Chapter Ten
King Frederick’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and he was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his tone was awed and grateful. “Thank you, Great One, for your sacrifice.”
“I’m not sacrificing anything by taking on that overgrown snake,” I assured the king with a grin. “He’s got it coming, and I’m the one who’s going to bring it to him.”
“What is the it you refer to?” The king blinked in confusion at my odd choice of words.
“Death.” I shrugged. “What else?”
“You sound confident,” the king said in a thoughtful tone. “If you are so eager to kill the beast, what caused you to fail so far?”
“My main goal has always been to protect the people,” I pointed out. “Once the dragon flew away, it was no longer a threat. I didn’t expect to see it in Vallenwood, though, but I think I saw the general direction in which it was heading.”
“At least the trail will be easy to follow,” Riondale interjected. “The destruction will be easy to follow and witnesses easy to find.”
“You’ve got a point,” I said as I scratched my beard. “All we have to do is follow them until we run across the dragon again.”
“It could have a nest somewhere,” Eva mused. “I’m sure it retreated to someplace safe to lick its wounds.”
“It may be easier to kill at the nest,” the king observed. “Especially since it’s already wounded. You will need a powerful weapon to combat it, though, but I may be able to assist you in that regard.”
“What have you got in mind, Your Highness?” I asked in a curious tone.
New weapons were always fun.
“There are legends of the dragons from ages ago,” the king said in a scholarly voice. “My ancestors fought against the fiery beasts, and they handed down a lance that was used against the dragons through generations of my forebears. The weapon is ancient, and it hasn’t been touched in a century, but it could be just the advantage you need.”
“Sounds impressive.” I shrugged and kept my voice casual.
An ancient lance designed to fight against dragons was exactly what I needed, but I didn’t want the king to see me get too excited. Gods always kept their cool, after all.
“I’ll have a servant bring it to your chambers before you leave,” the king said with a pleased expression.
“So, what do I get once I kill this dragon?” I asked. “I think I will be entitled to a reward.”
“What do you have in mind?” the king countered with a patient smile.
I made a new savepoint just in case I asked for too much since I didn’t want to have to redo the entire conversation all over again.
“Kneel before me and accept me as the one, true God of Sorreyal,” I said decisively.
“I accept that you are the God of Time,” the king allowed, “but I kneel before no one. It would undermine my authority and create chaos among the land.”
Well, it was worth a shot.
Chime.
“I will accept a title that equals my standing in the world,” I said. “Being knighted is great and all, but I think king would be more fitting.”
“You wish to usurp my throne?” The king’s eyebrows rose into his hairline, and a hard look crossed his face. “I will bow before no one. You will have to take it by force.”
I didn’t want to start a war, so I reset again.
Chime.
“I need a title of some kind,” I stated in a vague tone. “Any suggestions?”
“If you bring me the head of the dragon,” the king answered in an even tone, “then I would be willing to name you as a duke.”
“I need more power than that in my title,” I persisted. “That would only make me equal to Bullard, after all.”
“Archduke would make you second in command to myself,” the king countered with a twinkle in his eyes. “You would have an army of men at your disposal.”
“Archduke it is.” I nodded.
“Very well,” King Frederick said as he inclined his head. “Once you have returned with the dragon’s head, I will name you as Archduke to all the land.”
“We got a new adventure!” Elissa squealed with delight.
“You will be above my father,” Eva said with hearts in her eyes. “He wouldn’t be able to say a word against you.”
“Not like he’d bother, anyway,” Mahini pointed out in an amused tone. “He’s already terrified of the Great One.”
“It would be my honor to help you pick men for your army,” Riondale offered with a lift of his chin.
“Let’s go tell the other men about our new quest,” Eva suggested, and her gray eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Good idea.” I grinned.
Another quest was exactly what I needed, and my desire to end the conflict with the dragon once and for all blossomed into an obsession. I would kill the beast and return the head to the king, but I’d keep the scales, talons, blood, bones, and anything else useful for myself to experiment with.
Then I would return to Bastianville with my own army and the title of Archduke, and no one in Sorreyal would stand against me.
“If you’ll excuse us, Your Highness,” I said with a small bow of my head. “I need to update my team on our new mission.”
“Very well,” the king replied. “But I’d like to invite you to join me for dinner this evening. Your entire party is welcome, of course.”
“Sounds like fun,” I said, and I waved goodbye to the king before I led my small group back to the west wing of the palace.
The rest of the men were lounging on the couches in the living room when we arrived, and they all stood up to greet us when we came in.
“The Great One has news for you,” Riondale said, and he nodded to me before he stepped to the side.
“The king has tasked us with hunting down the dragon,” I began, “and I’m counting on each of you to help me in my quest. We will leave tomorrow morning, but tonight we are joining the king for dinner.”
“We are going to hunt down the dragon?” Bryn asked with fear in his eyes. “I thought our job with the dragon was done? You scared it off, didn’t you?”
“The dragon is gone for now,” I said with furrowed eyebrows. “But there is no telling when it will return, or what other towns and villages it will destroy in the meantime. Castle Bullard and Vallenwood are both heavily manned with soldiers, but what about the rest of Sorreyal? How many lives will be lost while we wallow in our fear?”
“He’s got a point,” Jorgen said. “Think about your families. Do you want them to live in terror that any day could be their last? Or do you want to follow the Great One to victory?”
“Victory does have a nice ring to it,” Kylor mused with a half-smile.
“We’re behind you, Great One,” Isak and Asher said in unison in the way only twins can.
“You have my sword, as always,” Ian vowed.
“And my axes,” Thanor promised.
“Alright, Gimli,” I snickered.
“Huh?” Thanor tilted his head to the side.
“Never mind,” I said as I turned to Bryn.
“I suppose it’s not as terrifying if you’re with a god,” Bryn allowed, and the look of fear in his eyes had subsided.
“We took an oath to follow your command,” Riondale said in a solemn voice. “I would be honored to fight by your side.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of all of you,” I told the brave men who stood before me. They knew the risk, but they also knew the end result would be worth it.
“So, we’re leaving tomorrow?” Eva asked as she planted a hand on her hip. “Does that mean we have time to spar today?”
A chorus of agreements swept through the men, and Mahini let out one of her melodic laughs.
“I think you’re backed into a corner,” the desert goddess observed. “No way out of it this time, Great One.”
“I wouldn’t even think about trying to get out of it,” I laughed. “Of course, we can spar now. Let’s get geared up.”
“We can use the training grounds in the kingdom guards’ headquarters,” Riondale suggested. “I spoke to the captain of the guard about it yesterday, and the space should be perfect for what we want to do.”
“As long as it’s big enough.” I shrugged. “I’d like to spend some time with the horses and practice fighting from Goliath’s back, too, so the space needs to be big enough to accommodate him.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Riondale assured me.
We all went our separate ways to get our weapons and gear, and then we met up at the entrance to the west wing. Riondale led us through town toward the stables, and it didn’t take me long to saddle up Goliath. Then we crossed through the business district of Vallenwood to reach the military headquarters.
Riondale exchanged a few words with the captain of the city guard, and then the tall, dark-skinned man let us into the building and led us down a long hallway wide enough for my horse to walk beside me. Guards in green tunics and armor passed by us carrying shiny tipped halberds, and they saluted the captain as they passed. No one questioned our presence in the military headquarters, though, so I didn’t need to pull out the god card.
Finally, we entered a humongous room that resembled a football stadium. The room ran hundreds of feet back, and benches along the wall created the stands where the audience could sit. The floor was dirt, and the walls were brick, but the resemblance was uncanny. The only thing missing was the green grass and the goals.
I hitched Goliath to a pole on the edge of the room, and then I returned to the group.
“Would you like me to show you the trick I was telling you about?” Mahini asked Evangeline with a smile.
“Oh, yes, please do,” Eva replied with an enthusiastic nod.
“I’d like you to show me some pointers, also,” Elissa added, and the three girls trotted off to work together.
It pleased me how quickly Mahini and Elissa had accepted Evangeline into the fold, and I was excited to watch the three girls get to know each other in different ways. For now, I was satisfied with watching them practice their weapons together.
I went over my available equipment in my mind. I had my feather sword, Lucian’s sword and shield, the two daggers made for me by Bastianville’s blacksmith, and the curved dagger I’d taken from the sorcerer Raijin Thornheart’s dead body. Then there was my obsidian longbow, and the magic I’d learned from Kane, the Duke of Bullard’s court wizard.
I had a pretty strong arsenal, but my curiosity about the king’s lance hadn’t abated, and I was eager to get some practice in with it so I could look like a total badass on the first try.
The nine men around me all looked eager to get some practice in as well, and when I brought my attention back to the current moment, I realized Riondale was dividing them into groups of two. Jorgen paired up with Asher, Isak was with Corvis, and then the lieutenant put Kylor and Bryn together. When Ian and Thonor became the next set, I was left with Riondale as my partner.
I chuckled to myself at the lieutenant’s eagerness to spar with me, and I shook out my hands and neck to prepare for the practice fight. I made a new savepoint just in case I embarrassed myself, but I’d done so much fighting already, I was sure my skill with my swords and daggers was pretty awesome.
“How do you want to do this?” I asked as I loosened my muscles with some stretches. “Weapon of choice?”
“I’ve been curious about how you use those daggers on your waist,” the lieutenant informed me in an eager tone. “I have a set of my own I want to get better with.”
His humbleness about his own skills surprised me, and I realized his only goal was to learn. The young man looked up to me, and I wanted to be a good role model for him, so I nodded and pulled out the two daggers Jax had made for me.
We circled each other for a moment until Riondale charged forward in a blur of motion. His speed surprised me, but I stayed frozen in place and patiently gripped my daggers. I spotted the stab aimed for my torso, and I blocked it easily with the blade in my right hand, but then I swiveled and aimed my dagger for the lieutenant’s neck.
He leaned back like he was playing limbo, and I relaxed into my standby stance. A glimmer of fear bloomed in his dark eyes, and I reminded myself to hold back a little so I didn’t scare him.
“That was a close one,” the lieutenant observed in a breathless voice as he returned to his ready stance. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“You have to expect everything,” I explained. “Your enemies will not go easy on you, so neither should I. I need you to be in top condition if you’re going to survive the dragon.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, and he lifted his daggers to indicate he was ready to go again.
We continued to go back and forth, but I made sure to let Riondale get close to landing a strike a few times. I reset half a dozen times after I nicked the young man with my blades since I didn’t want him to remember me making any mistakes, but after a while, I got so good at predicting his motions that our daggers were swinging in perfect harmony. Once he was panting and his forehead was dappled with sweat, I let him take a break, and I moved on to my next opponent.
Jorgen stepped up to my area, and the hunter swung a sword around in an arch as he moved into the ready position.
“I’m not as good with a sword as I am with a bow,” he explained when I questioned his weapon of choice. “I need practice with blocking.”
I made a new savepoint before I started to spar with the hunter, and I pulled out my feather sword to counter his.
“We’ll catch you up to speed.” I grinned as I twirled my blade over the back of my hand, and then I caught it in my fist once more.
I only needed to reset twice while I sparred with the hunter, and Jorgen quickly learned some of my techniques while we did our mock battle. I started to grow more aggressive in my attacks, and soon my loyal follower was holding up his hands in surrender.
“You have bested me, Great One,” Jorgen laughed. “Although, I am not surprised.”
“You were learning well,” I complimented. “With a little more practice, you will be as good as I am.”
“That would take me a thousand lifetimes to accomplish,” Jorgen countered.
“You are more correct than you’ll ever guess,” I chuckled to myself.
Next was Corvis, and the quiet equestrian brought a warhammer to the sparring circle. I wasn’t sure what to counter his weapon with, so I went with the biggest one I had for close combat, Lucian’s sword. I swung the deadly blade, and the image of Loser Lord dead on the ground flashed before my mind’s eye. Then I flipped my shield off my back, and I lashed it to my left arm.
“I’m ready,” I said to the horse master as I made a new savepoint. “Bring it on.”
Corvis certainly did bring it, and I was shocked by how much force was behind each of his blows. He swung hard and heavy, and it was all I could do to keep my shield up to block his attacks. I reset after only a few moments, and I started on the offensive the second time around.
I swung Lucian’s sword with all I was worth, and the guardsmen brought up his warhammer to block my attacks. I took the opportunity to bash him with my shield, and the impact staggered him. He scrambled backward, and then he twirled his weapon over his head like it was light as a feather before he brought it down hard against my shield. The vibrations shook my entire arm, and if the shield hadn’t been strapped on, I would have dropped it.
Chime.
I went through the motions with Corvis a few more times, and then I started to get better at predicting his movements. Soon, I was able to sidestep his swings as if they happened in slow motion. The horse master grew more and more frustrated as I got better at playing with him during each new attempt, and his messy brown hair was soon soaked with sweat. Finally, he admitted defeat, and he rested his weapon on the ground.
“Thank you for the workout, Great One,” Corvis said with a grateful smile.
“Any time.” I grinned. “You gave me quite the workout as well.”
“There isn’t a drop of sweat on you, Great One,” the horse master declared in an awed tone.
“Not this time,” I replied in a cryptic manner.
Everyone switched partners again, and I was pitted against Bryn and his large, two-handed sword. I made a new save point, and then we sparred several times before he gave up. Thanor was next, and then Ian, Kylor, Isak, and finally Asher. Each man had his own individual strengths and weaknesses, and it was a full-body workout to defeat them all.
When they’d all gone a round with me individually, I let them catch their breath for a short while, but then I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. Even the girls paused their lessons from Mahini to come to listen, and once all eyes were focused on my face, I made my announcement.
“Alright, I want to play a game,” I said with a dramatic flourish of my hands, and I looked everyone in the eye one at a time. “I have bested you all individually, but now I’d like to take you on as a group. Whoever lands the flat of their blade against my skin wins. If you get tapped with the flat of my blade, then you are out. The last man standing is the ultimate champion.”
“Just to be clear,” Eva said in a curious tone, “does that mean me, too?”
“All of you,” I replied with a nod.
“Oh, you’re going down!” Elissa giggled, and she tapped her mace in the flat of her hand menacingly. “Watch out, you might end up with a dented shield.”
“You can’t possibly want to take us all on at once,” Riondale argued with a shake of his head. “We don’t want to hurt you, Great One.”
“Did anyone manage to hurt me during our individual sparring?” I asked, and I scanned the faces before me in search of the answer I already knew. They all shook their heads, but I wasn’t surprised. I’d beaten every single one of them without getting a scratch on me.
“Alright, so you didn’t get hurt in the one-on-one sessions,” Riondale allowed. “But this is madness, sir.”
“You forget,” I chuckled. “I am the God of Time. You cannot hurt me.”
“Very well,” the young lieutenant said, and he nodded to the rest of the men. “You asked for it.”
“Don’t go easy on me, either,” I requested as I backed away from the group and repositioned my sword in my fist. “Give me all you got.”
I made a new savepoint as Jorgen yelled out a battle cry and lunged toward me.
“Arrgh!” the hunter cried out as he swung his sword in a predictable overhead motion.
I sidestepped it easily, and then I smacked the flat of my blade against his back, and the hunter was out. Next came Riondale, and the young man held a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. He swiveled when he came within reach and tried to attempt an undercut to my back, but I managed to turn with him, and I tapped him on the shoulder with the smooth edge of my feather sword.
He was out, so I turned my attention to the next opponent, and I spun just in time to see Mahini, Eva, and Elissa all attacking me at once. I had to duck to avoid the wild swing of my wife’s mace, and I held my shield up over my head to protect my skull.
Chime.
This time, I managed to get past Jorgen and Riondale even faster, and I spun around to face the three women just in time to avoid the overhead swing of my wife’s mace. Mahini came in toward my side, and I knocked her sword away with mine before I circled behind her. I smacked her on her perky ass cheeks with the flat of my blade, and she sighed in defeat.
I didn’t take any time to savor my small victory, though, because Eva was coming at me with a throwing star in her hand and a look of deadly intent in her smoky-gray eyes. I knew she wanted to be the one to beat me more than any of the others, and therefore it would give me immense satisfaction to knock her on her ass. I dodged one projectile, and then another as I crossed the distance to the duke’s daughter.
“Your aim needs some work,” I informed her as I smacked the flat of my blade against her thigh. “But you certainly looked sexy while you tried.”
“Y-Y-Yes, Great One,” Eva stuttered, and her rosy cheeks were dark with more than just adrenaline.
“Arrrrrgh!” a feminine voice roared from behind me, and I turned to see Elissa charge toward me with the other men at her back.
I dodged my wife’s mace, and it was incredibly satisfying to hear the sound of my sword smacking against her ass as I swiveled around behind her.
“You’re out,” I informed her as I turned to block a blow from Thanor’s two axes.
“Oh, fuck!” my wife giggled. “I came so close, though.”
“I’m proud of youuuu!” I called over my shoulder while I ducked below Ian’s broad sword.
I tapped the two men out after I dodged their attacks, and then I spun through the rest of the men in a blur of motion while I quickly hit them all with the harmless flat of my feather sword. By the time I’d gotten the last man out, my crew was all breathing heavily and leaning on their knees.
I laughed out loud when I took in their sorry state, and I shook my head in amazement at how hard they had tried to best me.
“I’ve got the best damn warriors in Sorreyal at my back,” I informed them in a proud voice. “I’m glad you guys are on my side and not the other way around.”
“I am honored to serve you, Great One,” Riondale assured me with a small bow of his head.
“Aye, aye,” the rest of the men chirped in unison, and even though they all looked exhausted, they all gave me happy smiles.
“Alright, you guys go get cleaned up.” I raked a hand through my hair and yawned. “I’m going to stay and do some range shooting.”
I’d noticed the targets off to the side of the room during my sparring sessions with my men, and I’d been aching to practice with my obsidian bow ever since. I knew the men were tired, though, and I wanted to give them a chance to rest before dinner with the king.
“A bath sounds lovely after all that sweat,” Eva noted as she walked with Mahini and Elissa toward the exit.
“Ooh, did you see the sweet-smelling soap they put out next to the tub?” Elissa asked in an excited voice.
“All the soaps were ridiculously floral,” Mahini said in an annoyed tone. “Why couldn’t they just make regular soap?”
“Because we don’t want to smell like men,” Elissa countered, and she shot me a smile over her shoulder. “See you soon, my love.”
“Yes, see you later, Great One,” Mahini added.
“Don’t take too long,” Eva said with a wink.
Where was that flirtiness when we were alone?
I chuckled to myself as I waved goodbye to the three beautiful women, and then I turned my attention to getting my target range set up. I placed three targets up equal distance from each other at the end of the practice arena, and then I crossed over to the open space on the other side of the humongous room.
My targets were roughly three hundred feet away from me, which was perfect for practicing my dragon killing shots. I got to work with my obsidian bow, and I quickly lost track of time while I released arrow after arrow toward my marks and then chimed so I wouldn’t have to retrieve the arrows.
Eventually, I was putting every arrow within a few inches of each other at three-hundred yards, so I figured I’d gotten as close to as god-like as I could without more instruction, so I practiced doing a few shots while my body was twisted in various positions, and then I did a few running shots with the bow, but those took a lot longer to practice.
Suddenly, as I was contemplating learning how to do a handstand and pull on my bow with my toes like that gymnast girl in the Youtube video, someone behind me cleared their throat, and I spun with a surprised look on my face with an arrow still nocked and drawn in my bowstring. I pointed the arrow tip directly in the face of a servant, and I released my breath in a relieved sigh as I turned my weapon toward the ground.
The man standing before me wore the green tunic trimmed in gold common for all the king’s servants, and he had a curled mustache over his thin lips. The thing I noticed the most, however, was the massive lance he carried.
The long weapon looked uncomfortable in the servant’s arms, so I took it eagerly from him and moved it around experimentally. It was probably around eight feet long, and since it was a war lance, it didn’t have the flared handguard of jousting lances. It was made out of some kind of heavy wood, but it was easy enough for me to maneuver.
I would look fucking awesome charging into battle on Goliath’s back with my new lance in hand.
Did it have stats?
It would be super cool if it had some sort of magical ability that would help me in the fight against the dragon, so I touched my pointer finger to the metal above the handle, and the holographic text box appeared in the air.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 15lbs
Quality - Epic
Magical Aspect - None
Magical Ability - Return to hand.
Whoa. My first epic weapon was pretty badass, but I wanted to figure out what the magical ability meant. So, I let go of the handle with my left hand, and the lance dropped, bounced off the dirt, and then returned to my hand.
The king’s servant was looking at me expectantly, but he didn’t say anything while I played with the lance.
“Was there anything else you needed?” I asked.
“No, sir,” the servant replied. “But if I may offer, if you would like to practice with the lance, I can hand it up to you after you’ve mounted your horse.”
I thought about this for a moment. I wondered if it was possible for me to mount Goliath while still holding the lance, but since it usually took two hands to mount, I didn’t think it would be smart or efficient.
“Alright.” I nodded. “Thanks for the assistance.”
“Of course, sir.” The servant bowed his head.
So, I made a new save point before I crossed the room to where I’d tied Goliath, and then I mounted him quickly. Once I was settled, the servant handed me the lance, and I tested the weight of the weapon in my hand.
“Will you be requiring anything else, sir?” the servant asked.
“No,” I said. “Thank you. You’re dismissed.”
The man nodded before he turned and left.
Now that I was alone, I was ready to play with my new weapon, so I channeled my inner Heath Ledger and charged toward the targets.
“William!” I screamed out into the empty stadium-like space as I reenacted one of my favorite scenes from A Knight’s Tale.
It was fitting I’d get a lance shortly after being knighted by the king, and I whooped with joy as Goliath barreled toward the targets. The tip of the lance bounced off the straw marker, though, so I reset to try again.
Chime.
I mounted Goliath much more gracefully, and then I clicked my tongue to urge my steed into motion. It didn’t take much encouragement to get him to charge toward the targets, and this time my lance penetrated the straw a couple of inches. I’d have to do much better than that to defeat the dragon, though, so I ran through the drill a few more times and chimed so I made the most efficient use of my day.
After a while, I called it quits, and I led Goliath back through the military headquarters and out to the streets of Vallenwood. I dropped my horse off with a stableboy, and then I made my way up the hill to the palace.
The palace was lit up with lamps and torches in alcoves when I arrived, and the hallways were a flurry of activity. People in fine clothes scurried about, and they all bowed or curtsied to me when I passed. The aroma of roasting meat filled the air, and my stomach grumbled with hunger. Word of my presence had spread throughout Vallenwood, and it seemed like my party wasn’t the only people invited to dinner with the king.
I found my crew in the west wing’s living room, and they all greeted me with happy faces.
“The king is throwing you a feast!” Elissa exclaimed in an excited voice. “There’s going to be so much food. Can you smell it, Bash? Doesn’t it smell amazing?”
“I can smell it,” I chuckled. “And I’m getting hungry just sniffing the air.”
“Me, too,” Mahini said with a sideways smile.
“I could eat an entire duck all by myself,” Eva declared as she wrapped her hands around her stomach. “The weapons training gave me an appetite!”
“It was kind of you to include us in your feast,” Riondale said in a pleased tone. “I’ve never been to a fancy noble’s dinner before.”
“Well, I need to take a quick bath before we join the king for dinner,” I announced, and I raked a hand through my greasy hair. The luxurious bath of the previous day seemed like ages ago, and I was eager to return to the sudsy water in the clawfoot tub.
“Take your time.” Jorgen grinned. “You are the guest of honor, after all.”
“Alright,” I chuckled. “I’ll be back.”
Then I went to my room, I stripped off my sweat-drenched clothes and armor, stashed my new lance with the rest of my weapons and armor, and hopped into the ridiculously hot soapy water. After I was all clean, I got dressed in my nicest clothes but kept my daggers on hand just in case, and I returned to the living room. The sun had begun to set by that time, and my stomach growled angrily at me every few minutes.
I took a moment to look over my sharply dressed crew since everyone had put on their finest outfits. The men had all combed their hair and put on clean uniforms, and the three women looked radiant in their colorful dresses. Elissa wore the emerald-green dress she’d worn during my dinner with her father, Mahini had put on a tight busted gray outfit with a long flowy skirt, and Eva looked stunning in a golden gown and a ruby necklace.
Everyone looked great, and I was proud to lead them toward the throne room. They followed behind me at a quick pace, but the king met us in the foyer with the sculpture of him in it.
“Ah, there you are, Great One,” King Frederick greeted in a friendly voice.
“Hello, Your Highness,” I replied with a small bow of my head.
“You are fashionably late to your own party,” the king chuckled. “In fact, it is time for the parade.”
“Parade?” I blinked at the king in surprise. No one had said anything about a parade, and my thoughts snapped to mardi gras in my old world. Candy, beads, and titties flashed through my mind’s eye, but I had a feeling the king’s parade would look a tad different.
“Yes, the parade to honor you,” the king explained in a patient voice. “I have a chariot prepared to carry you through the city to wave at all the citizens, and then you will have a place of honor at my side during the performances.”
The first of hopefully many parades thrown in my honor was about to start, and my smile split my face in two.
Sometimes, being a god was prettying fucking awesome, and this was one of those times.