The high of what had just transpired didn’t leave Trevor’s system as they were led to the elevator. Lailah hummed to herself as they descended lower into the castle, unable to keep still. He and Adabelle stood behind the elf, giving each other glances they couldn’t help while her tail seemed to swing more favorably in his direction.

“And stopping now,” Lailah informed as she released the lever.

The elevator lurched to a stop, and she opened a door labeled “To The Throne Room” before heading out at a fast pace, and the two quickly followed into a large hallway with a high ceiling.

Paintings that had to be nearly fifteen feet tall lined the walls and Trevor could see the names of the kings underneath, noting that they were all King Eskretet with a number after them. They were regal looking figures, but he could immediately tell they weren’t related to each other. Some were humans, others elves, and one was a minotaur. As the curious trend continued the longer they walked through the hallway, something clicked in his head.

“Are all the kings Summoned?” he asked.

Lailah laughed. “Picked up on that, did you?” she asked, looking at the wall of paintings. “Yes. It’s a special ritual done after the liberation of Eskretet. If you look carefully, you can see that their tattoo is around each of their heads like a crown. Well, when the hair isn’t blocking it.”

Trevor looked back and saw that this was true. It was hard to see on those who weren’t showing it off, but there was a tattoo that went down just under most of their hairlines. He suddenly had an urge to figure out what Adabelle’s tattoo looked like, but knew this wasn’t the time or place.

“How does that work out?” he asked instead.

“Fairly well, actually,” Lailah shrugged. “I’m sure Apprentice Addy here knows more than me about it, so you should ask her if you want to know the details.”

When Trevor looked to Adabelle, she nodded. “The ritual is the most heavily guarded secret in the country,” she said. “Only the king knows it, and it’s one of his last acts. Every five years, another king is summoned, and something happens to the old one.”

“Something?” Trevor asked, arching an eyebrow. “That sounds ominous.”

“Nothing bad, from what we understand,” Adabelle continued. “In exchange for their service to the people and taking on the name Eskretet, they’re rewarded by the Quest Master. Either another chance to live their life on their original world, or reincarnated there, or they get to live in a place of their choosing. I’ve never heard of a king being anything but excited by the end of their reign. Sad they’re leaving, maybe, but ready for new horizons.”

“Why Summoned, though?”

“You can blame the old nobility for that,” Lailah answered. “After the city was liberated from a tyrant, there were a lot of grabs for power and it looked like things were going to go right back to the way they were. From what the tales tell, some shady figure came by and made deals with them all, promising them power and prestige. Let him summon the king as a puppet, then they can take care of all their wheeling and dealing in the background.”

“Something tells me there wouldn’t be a festival for that alone,” Trevor stated. “I’m assuming that’s not what actually ended up happening.”

“It’s not,” the elf said with a smirk. “Whatever ritual the man had used, it bound the king to one goal: make Lucent a better place for all living in it.”

“The ritual is supposedly very selective, gathering heroes who deserve a second chance or people who made great strives towards the betterment of their own society,” Adabelle explained. “They’re supposed to be neutral towards the country at first so they can look at it objectively, and then do their job from there.”

“Sounds like a pretty sweet gig,” Trevor whistled.

“It has its ups and downs. Being king isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and there’s a lot of governing involved both good and bad,” Adabelle said. “Generally, it’s better to be the king than someone else, but it’s a lot more nuanced than we see from the outside.”

“Oh, for sure,” Trevor said with a nod. “I’m glad that things work out for everyone, though.”

“It’s very different, but that’s not a bad thing,” Lailah stated before stopping at an intersection.

Trevor’s eyes were drawn towards a set of giant wooden doors that were nearly as tall as the hallway. A red carpet with gold trim rolled from the doorway to what looked like a castle entrance, and guards holding spears were standing on either side. They hadn’t reacted until Lailah had stopped, both looking at the group when they did.

While Trevor was enamored by the craftsmanship, Adabelle was looking around. “No other royal guests?” she asked, nudging Lailah.

“He wanted to see you early,” she said with a smile and a shrug. Clearing her throat, she looked back to the guards. “I present to you the delegation from Tosa, Lady Adabelle and messenger boy." Trevor chuckled, having already gotten a good grasp of Lailah's character and taking no offense, though Adabelle seemed to have trouble with her lack of formality.

“Mister Trevor Anderson,” Adabelle corrected loudly, glaring lightly at the elf, who only grinned back in return. “Lady Adabelle and Mister Trevor Anderson.”

“Of course, Lady Adabelle,” the closest guard said. “The king is expecting you. Please, enter.”

The two guards raised their spears and tapped them on the ground simultaneously. A second passed before the doors began opening inwards, revealing the throne room.

It was incredibly large, and Trevor had to guess that it took up a good portion of the castle’s ground floor. Columns lined the room on either side with statues of past kings between them. Lailah started leading them down the red carpet, and the doors closed automatically.

At the very end of the room were a set of stairs leading up to a throne. It was made of the same white stone that the castle was, and looked fairly uncomfortable for someplace a king was supposed to sit. Regardless of its perceived comfort, the king did sit upon it.

Trevor found himself standing up a little straighter at the sight of the man on the throne. He looked to be middle aged, perhaps forty or so, with a strong goatee and jawline. His pale head was bald on top, clearly showing off a laurel-like crown tattoo that announced he was a Summoned. The clothes he wore were fine, matching the red and gold carpet, and he held a golden scepter in his hand.

Lailah led them to about ten feet away from the raised throne and knelt on one knee. This part of the greeting was something that Adabelle had taught Trevor, and they both mimicked the act.

“Presenting the delegation from Tosa,” she announced loudly, her voice echoing through the room. “Lady Adabelle Ramansa Katine gen Halvsar and Mister Trevor Anderson of Earth.” Trevor released a breath he hadn’t realized he held as he was introduced properly this time.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“And that is enough of the formalities,” the king said as he stood up. “Jackson would have barged in here to see me, offer no apologies, and leave in a hurry. I’m happy to see that you have more decorum than he, but I have always had a soft spot for the old elf. Please, stand and be at ease.”

His voice was deep, soothing, and seemed to be merry. Trevor immediately felt more at ease despite the circumstances. Lailah was the first to stand, and she walked towards the raised throne. Instead of walking up it, like he had thought she would, the elf sat down on one of the steps in the corner. Her action drew the young man’s attention, because a woman he hadn’t noticed yet was already sitting there.

She had pale, delicate features, though he could only see half of her face through her curly orange hair. Two long, fox-like ears came out of the top of her head, and three bushy tails the same orange color sprouted out of the bottom of her back. The woman wore metal armor that was so shiny it gleamed in the light, and looked exasperated when Lailah sat next to her.

“You know I hate it when you do that, Lai,” the woman spoke quietly, like her voice couldn’t carry very far. “How am I supposed to protect King Eskretet if you keep drawing attention to me?”

“No one’s here but us, and it’s just our sister visiting, Griffin,” she said calmly.

“And a member of her delegation,” the woman named Griffin added.

“He’s just a messenger,” Lailah said with a shrug.

“Ladies,” the king chided lightly.

“Your majesty,” Griffin said quietly before scowling at Lailah.

“Your majesty,” Lailah said happily before grinning at Griffin.

Trevor looked up to see that Adabelle was already standing, and quickly joined her. He glanced at King Eskretet in time to see him smiling warmly at the two women sitting on the stairs. Between the voice and that look, he could tell exactly the quality of person the Quest Master summoned for the position.

“Now that decorum has been thoroughly thrashed,” his majesty said slowly before descending from his throne. “It truly is a pleasure to see you again, Lady Adabelle. I hope that Mayor Jackson has not been giving you too hard of a time?”

“Nothing that I can’t handle,” she said, smiling. “It’s good to see you again as well, your majesty.”

The king looked to Trevor, who somehow managed to stand even straighter, and smiled. “You can relax, young man.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Trevor said, though he found that he couldn’t.

“You are a recent Summoned, no?”

“About…” Trevor paused. “Less than a month now, but closing in. I think.”

“How are you liking life in Lucent?”

“I really only have Tosa to speak on, but it’s been extraordinarily pleasant,” Trevor said, unable to keep himself from giving Adabelle a quick glance. “I’m really happy there.”

“That is fantastic to hear, young man,” the king said. Giving Trevor a slight nod, which was returned with a reflexive bow, and he turned his attention back to Adabelle. “And how is the old man?”

“Retiring, but still seems as healthy as he ever has,” the woman stated. “He insisted that I come and tell you myself, as was the proper way to do things.”

“Setting a precedent, no doubt,” the king said as he nodded. “He has done more for Lucent and its people than most will know, myself included, but he really only fell on formality when it was absolutely necessary. I had planned on extending that courtesy to future mayors, but perhaps that’s not what he wants. What do you believe as his apprentice?”

“It’s likely, your majesty,” Adabelle admitted after thinking it over. “Even though the beginning of my training had been informal, I realized that he had started pushing me more towards the proper way to do things for some time now. It makes me think he’s been planning this for a long time, and doesn’t want his successors to get as comfortable as he did.”

“And how do you feel about that, Mayor Adabelle?” the king asked.

Adabelle’s eyes widened, and she stood up a little taller at the address. “I believe that’s fine, your majesty,” she said stiffly.

“Then it shall be as you’ve decided,” the king replied with a smile and a nod. “This will likely be the last chance that we’ll be able to talk so freely, then, unless you return to us as an adventurer and regain those special privileges. If there’s anything you’d like to say before our meeting is over, please, feel free.”

“Nothing that cannot wait for a few minutes,” she claimed before gesturing to Trevor. “Though, we do come bearing a gift. Trevor?”

“Right away, Lady Adabelle,” the young man stuttered out. He wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but he knew how to do this part. Putting his arms out at what he thought was the the right dimensions, he summoned Jackson’s painting into his hands.

Trevor could no longer see anyone other than Adabelle thanks to the large painting, but he saw her become guarded just as he heard Griffin stand and take a step. This was followed by what sounded like a slap on the back of the head, followed by Lailah’s voice. “I told you he was a messenger, don’t get all heated just because he did something you didn’t expect.”

“This is magnificent!” the king exclaimed, his voice full of cheer. “Did he paint this himself?”

“He did,” Adabelle confirmed.

“Marvelous, simply marvelous. Lailah, will you please take this for me?”

“Of course.” Lailah’s footsteps could be heard, and the painting was taken from him gently. As the elf held it, Trevor could see the admiration on the king’s face.

[[Quest 1 complete! The king loves his new painting!

You came a long way to get here, but your job is still not done. There are still deliveries to be made, but it’s probably not best to start running away from a king to get your level up fix. Though, speaking of which…

Level Up! You have gained one (1) stat point. It has been added to your bank, which has one (1) stat points left. Go ahead and splurge on something that isn’t Capacity for once, you deserve it.]]

Trevor couldn’t help but smile, but that’s all he did. He wasn’t about to increase his stats right here in front of the king; even if this was a less than formal meeting, that still seemed like poor decorum to him.

His majesty watched the painting for a few seconds longer before looking back at Adabelle. “Would you join me for tea before my daily meetings start, Lady Adabelle?” he asked. “I would like to discuss some things with you privately.”

“Just me, your majesty?” she asked.

“Well, Griffin will no doubt be around, as she always is, but yes.”

Adabelle looked at Trevor, and he gave her a thumbs up. “No worries, I’ll take care of the other quests and it’s not like I won’t be able to find my way back here,” he said.

“Very well,” she replied, smiling. “Yes, your majesty, I would love some tea.”

“Excellent,” the king said, clapping his hands together once. “Young man, it was a pleasure to meet you as well. Perhaps, next time, you might feel a little more comfortable.”

Trevor froze before bowing and chuckling nervously. “I apologize for any rudeness, your majesty.”

“No, you are fine,” the king said, dismissing Trevor’s worry. “Lailah, will you escort Mister Trevor out while you tuck that painting away?”

“Of course, your highness,” she responded around the painting before walking past him. “Come along now, messenger boy.”

“I’ll see you later,” he whispered to Adabelle before bowing to the king and Griffin. Turning on his heel, he marched out with Lailah.

The doors opened as they approached, and closed after they went through. Trevor immediately let out a sigh of relief as he finally relaxed, setting his hands on his knees.

“A bit intense there, messenger boy?” Lailah teased.

“More than a bit, but yeah,” he agreed. His candor seemed to throw her for a loop, and he laughed as he stood up straight. “Alright, I need to change and I need to make another delivery. Is there a good way to get out of here from the suite?”

“Right to work, is it?” she asked.

“If I’ve got a job to do, then I’m going to do it right.”

“Not an adventurer, but still a man of action. I don’t mind it,” Lailah stated. “Alright, come with me. I’ll get you back to your room, and while you’re changing I’ll set this thing where it belongs. After that I can lead you out.”

“Sounds good, Lady Lailah. Thank you,” Trevor said with a smile. As the elven woman started walking, he gave the oversized doors one last glance before he followed.