As Astaroth felt the hand upon his head, he looked up. His eyes were met with a beautiful face of black skin.
The face belonged to a fair woman, decked in a semi-transparent gown, adorned by the constellations of the night sky.
Her eyes were black as night, the same as her skin, and her pupils resembled lunar eclipses, glowing in delicate light.
Her appearance fascinated Astaroth. She appeared ethereal with hair in pink and purple tints, flowing around her head, and down to her hips, as a nebula in the depths of space.
Everyone in the audience chamber knelt when she appeared.
“Greetings! Lady Anulo!” Everyone saluted simultaneously.
Realizing who was before him, Astaroth also dropped to a knee. The spirit of the kingdom had answered his pleas!
“Stand up, young Astaroth.” Alantha said, her voice sounding like a melody.
“You… You know my name?” Astaroth stammered, getting back to his feet.
“I know the name of all ash elves, those that are, and those that were.” She answered, her voice soothing his fears.
The king, seeing the spirit of the kingdom, thought it was here to protect him from harm.
“You are looking at the wrong person, spirit. The perpetrator is Aberon!” He said, pointing at the kneeling old mage.
“Silence!” She roared, her hair nebula flaring up around her.
“I am the king! You should obey ME!” The king shouted in anger.
“Remember your place, mortal.” Lady Anulo replied, floating to the king.
“You might be king to mortals, but you hold no power over me.” She added, stopping mere feet from him.
“You vowed to uphold justice and to protect your people when you were handed the crown. To whom did you vow these things, Vhol’drokk Uuthli’vlos.” The spirit demanded, looming over the king’s body.
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“Then you would do well to remember it, before giving me orders, mortal.” Alantha said, before turning around and floating to Aberon.
“As for you, Aberon. I shall view your actions today as upholding justice in the kingdom. But never again shall you raise your hand against your king. Understood?” She told the old mage.
“As you wish, my lady.” Aberon replied, still kneeling in submission.
“Good.” She answered, hovering back to Astaroth.
“And you, child. I shall give upon you what was asked.” She told him, kissing his forehead.
The action took aback Astaroth, but he couldn’t react as vertigo took hold of him. He felt as if he was floating through the vast expanse for a few seconds before reality took hold again.
He heard a notification in his head.
*Ding*
*Your racial trait has been unlocked. You now have the passive skill ‘Children of the Stars’*
Astaroth quickly glanced at his skill list to see its effects.
Child of the Stars: Your race was born from the Elven race’s plea to the stars in times of war. The stars have gifted them the second race of elves, built for war. Your stats are 10% higher than normal. That bonus doubles during the night, when you shine most.
“So overpowered!” Astaroth thought to himself.
“But he works with the traitors!” The king exclaimed in consternation.
Lady Anulo disappeared from before Astaroth and reappeared before the king instantly.
“Silence, mortal! These men are not traitors to the kingdom. Only to your savage intentions. They shall not be treated as traitors before me!” She said, her hair flaring up again.
The king audibly gulped, his face white as chalk. He held no actual power before the spirit of the kingdom, and that had always bothered him.
He was king. Shouldn’t the spirit obey him always?
The truth was far from that, as the spirit was an entity bound to the kingdom itself, not its king. He resentfully bowed his head, no longer daring to open his mouth.
Alantha stared down at the king for a few more seconds before floating back to Astaroth. She didn’t know why, but the boy held a certain attraction to her.
“Child.” She said, reaching Astaroth.
“Yes, my lady?” Astaroth replied.
“To appease this fool’s worries, you shall pledge allegiance to me. Do you accept?” Lady Anulo asked.
Astaroth briefly turned his head to Aberon, seeking approval. Aberon simply nodded his head, signaling it was ok.
“Gladly, my lady.” He then replied to her request.
“Good. Then repeat after me.” She started saying.
“From this day forth, I Astaroth”
“From this day forth, I Astaroth”
“Pledge my undying loyalty to the kingdom of ash elves.”
“Pledge my undying loyalty to the kingdom of ash elves.”
“I shall never plot or scheme for its downfall”
“I shall never plot or scheme for its downfall”
“Or bring harm to its people unjustly.”
“Or bring harm to its people unjustly.”
“I swear this on my soul.”
“I swear this on my soul.” He repeated after her.
As he said the last phrase, Astaroth felt a burning sensation in his soul, like he was being branded. He bore with it, and it only lasted a few seconds.
When the sensation died down, he could tell that acting against this pledge would cost him dearly.
“The pledge is complete. Do you acknowledge this, king Vhol’drokk?” The spirit said, turning to the king.
“Yes, my lady.” The king growled.
‘The affront of this spirit!’ He thought in his mind.
“As for the attack on his majesty, take it as Aberon teaching you a lesson in my stead. You shall not harm him for it. Are we clear?” Lady Anulo affirmed.
“But…” The king started protesting.
But the spirit was already glaring at him, with her black eyes piercing his soul.
“Yes, my lady.” The king said, gritting his teeth.
The spirit nodded her head, satisfied with his response. The next moment, her form started flickering lightly.
“It seems I have extended my stay. Stay safe, my children.” The spirit said, before vanishing in a flourish of pink and purple like she was sucked into her nebula hair.
The king straightened up before walking back up the stairs that led to his throne. He sat back into it, looking at the ‘guests’ before him in hatred.
“You have what you came for, mage. Now leave my palace and my city. I never want to see you again.” The king said angrily, waving his hand at them.
Aberon and the group got up, turning to leave. But not before Aberon poked at the bear one more time.
“The pleasure was all mine, your highness. Know that the feeling is mutual.” He said as he left the audience chamber.
As soon as the group had left the room, and the doors were closed behind them, they heard something crash into the doors.
“Seems like we angered him.” Chris chuckled as they were being escorted by another squad of royal knights.
“The king has always had a short temper.” Korin added from the side, a small grin plastered on his lips.
“Keep moving and stop talking!” The guard at the front ordered aggressively.
“Aye aye, sir.” Korin mocked.
“Stop taunting them, rogue. You just might make them snap at us.” Aberon said, still snickering from his last comment to the king.
“You’re one to talk, old man.” Astaroth said, looking at Aberon before laughing.
The entire group then burst into laughter. It was not every day that someone got into a scuffle with royalty and lived to tell the tale.
The guards angrily escorted them outside the palace, and a squad of regular soldiers brought them all the way outside the city.
Meanwhile, inside the audience chamber.
“RRAAARRRGHHH!!!!!!” The king screamed in a beastly manner.
“I swear that spirit wants me gone from power! She is never on my side of things.” He howled.
“I promise her to expand the kingdom and make her more powerful, and all she thinks about is the loss of men from going to war!” He added, throwing things around the room.
The royal guards feared getting hit by projectiles, but couldn’t move from their post, lest they anger their monarch even more.
The king pushed the throne to the side, before turning to his court mage.
“Gelum’vire! I want you to have that boy captured!” He shouted while pointing his finger at the mage.
“But, your majesty, the spirit said to not harm them.” The mage tried rebuking, knowing this idea was going to backfire against them.
“I don’t care what she said! She can’t hear me, anyway! I said capture the boy! Just say he stole something from the palace!” The king screamed, taking a step towards the mage.
“Yes, majesty!” Gelum’vire quickly said, not wanting to attract his king’s ire.
“Good. Now I’m going to my secondary chambers! Have my concubines brought to me!” The king ordered, leaving through a door behind the throne.
“Yes, my king.” Gelum’vire said, bowing as the king left the room.
He had the concubines fetched by one guard, knowing full well that one of them might die that night. Their king’s mood was all but unpredictable.
He also told the guard to have a disposal team at the ready near the king’s spare chambers. The quicker they responded to his call after the deed, the quicker his mood went back to normal.
Which was arrogant and hateful, but not arrogant and angry.
Gelum’vire then ordered a squad of bounty hunters to hunt down the boy, Astaroth. He told them the boy had stolen from the palace and that the king wanted to deal with him personally.
He also specified to not harm the rest of his surrounding party, lest they anger Lady Anulo.
Once the deed was done, the court mage teleported into his personal tower, intending to rest. He rubbed his temples as he lay down on his bed.
“This king is going to be his own downfall someday.” Gelum’vire said, before turning to the side to sleep.