Calling the Banners

A new day dawned on the town of Trunsit. Things were returning to normal after the large caravan that was passing through left. The baker was a bit richer, the tavern was restocking its drinks and repairing its rooms, and the merchants had a bit more gold to try and stock new goods.

That calm was short-lived. A lone horse galloped through town, Kyle Wheatsman stretching to keep himself limber. Few recognized him, with those who did remembering he’d been a member of that caravan.

Kyle led the horse to the tavern and tied it up outside. The tavern’s bar was fairly empty at this time of day, with a red-headed bartender in a dress tending to it. She dipped a soiled rag into a bucket and wrung it dry before starting to clean the next used glass.

The bartender didn’t look up, only raising an eyebrow. “You again? What’ll it be?”

“No drink today,” said Kyle. “Just information. Tell me about the Prince.”

“Prince Demerius?” The bartender kept cleaning glasses. “I know he was in town when that witch’s house exploded.”

Kyle waved that off. “Weird question. Does he ever speak about the gods?”

The bartender was focusing on a particularly troublesome spot on a glass, trying to get it off. “He leaves that to the priests. Although….” Kyle leaned in, ignoring the squeaking of the rag on the glass that lasted a few more seconds. “When he does come, he speaks a lot about his wealth. Claims he’s the best, that his wealth and fame are a sign of favor from the gods… Thanks Midas a bunch for it. So annoying to listen to.”

That name struck Kyle odd. “Midas?”

“God of wealth and good fortune,” said the bartender. “A lot of rich types claim the same thing, that it’s a sign of divine favor and that them being rich is just the gods declaring their favorites.”

Kyle thanked her for her time and stepped back outside.

Peasant Kyle was already on the horse’s back. “We got blessed by a goddess when we got isekai’d. Metis. If Demerius really did what we did, does that mean he was blessed by Midas?”

Office Kyle joined in, stepping out from behind the horse. “We got that ring and the amulet. What do you think he got from Midas?”

Real Kyle stumbled over that name. “Midas. Like, King Midas? The guy from the myth who got the power to turn anything he touched into gold, that Midas. He’s a god in this setting?”

He went over everything else he’d seen. Demerius’s hands had been covered in rings, and Abagail had told him entire families went bankrupt trying to get their hands on a ring of power. The odds were high at least one of them was just such a ring.

But Office Kyle was right; the ring of power wasn’t the only thing he’d been given. Favor from the god of wealth and good fortune had to mean something along those lines.

An important thing to remember for later. He still had a short stretch to ride to get home.

----

Going as fast as he could through the forest, Kyle got back to his village in near record time. Between taking the long way to Castle Zoroman and the interruptions, it had taken nearly a week. That trip should have taken three and a half to four and a half days.

Kyle had managed to ride home in three days flat. It was exhausting. He wanted so badly to lie down and rest. But his day was not yet done.

He galloped through the fields, trying to call the rest of the village to assemble. He rode around the entire village and stopped in front of Francis’s home. By the time Francis came out, people were already gathering outside. “Kyle? You’re back! What’s going on, did you speak with the Prince?”

Kyle tried getting off the horse, but his legs were so tired from riding that he fell to the ground. He shot back up, leaning on the horse for support. “He lied to me. Right to my face. He’s going to turn this whole area to forest.”

That got people talking. Francis came closer. “Kyle…”

“He’ll do it no matter what tax we pay, or oath we swear,” he continued. “The Prince wants it so he’s going to see it through. We have no choice. We need to ride out to the other villages, form a united front.”

Francis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Do you remember what I said happened last time?”

“I do. But this time either everyone’s homeless or dead,” Kyle pointed out. “That’s it.” The murmurs and whispered continued travelling within the crowd, everyone waiting to see what would happen next. Francis stood up straight as well as he could and took a deep breath.

“John. Abraham. Sean. Take our horses and ride out to the other villages, call the banners. Briggs – tell the blacksmith to sharpen our pitchforks and knives. James, pull out the scarecrows so we can get some practice in. I don’t know about the rest of you, but they’re taking me off this land feet first and in a box!”

-----

After a brief nap to sleep off the long ride home Kyle got to work.

Demerius wouldn’t send an army to toss a bunch of peasants off his land. Kyle knew he had mages on hand to create the forest. There might be some knights on horseback to get up close and personal, and archers just in case.

Each presented its own challenges.

Ironically, a bunch of untrained peasants with pitchforks might have the best odds against trained knights on horseback. If he packed the peasants together, gave them some shields, they might knock the knight off his horse. That would force the knight to fight on the ground, outnumbered and surrounded.

The problems truly started with the archers. Peasants had farm tools and knives, martial weapons for a close range brawl. Kyle would be lucky if half a dozen men across the villages had even touched a bow in their lives.

But then the mages! If video games and living with Abagail had taught him anything, it was to never be on the wrong side of magic.

Abagail…

He stopped and looked around his cottage. Something was off. It still had all of the improvements from when Abagail, Kari, and Fiona lived there. The too-large bed, the makings of a modern kitchen, the enchanted bathroom, even how the interior’s size and ceiling didn’t match the exterior.

The peace and quiet. That was it. It was like something was missing that made his home whole.