An Audience with the King

Calum led his friends to the palace gate. The men that stood guard bowed.

“Hero, you’ve returned. We thought you’d be in the southern regions by now.”

“We need new equipment. It’s upsetting to say this, but we have no chance of beating the Demon Lord as we are now.”

One of the guards rose. “Understood. I’ll get you an audience with the King. Please wait here until I return.” He darted off into the castle, leaving the other guard at his post with Calum’s group.

The other guard straightened himself. “Everyone’s been hoping that you would defeat the Demon Lord soon, hero. Every day, we receive news of the Demon Lord’s forces getting a little deeper into the northern region.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint everyone, but it will take us a while to get to him.”

Kia glanced behind her shoulder before tapping Calum’s.

He turned to Kia and whispered. “Do you still feel like someone’s watching us?”

“The feeling has never left.”

Calum nodded and returned his attention to the guard. “We’ll be on our way once we have the equipment we came for.”

“We’re all counting on you, hero.”

After a few minutes, the previous guard returned. “The King is ready for you and your friends, hero. Please follow me to the audience chamber.” He turned and marched inside, making sure the guests were following.

The inside of the palace was furnished with gold. From candlesticks to the frames of paintings, the majority of the decorations were made of gold. While he followed the guard down the vast hallway, he admired the decor.

Tilaya scanned her surroundings. “This brings back memories…”

“The last time we were here was when we started our journey to defeat the Demon Lord.” Calum shared a reminiscent smile with his childhood friend.

Erik puffed out his chest. “It’s also when you met me.”

“The King wouldn’t let us go without taking you with us.” Calum secretly winked at Tilaya.

“Don’t make it sound like you only took me along because you had to!”

“I’m just teasing you. We’re grateful for all the help you’ve given us. We couldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

The guard stopped in front of large double doors. “This is it. Though I’m sure you all knew that already.” He knocked on the door and opened it after permission had been granted. He bowed before the King. “Your Majesty, the hero and his friends have arrived.” He pivoted and made his way to the side of the room, turning toward the middle of the room once he was in position.

Calum bowed, along with his friends. “It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

The King sat comfortably on his throne. “Ah, the hero. It is an honor to have you here. I heard about your success in defeating a class B demon as well as thousands of goblins in the mining town of Orgel! What brings you back to the capital?”

“We are in need of better equipment. I believe we are unable to defeat the Demon Lord with our current supplies.”

“Is that so?” The King stroked his beard, deep in thought. “Normally I wouldn’t let anyone into the treasury, but I’ll make an exception for the hero. I’m not about to be the one to get in your way of saving the world.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. We’ll only take what we need, and nothing more.”

“The guard that brought you in can show you to the treasury. I hope you find something of use for your journey. You’re dismissed.”

The party followed the guard out of the audience chamber and through the castle. Once they arrived at a small door on the floor below, the guard knocked.

A slot opened and a pair of eyes scanned the guard. “What do you want?”

“The King ordered me to bring the hero and his friends to the treasury. Open the door.”

The slot closed, followed by several clicks. The door opened, revealing an old dwarf on the other side. “Come in. Take a look around. The King and High Priestess are usually the only people that enter.” He waddled farther into the room.

Calum entered the room and gasped in awe. Valuables lined the shelves that filled the room. Weapons, gems, ancient texts, and other treasures were neatly organized into sections. Behind him, he heard similar gasps come from his friends.

Tilaya made a beeline for the weapon section, examining the three staffs that were there.

Erik followed behind her and grabbed a greatsword a couple shelves over. “This is calling my name.”

Calum started browsing the talisman section at the back of the room, looking for anything that would aid him in combat.

Kia quickly looked around the room, searching for anything that might catch her eye. She paused in front of the scrolls and shuffled through them.

A few talismans caught Calum’s eye, so he picked them up. He was about to look for a weapon when he noticed the High Priestess standing in the doorway. She motioned him over with a finger and walked away.

He turned to see if the others had noticed, but none of them seemed to have seen her. Curious, he followed her out of the room.

She turned a corner and waited for Calum to follow.

When he turned the corner, he had to abruptly stop to avoid running into her.

“Greetings, hero. I apologize for not being in the audience chamber when you arrived. I had something to attend to.” She brushed her long emerald hair back, hoping the hero didn’t notice that her hair had been messed up from running.

“You don’t need to apologize. I assumed you were busy. Have you received any important revelations from the Goddess?”

“Not relating to your journey, no. She’s been silent regarding the Demon Lord since you left. I can only hope it means there’s nothing to worry about.”

“If there’s nothing regarding my mission, why did you want to talk to me in private?”

“I wanted to ask a few questions about that new friend of yours. Most importantly, why did you bring a demon into the palace?”