Touch Of Fate 266 Prologue: Another Party?

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Instructor Johnathan asked. "With all you've done for this country, you could ask for pretty much anything and they'll give it to you. I'm sure money will come during the awards ceremony tomorrow, but land, t.i.tles, resources, positions of authority? You would have to remain here if you wanted to enjoy them."

His gaze s.h.i.+fted over the mult.i.tude of n.o.bles, generals, and dignitaries that were attending the celebration banquet before settling on the knot of courtiers surrounding Princess Andrea. "You could even take the throne for yourself, provided you marry into the royal family."

"I get what you are trying to say, but I've already made up my mind." Mike replied, finally getting a chance to enjoy the gla.s.s of wine he'd been carrying for the last half hour. He'd been mobbed by so many fans and well-wishers wanting to shake his hand and offer their own variations of thanks that he'd not had a chance to even sample the vintage.

"That's too bad." The older man replied with a sharp grin. "From what I understand, Her Highness would be amendable to that kind of arrangement. It would be good for you, too. I can say from personal experience, that there are few things as fulfilling as a good marriage."

Mike shot his instructor a disbelieving look, before shaking his head, "If that's all that's required to be happy, then I'm a lucky man indeed. I can't count the number of marriage proposals I've received over the last few days. It seems that virtually every unmarried woman in the country is after me."

"Probably some of the married ones, too." Johnathan replied drily. "Well, that's what you get for being both the youngest person in recorded history to achieve Tier 4, and the man who saved the country from certain destruction several times over. I'd be more concerned if there wasn't a bevy of young ladies line up to try and seduce you. Even now, the only thing keeping them from coming over here is your beastman friend and his small army of thugs he somehow managed to bring to this event."

Chuckling, Mike glanced over at Brenden, who was engaged in a rather heated argument with a young n.o.blewoman bearing one of the most ridiculously complex hairstyles he'd ever seen. "Got to thank him for that."

The pair lapsed into silence for a few moments as they enjoyed the view from the palace balcony. Judging from the noise and light still erupting sporadically throughout the city, the victory celebrations were very much still going on despite the late hour.

"So, to the Riverlands, is it?" Johnathan finally spoke up.

"At first. I have a bit of business to take care of there, but I'll probably do some traveling after I'm done. I've never seen much outside of the central continent, so this seemed like a good chance to change that."

"Fair enough. I think you'll enjoy the Riverlands. They are a strange bunch over there, and each city-state has its own peculiar traditions, but they're pretty much harmless. From there, it's really a question of where you want to go first. The Inland Sea Region is pretty much a big circle, so all you have to do is pick a direction and start traveling. Although, I'd avoid Lacot if I were you. They probably wouldn't do anything to you now that you're Tier 4, but it's not worth the risk."

Mike snorted at the thought. "I'll keep that in mind."

Any further discussion was cut off as a group of n.o.blewomen broke through Brenden's cordon. His followers looked on helplessly as they pushed past, calling their bluff.

Johnathan noticed first and responded quickly, "Well, that's my cue to leave. Let me know before you depart and I'll come to see you off."

"Hey, at least help me out-" He started to protest before he was overwhelmed by a wave of perfumed n.o.blewomen.

"Sir Dragonknight! I've be longing to for a chance to meet-"

"My Lord! You are more impressive in person-"

"Hey handsome, I know of a secluded closet near here-"

It took him several more minutes, and a surrept.i.tious use of Air Magic to free himself again.

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Brenden couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Mike escape over the side of the balcony. As someone who found himself in a similar situation, albeit with a much different crowd, it amusing to watch his friend's discomfort.

His task a complete failure, he returned to the group's table.

"Ugh...would you look at those desperate hussies." Sera scoffed in irritation as soon as he sat down. "Making fools of themselves over him. They should know better."

Brenden sighed. "Consider it from their perspecive. To them, he's a Tier 4 mage who was single-handidly responsible for saving the country from certain doom. At the same time, he's the most accomplished healer to have graced this continent in recent memory, a member of a legendary order thought to have been pushed to extinction centuries ago, and will be the recipient of rewards that would allow him and most of his descendants to live in luxury for the forseeable future. On top of all that, he's still unmarried and has no established fiancee. Are you really surprised that they are acting like this?"

Sera glared at him for a moment, but finally shook her head. "No, not really...I'm sure their under a lot of pressure from their families, too. But just because I understand why they are doing it, doesn't mean I have to approve of their behavior."

He shrugged. "I suppose I can't blame you for that."

Tal, for her part remained silent through the exchange, too busy eating from a plate full of apertifs she'd acquired when he wasn't paying attention. Based on her expression alone, it was difficult to tell if she was enjoying herself, but he eventually figured that she must be, based on the amount of focus she was giving the food. Unlike Mike, he'd never been able to divine the elf's emotional state purely by observation, and he often wondered if there was some trick to it that he hadn't figured out yet.

Brenden took a sip from his gla.s.s of wine, before setting it down with mild disappointment. It had a complex and slightly abrasive taste that left him feeling like all the moisture had been drawn out of mouth. It was the kind of flavor that rich people seemed fond of for some reason, and they spent exhorbitant amounts on bottles that tasted just like this. He, on the other hand, had always preferred the sweeter ones.

"So, you really aren't going with us?" Sera asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

For a second, he wasn't really sure how to respond. "I...I can't." He focused his gaze back down at the wine gla.s.s, not wanting to look either of his friends in the face. "There are things I have to do here. People who are depending on me. I can't just leave them."

Silence descended on the table for a few moments, before Tal broke in. "Understand. Hard choice." She rested a hand on his and gave him what he thought was supposed to be a warm gaze. "Still friends."

"Yeah, don't let that whole Duke of Thieves thing go to your head." Sera added gruffly, face turned away from him. "You're one of us, first and foremost."

"It's King of...well, whatever. I know, and I fully intend to rejoin you eventually, it's just...I have a lot of work to do before I feel comfortable leaving these people alone."

In hindsight, it should have been obvious to him from the beginning, but he'd quickly learned that the criminals of Almirn governed themselves with an archaic and woefully convoluted systems of rules and traditions that were only tacitly followed by some of the more conservative members of the underworld. Looking at it from an outside perspective, it was amazing that they hadn't fallen into anarchy years ago.

Revising their codified rules, revitalizing the economies of the slum districts, and managing an organization composed of hundreds of diverse groups founded by practiscing lawbreakers was going to be a monumental challenge. One made more difficult by the fact that Elaine had somehow convinced the majority of the gangs that she was Brenden's representative, and had been abusing the resulting authority for practical jokes.

He'd already had to stop one instance where she'd invented a new holiday called Pie Day, and made the gangs bring freshly bake pies to the council meeting. She'd even turned it into something of a compet.i.tion, awarding a trophy to the group who made the best pie.

Despite everything he thought he knew about the predilictions of criminals, the holiday had taken the underworld by storm, and they were soon buried under a mountain of submissions. It had taken him and his followers close to three days to finally clear the chambers. Unfortunately, nothing could be done for the smell, and he'd been conducting business while surrounded by the aroma of baked apples for most of the last week.

"I haven't forgotten my role in all this, and I swear that I will defintely be there when it's finally time for Mike to face his destiny, but there are other things I have to do first." He finished, feeling better about the decision now that he'd talked about it.

[Besides, I still have to figure out this whole King of Thieves thing. A part of me thinks it might just be the key I've been looking for.]

"Hmph, you'd better be there." Sera replied with a sharp grin. "I'll be depending on you to stand in front of me when the worst comes."

Shaking her head as if to dispel clouding thoughts or emotions, she stood up. "Alright. Now that we've settled that, lets get this party going! Since I'm going to be stuck on the road for who knows how long, I've got to enjoy all this while I have the chance."

Brenden chuckled at her sudden mood swing. "Well, in that case, do you care do dance, milady?" He asked, offering her his arm.

She shot him another fierce grin. "Thought you'd never ask."

--------------------------------

Thanks to his newly enhanced Stealth skill, Mike was able to finally slip away after jumping from the balcony, and was now traveling through the halls of the palace, evading the gyards on patrol. This turned out to be rather easy since Aerosense let him detect the patrols long before they came into view, and his enhanced Agility, coupled with the occasional use of Dark Magic, allowed him to hide until they'd pa.s.sed.

It had been his hope to merely find a place to relax and unwind for a little while before going back to face the crowds. However, he quickly deteced someone trying to follow. Someone who, despite not really carrying any discernable hostility, could keep track of him throuh all this.

He slipped into a side pa.s.sage, one without the magical lighting devices which lined the more frequently used corridors. The purpose of the hallway wasn't clear, but it served his needs quite well. After taking a few dozens steps, he turned and spoke in a calm voice. "Come on out. I know you are there."

Silence reigned for a few moments before a harsh chuckle emerged from the shadows lining the hallway. "As expected of the Hero of Almir. You are just as canny as they say."

A hooded figure stepped out into the light. He was thin, practically ethereal, with most of his features hidden within a volumnious cloak.

A quick Appraise returned a surprising result.

---------------------

Name: T#a$%mu0026

Age: !#5$

Race: %u0026*[email protected]

Cla.s.s: $^7

t.i.tle: @$%^$ of u0026^3diu0026%

----------------------

[Rather than hidden, it seems scrambled somehow. Is this a different method than the one the Broker is using?]

"Want do you want?" Mike asked, summoning his mana and holding it at the ready.

The man raised his hands in a placating manner. "Only to deliver a message. I was just waiting for you to be alone to give it to you. My mistress heared you would soon be travelling by her home, and wished to extend you an invitation. Should you be interested, all the information you need can be found here."

He pulled out a black envelope and with a casual toss, sent it in Mike's direction. Thanks to his heightened reflexes, he was able to Appraise it quickly. Determining that it wasn't enchanted or laced with any detectable poison, he caught it and examined it more closely.

It seemed to be made of a thick parchment, stained a uniform black. On the front, in silver ink, was his full name, written in graceful hand writing. The back was sealed with a heavy dab of silverish wax bearing a strange crest. At its center was a human skull was resting amongst a field of what looked like flowers. Along its edge was a line of strange text his Communication Magic quickly translated as "Honor thy Family, Hold thy Friends, and Cherish thy Enemies."

He glanced up to ask the man for an explaination, but found the corridor empty. There was no sign of where he might have gone.

Mike looked at the evenlope again, before sighing and stuffing it into a pocket.

[These sorts of things are starting to get a bit tiresome.]