Cultivation a fantasy li.., p.10
Cultivation: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Battle Mage Farmer Book 3), page 10
“I have a few things to buy at the store. Why don’t I meet you at the cart when you’re done.”
“You’re welcome to come.”
“I know, but I can’t follow half of your conversations anyway, so it’s not like I would have anything to contribute. Better to use the time to get my shopping done since we need to head back to the… farm.”
Realizing a few hours had passed since the last time they had meditated, John nodded.
“That’s right. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Walking out onto the inn’s porch with Ellie, John watched as she lifted her skirt and headed for the general store. Hearing a snort at his side, he turned and saw Katrine looking at him, amusement clear in her eyes.
“We’re facing a potentially world-ending threat and you’re lost in a farmyard romance. How quaint.”
“It’s nice,” John agreed. “Though, I admit, the timing isn’t the greatest. Or maybe it is. After all, if the world ends, there won’t be any romance left.”
“True, but maybe focus up here.”
As they made their way down the street toward the Ecclesia office, John glanced at Katrine who walked beside him, her back perfectly straight. Though she was shorter than him by a few inches, the way she held herself instantly set her apart. She had only been the empress of Allera for six years, but the bearing of royalty had been baked into her bones, and her every motion was full of regal grace. Remembering the anxious, timid young woman who had first appeared in the summoning circle with him, John found himself marveling at just how much she’d grown.
Though, I guess she isn’t the only one who’s changed drastically. This world hasn’t been easy on us.
“Do you have a current quest?” John asked quietly, his eyes scanning the street.
“Yes. I have two, actually. [Prevent the Apocalypse], which I showed you last time. Unfortunately, I still haven’t figured out what Doom Points are, so I have no idea if anything I’m doing is working or not. But the other one is related to Infinitum. It appeared when they showed up in my throne room to try and kill me. Here, take a look.”
[Evil Society: A nefarious secret society calling itself Infinitum has infiltrated the nobility of the nations of the world. With the aid of mind-controlling magic and drugs, ill-gotten wealth, and the promise of immortality, they have sunk their claws into the noble class, using the common people of Allera and Lepiera to conduct their disgusting experiments. If not stopped, their influence will continue to grow until the entire world is in their evil grasp. Find a way to destabilize their power and destroy their leaders.]
Reading the blue window twice to make sure he didn’t miss anything, John nodded and dismissed the window with a flick.
“That explains why you ran out here and what you’re trying to do with the Ecclesia.”
“How about you?”
“Still have [Prevent the Apocalypse],” John said, shrugging, “and a quest for growing wheat.”
“Wheat?”
Nodding, John opened up his quests and tapped on [Grow Wheat]. When the quest window opened he focused his attention on Katrine, willing the quest to appear for her to read. Seeing her eyes grow unfocused as she read over the window that popped up in front of her, John closed his status with a wave.
“You always get the strangest quests. Though I guess it’s not wrong. Food is a massive problem. Have you made any progress?”
When she saw John’s smile Katrine froze, mid-stride, her jaw dropping open. Grabbing his sleeve, she stopped him from walking on without her.
“Are you serious? You have a stable food source?”
“Not yet, but close. I figure a couple more generations and we should have wheat that can process mana. We can start testing it in the mana-irradiated zones. In theory, it should be able to not only grow rapidly in those zones, but it should be able to clear the concentrated mana as well, turning them back into normal areas.”
“You’re joking,” Katrine said, still staring at John in shock.
“Do I ever joke?” John asked, his eyebrows jumping in surprise.
“No, that’s true. You are the most un-fun person in the entire world. Wow, I can’t believe you actually succeeded. I’ve been trying to breed plants that could process mana ever since my master died, and Uthor even put the entire weight of Allera behind my research. You know what I managed to do? Create a bunch of abominations that killed anyone that got close. How on earth did you do it?”
“We can talk about it later,” John said, shaking his head and pointing at the Ecclesia office. “I think we’re late for our appointment.”
Frowning, Katrine looked over and saw a haughty young Holy Knight walking toward them. A flash of irritation shot through her eyes and John felt the mana in the area swell, but a moment later it was gone and Katrine just clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Madam, the Priestess is waiting for you and Mr. Sutton.”
“Oh, is she? So sorry for making her wait,” Katrine said, giving the young man her sweetest smile.
A stunned look appeared in the Holy Knight’s eyes and with a cough he stepped out of the way, gesturing for Katrine to proceed toward the office, bowing with a flourish. John, on the other hand, got no more than a brief nod and a cold glance. With a small laugh that she hid behind her hand, Katrine led the way toward the office, where they were met by the older Holy Knight. Stepping through the door, John and Katrine saw the Priestess standing respectfully behind a large wooden chair.
Sprawled out in the chair was an absolutely massive man with gray hair and a large handlebar mustache. Despite the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, there was nothing elderly or infirm about the old man. His sharp gaze burst with vitality, and the thick hands that rested on his thighs gave off the sense that they were capable of rending steel apart. A massive two-handed sword leaned against the back of the chair, and the gleaming armor that covered his body completed the picture of a powerful warrior. Stepping into the room behind John, the young Holy Knight stretched his hand out toward the seated man and spoke in an imperious voice.
“High Marshal Helbright, Master of the Holy Knights and Sword of the Eternal Flame! Pay your respects.”
When neither Katrine or John reacted at all, a scowl crossed the young Holy Knight’s face, and he was about to speak again when the old man sat up and waved his hand.
“Thank you, Hugo. You may withdraw.”
Helbright’s voice was filled with power and his words were unquestionable, as only the commands of one who was used to commanding troops could be. It also carried a faint sense of suppression that caused the young Holy Knight to freeze. Swallowing the words he’d been about to utter, he clicked his boots together and snapped a salute before turning to leave the room. The older of the two Knights was about to follow when Helbright shook his head.
“Marcos, you should stay. What we will speak of will concern you.”
Standing up once Hugo had closed the door, Helbright started to lower himself to the floor when a hand appeared on his chest, stopping him in place.
“I believe I told you that the next time you knelt, you would lose that knee,” John said quietly, no emotion on his face. “Katrine, remind me, do I keep my word?”
“Annoyingly, yes. You do.”
Despite the clear threat, Helbright’s face lit up as he smiled down at John. The powerful old man was almost seven feet tall and had to look almost straight down at John to meet his gaze. Taking a small step back, he slammed his fist into his breastplate with a crash.
“All hail the Eternal Flame!”
“Cut it out, I’m serious,” John said, stepping back with an annoyed look.
“The Eternal Flame burns forever,” Helbright’s voice rumbled. “It is good to see you, Your Eminence. Many of the faithful believe you have ascended, and while I do not wish for your continued suffering in this corrupt world, I find myself relieved to know you still walk among us.”
“Huh, I thought everyone thought I was dead.”
“Dead? You are the Eternal Flame, Your Eminence. You may ascend, but what in this world can kill you?”
Sparing a glance at the other two members of the Ecclesia in the room, John saw the utter shock on their faces and groaned. Pointing at them, he glared at Helbright.
“Deal with them please, otherwise they’re not walking out of this room. I have been maintaining my cover here in this valley and I will not, and I repeat, not, have it broken just because you decided to show up. Wait, why did you show up?”
Catching the flicker of Helbright’s eyes, John spun around and stared at Katrine, who was looking at the ceiling with entirely too much interest.
“Katrine.”
Wincing at the sound of John’s growl, Katrine vanished from where she stood, reappearing behind the high marshal’s armored body. Peeking out from behind Helbright, she waved her hands in surrender.
“I didn’t know it was a big secret when I asked him to come. I didn’t even know for sure you were here. I only realized it when Thomas came to meet me at the entrance to the valley! I swear, I really had no idea you were hiding here! Okay, maybe a teensy smidge of an idea, but really, that was it!”
Glaring at Katrine for a moment longer, John let out a sigh and stomped over to the small couch that had been pushed back to make room for the large chair Helbright had been sitting in. Pulling it closer, John sat down, leaned back, and crossed his arms. Swallowing, Helbright actually looked nervous as he glanced between Katrine and John.
“Your Emin…”
“Call me John, or so help me I’ll stick that giant sword so far down your throat it will take the entire Holy Knight Corps a month to find it.”
Biting her lip to keep from laughing, Katrine patted Helbright’s side and walked over to the couch, gesturing for John to move over. Though clearly annoyed, John shifted to the side grudgingly and she sat down next to him. Seeing that Helbright had not yet reacted, she gestured toward the other two people in the room.
“My dear High Marshal, you may have all day, but we do not. I have a business to run and John here has plants to grow, or something. Let’s get to the reason we’re all here.”
CHAPTER 13
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Helbright rumbled.
Turning to look at Marcos and Eva, he gestured toward Katrine and John on the couch.
“It is my honor to introduce the two of you to the Eternal Flame, his Eminence, John Sutton.”
“But don’t go spreading it around,” John cut in, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the Priestess and the Holy Knight. “And certainly no bowing.”
Ignoring the interruption with a cough, Helbright continued with his introduction.
“Ahem, and Katrine, the empress of Allera.”
“Former. Former empress. I’ve given up the throne.”
Too shocked to speak, Eva’s mouth dropped open as she stared at John, her trembling finger lifting as if she was going to point at him. Marcos, the Holy Knight, seemed better able to keep his wits about him and quickly stopped her. Clearly wanting to drop to his knees, he restrained himself with some effort and settled for copying the warrior’s salute that High Marshal Helbright had executed.
“All hail the Eternal Flame!”
Coming to her senses, Eva quickly echoed Marcos’ words, adding her sweet voice to his gruff one. Letting out a small sigh, John stood up and returned the salute, causing both the Priestess and Holy Knight to stiffen as he spoke softly.
“May your flame burn forever.”
Along with his words, an ethereal, bluish flame sprang up around Eva and Marcos, causing their eyes to light up with tremendous excitement. High Marshal Helbright, on the other hand, looked enviously on as the faint flames sank into the Priestess and Holy Knight beside her. Shooting a glance at John, he cleared his throat loudly.
“Hmph. How come they get a blessing when they greet you, but I just get threatened? That hardly seems fair, does it?”
Rolling his eyes, John waved his hand, gesturing for Eva and Marcos to retreat as he took his seat next to Katrine once again.
“You know as well as anyone that the blessing can only be given once, and you got yours a long time ago.”
“Just because no one has gotten it twice, doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
Watching the ethereal flames that were sinking into Eva’s body, Katrine’s eyes narrowed slightly and she turned to smile sweetly at John, causing him to flinch backward warily.
“John, dear, what is that?” she asked, leaning closer when he leaned back. “What did you just do to her?”
Seeing John’s shrug, Katrine’s eyebrows rose and she was about to speak again when the high marshal answered in John’s place.
“The Blessing of the Eternal Flame. A confirmation of the faith of those who hold true faith in the Eternal Flame. It strengthens our power by a few degrees, allowing us to grow in both strength and skill. However, it also acts as a binding force, causing us to lose our powers entirely if we betray the tenets of the Ecclesia.”
Though Katrine clearly wanted to ask other questions, John shook his head.
“I don’t know how it works, and no, you can’t replicate it. It has something to do with the nature of their classes. I’m just the representative of the faith they hold, so when I say that, it triggers something in their class. Look, I really don’t know how it works. Plus, I’m in a rush here, so let’s get down to business. We’re facing a lot of threats and we need a plan for dealing with them.”
His face growing serious, Helbright sat up in his seat and leaned forward.
“Things are worse than you know, sir. We’ve had a tremendous flood of refugees from Allera, and though they’re being held near the border for now, their numbers are growing too large for us to handle without deploying the army.”
Frowning, John glanced at Katrine, who was looking between him and the high marshal innocently.
“Refugees? I thought the people of Allera were trapped under the iron boot of the nobles? Why do we suddenly have refugees?”
Still maintaining her innocent expression, Katrine shrugged.
“They must be the people from the cities. The citizens I was talking about are probably still working on the farms and in the mines.”
Nodding, High Marshal Helbright agreed with Katrine.
“Most of the refugees are from settlements near the border. From what we can tell, someone spread a rumor that the Ecclesia hands out free bread to everyone in Lepiera, so the Allerians have begun abandoning their homes to come and get food.”
“Have we?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Helbright gave a rueful smile at John’s question.
“Yes. At least, we’ve been doing our best to supplement where we can. We also made the mistake of feeding the first wave of refugees who showed up. I call it a mistake not because we shouldn’t be feeding them, but because after we fed them, their numbers more than quadrupled in a single night. Things are getting out of hand.”
Shaking her head, Katrine shot a glance at John before looking at High Marshal Helbright.
“If the number of refugees grew that fast, it’s clear someone is manipulating things in the background. Have you checked for problems with them? Poisons? Disease? Parasites? Could Infinitum be planning on using them to attack us? You know, like sleeper agents?”
This time, it was the high marshal who paused and looked over at Eva and Marcos, whose expressions were confused.
“Congratulations, you two, you just got surprise promotions. If any word of what we talk about here leaks, both of you will be charged with high treason. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir!” Marcos replied, snapping a sharp salute.
Though slower to respond than the Holy Knight, Eva also nodded, bowing her head toward the high marshal.
“I do. I will seal everything I hear behind silent lips.”
“Good. We’ll talk later about your new positions,” Helbright said, his deep voice rumbling around the room as he turned back to address Katrine’s question. “As for the refugees, we’ve been doing spot checks, but we haven’t found much beyond the typical problems starving farmers have. Though, given the intelligence regarding Infinitum you’ve brought, we’re clearly going to have to check again.”
“Make sure you do a search of their camp as well,” John added. “We’ve already run into drugged bandits who transformed into shambling undead once they were killed, and given that we’re dealing with a legendary Alchemist and his disciples, it’s likely we’ll see the tactic reused.”
“Do you mean they’re hiding drugs and will use them to attack us?”
“I’m more concerned that someone will spike the food you’re distributing,” John said, shrugging. “If you’re giving out porridge and someone drops something nasty into it, the situation could devolve really quickly, especially if it’s slow acting.”
“Thank you for your warning,” Helbright said, bowing his head. “We’ll pay careful attention.”
“Just do the best you can, and be ready to retreat if needed. Katrine, have you already outlined your plan with Helbright?”
Shifting in her seat when John suddenly turned the conversation to her, Katrine nodded, giving him a sheepish smile.
“I might have given him the basics of it in my letter.”
“Good, then we don’t need to cover it here. Helbright, you have permission to do as you see fit. You are the high marshal and the Master of the Holy Knights, I trust you to make good decisions.”
“Your faith in me shall not be misplaced, Your Eminence!”
“Right,” John grunted, cutting the high marshal off. “That means we’re done, right? You two can figure out the details of the rest.”
“Um, actually, there is another thing.”
Surprisingly, it was Marcos who stepped forward, his expression clearly nervous.
“Speak up,” Helbright rumbled, waving his hand. “What is it?”
Swallowing, Marcos glanced at Eva, seeming to gather his courage.
“The undead, um, the signs of the undead. In the mountains around the valley? They’re starting to move into the valley as well. We would like to put together a strike force to deal with them.”
