Chapter 36: Enemies And Enemies?

Some time after the curse over the crown had been broken, the party were called back into the grand hall to meet with the crown. This time however instead of them being on different levels there was a round table set up with the person known as the crown sitting directly opposite the door that leads into the room.

“Welcome adventurers. I have been made aware that this is our third meeting. Now I feel like you are owed an explanation as to why the situation regarding the Dark King has gotten to be as bad as it is. Before that though please sit, and I will then begin from the very beginning.”

At the crown’s request the party each take a seat at the round table, once everyone is seated the crown continues.

“The Dark King was summoned by myself a few years ago because I had learnt that summoning magic could do such things, I was bored and rather lonely as the staff that surround me at all times are twice my age, so I wished for someone around my age to talk with. After some months of us getting along fractures started forming in our friendship, leading to the Dark King leaving and summoning her lieutenants. As for why the three major cities didn’t deal with the Dark King at that time was due to my own ignorance and the dislike between the three cities. The others did not take kindly to my summoning of a demon, nor did they agree that I could reason with them, whereas I wanted to try and get my friend back. But more importantly while Seolford and the Empire city were aligned on that matter they did not see eye to eye on how to go about dealing with the Dark King or even if they should get involved. The families that rule those cities have never gotten along, not since the first heroic party was formed with one member from each of the ruling houses today, but after the completion of the first grand quest the forefathers of the current day cities fought desperately to be the ones to hand out the grand quest in the future. And so now all three of us dislike each other, Seolford and Empire city will not come to my aid because of my actions, and they will not assist each other in defeating the Dark King which is why it now falls of you unaligned adventurers to bear the weight of this. To compound our problems the Dark King settled nearest to the Empire city, the one place that does not have an adventurers guild in favour of a more traditional army and navy, one which they have sent out beyond the continent to create the fortune they possess but that leaves behind only a small force that can but hold the line and not advance. With Seolford threatening to deregister any adventurer that is not on the grand quest if they go to help the Empire city which isn’t much of a threat as most adventurers registered there are from Seolford or the lands that are governed by that Lord meaning they too already dislike the Empire city, because they have time and again tried to steal the grand quest from the Seolfor family as they think that right belongs to them. And the Empire city not accepting any help from Ehccihster, we find ourselves in our current situation which involved waiting on an unaffiliated party arriving to freely travel between the cities and defeat the Dark King. But onto more important matters, how to defeat the Dark King. And while I hope you can reason with them, and not have to kill them, I will tell you how if that is off the table. As you may know already the Dark King is incredibly resistant to magic, however that does not mean that they cannot be hurt or bound by it, but the resistance they have to magic leaves them very frail in terms of physical attack and defence. Adventurers your best chance at defeating the Dark King is to limit her ranged magic attacks by any means and then attack from up close. Unfortunately, those magic swords you have will be able to hurt the Dark King but not fully defeat her, only seal her away. The only way to kill the Dark King is with a weapon forged with a material that only the Empire city has access to so you will have to travel there and find a way to convince the current Emperor to grant you a weapon forged of this material. With that you now have everything that will be useful from my head, I wish you good luck and safe travels.”

As the crown rises the guardsmen in the grand hall come to stand beside the seated members of the party, waiting for them to rise also. Once they do the guardsmen escort the party back to the adventurer’s guild briefly to collect all of their gear before having them join a convoy of coaches that were leaving that night back to Seolford, as with the party having all the information the guard thought they would have no reason to stay and want to make way as soon as possible. The party not wanting to cause an incident with the guard went with their instructions and boarded the convoy back to Seolford where they would find the coachman once more and have him take them to the Empire city, so they could further progress their grand quest by gaining a weapon forged of this mysterious material that the crown spoke of. Travelling to the Empire city would also give the party a look at the frontlines of the battle against the Dark King allowing them to assess the situation. Which would give them the information on what to stock up on or purchase new while they wait for first the permission to have a weapon forged for their quest and then for that weapon to be forged. Before they take their final journey into the Dark King’s realm, where the three lieutenants and the Dark King themselves await them.