sigh. 

"Kingdom building is fine and all, but it starts to grow old after a while. I want to see some new areas." Looking at the birdman with a hint of envy. 

"Sometimes I wish I had your abilities, flying wherever you want. Being a king is no fun."

"Liarsssss, you've seen more than any of us. With that ability of yourssss." A long slippery tongue flickering out of the beak-like mask for a brief moment.

"Living vicariously is not the same as experiencing it yourself, I want to see things for myself." The king shot back. 

"I wouldn'tssss know... I'll be leaving now, have fun, Bael." The crow-like man finished talking, hunching over and unfurling his wings before leaping off the platform as if he had somewhere to go.

Leaving the king, Bael, on his own to enjoy the rest of the parade and feast in his honor.

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Kaguro

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This is the Arc 2 intermission chapter, I will add an additional page today for character artwork.