BXBX NOVEL Chapter 115 Know Your Place!
And suddenly, I felt a weird connection forming between me and her. It felt like the connection I had with Bones and Toothless, but weaker.
"I have kept my side of the bargain. Now, you do yours" She muttered. Her eyes grew weak, and she fell unconscious soon after.
I guess that took a lot of her magical energy and the remaining stamina she had left. Still, without much hesitation, I cradled her in my arms and left the alley.
With my sharp senses, I could hear the footsteps of the remaining ones stalking behind running away, but, my thoughts weren't focused on them. My thoughts were focused on the woman laying unconsciously in my arms, as I wondered why she had agreed to my ridiculous, absurd request.
But it seems like I will have to wait till she awakens, to hear her reasons.
Nonetheless, I hope that she doesn't regret her decision. I smiled, as I walked down the street, wondering whether to take her to an inn or the brothel.
.................
"Is that what happened?" The question and authoritative tone of his voice made Boris frown in disagreement.
"Yes, that was how it was when I arrived at the scene" Boris replied. He watched as the man turned his gaze to Annabelle, and focused his attention on her.
"And this woman, is part of the Crimson Blackeye crew?" The man asked.
"Yes, king Ameal"
King Ameal, the former ruler of the fallen Auziloth Kingdom, and one of the few Kings to survive the fall of their kingdoms. Despite being reduced to nothing but a household name to the remaining survivors of his kingdom, he remains one the few people who can contest against him as an ascendant.
Thus, solidifying his and the Auziloth Kingdom's position as Litile city, de facto ruler.
"Miss Annabelle. Even though you are part of the Crimson Blackeye crew, the destruction you caused has led to the loss of several lives in the city, and as such, cannot be allowed to go unpunished" King Ameal stated. His voice was sharp and firm, while his eyes peered at her.
"King Ameal" Boris retorted. His voice echoed in the hall, pulling the full attention of the guards positioned around all four corners of the hall toward him. Their weapons were slightly drawn and ready to strike.
However, their actions drew a 'scoff' from Boris. Boris believed that if he were to go all out and used everything in his arsenal, then he could destroy the ascendants of the Azuloth kingdom and its remnants.
No one doubted him. As such, several precautions were taken to ensure that he doesn't.
"Don't worry Boris, I understand. The Sloywoth kingdom will also pay for the mess that they have done" King Ameal mused "Their actions have put us in a tight spot once again against the citizens of the Vrymath Kingdom, and had made it harder for us to live among them"
'And it will only be a matter of time before they uncover the ones responsible for the destruction and start rebelling again' He thought.
Merely remembering the onslaught caused by these people when they first invaded their lands. Merely remembering how they could not retaliate or risk attracting the attention of the royal court. Merely remembering how he had to pacify their hearts and divert their anger and frustration to another source, made King Ameal's heart sink beneath his gut.
"But before we meet them, I will like first like to deal with the other culprit... her" King Ameal said. His voice felt colder as he pointed a finger at Annabelle.
"It won't b--
Instantly, he raised his hand and snapped his attention towards Boris.
"I know" He interrupted.
"Anyone perceptive enough to do their research will know that Captain Crimson eye is the one holding the whole of the Vrymath kingdom and us in a chokehold. So I am not going to do something that will spell doom for all of us" King Ameal expressed.
He then shifted his attention to Annabelle and continued with a thoughtful expression "Instead, I am only going to ask for some compensation to pacify the families that lost someone during your rampage and host a suitable burial for them. Doing so will avoid some worrisome problems that will emerge in a few days from now".
"Is that okay, Boris?" He turned to Boris and asked.
"Yes, it is" Boris replied. He turned his attention to Annabelle and noticed the grim expression on her face.
He sighed. Although, he didn't want to draw the ire or attention of Captain Crimson eye towards himself because of the people standing behind him, but, if he wants them to continue with their lives safely in this city, then this was the best and obvious choice.
"And Miss Annabelle" King Ameal asked. "Is that okay for you?"
".…"
Seconds passed by, but, Annabelle remained silent.
To say that she was both annoyed and irritated would be an understatement. And even as she listened to the conversation, centred around her that seemingly had no end, made her annoyance grow stronger without pause.
Regardless, she couldn't just stand up and leave because she wasn't a fool. She knew that the current situation had to be settled immediately before she drew unnecessary attention to herself, and so, she waited, together with Boris who seemed to have seen her irritation and stayed behind in other not to let the situation escalate.
And so, after all the back-and-forth retortion and disagreement from Boris who seems to be on her side, it was finally time for her to voice out her thoughts.
"What kind of compensation are we talking about?" She answered. She would only comply if it was something within her ability, to avoid being drawn into whatever political mess this was turning into.
But if it wasn't?
Annabelle's lips unknowingly formed a wry smile as she waited for King Ameal's reply. She knew that the kind of authority she had was no less than the two de facto rulers in the room.
"Nothing much... To appease the citizens we would need to give them food or livestock. But since, I am sure that you are unable to provide that at the moment, then a few thousand gold coins would do" King Ameal responded. He internally rose an eye in amusement, noting the girl's futile attempts to hide her irritation.
Nonetheless, he wasn't backing down. This was the least he could do to deal with the steering crisis that was about to happen and avoid attracting the attention of one of the Captains under Captain Silver-tongue's banner, Captain Crimson eye. A pirate that held every kingdom in absolute submission.
And if she disagreed. Then he would have no other choice than to involve the Queen, so that she could somehow, in some way, solve the situation as she had managed to do so at a time, previously.
"How much are we talking about?" Annabelle asked. She didn't mind spending money to resolve the problem, but she first needed to know the amount that would be coming out of her pocket.
"7, 000 gold coins" King Ameal calculated and explained "Although it won't be enough considering all the provisions we have to get. Bur, I think that is already enough money for one person to provide".
Annabelle sighed and replied, "I will get the money for you tomorrow". She could pay if it was only this much.
"That means that we will be expecting your visit tomorrow Miss Annabelle" King Ameal smiled and relaxed on his seat. His eyes flickered over to Boris who caught the non-verbal signal and nodded in return.
"Let's go" Boris said.
Unceremoniously, he and Annabelle stood up and left.
"Click!!" The door closed, and all that was left in the room were King Ameal and his guards.
….........
Unsurprisingly, even after they left, I found myself staring at the closed door. Annabelle, a pirate, a mage rank ascendant and a summoner under Captain Crimson's fleet. Her standing was someone who could walk into the territories of any of the fallen kingdoms, wreak havoc and then walk off with a slap on the wrist.
Of course, if it were before when other kingdoms were in their rightful positions, then there would be no need to be wary of Captain Crimson eye or his fleet. But now, that we are only a spinless structure, a husk of our former selves, all I could do, or try to do, is lay low and play it safe, for both I and the remnants of my kingdom.
"My King!" A guard walked forward and knelt on one in front of me.
"What is it?" I asked, even though I could easily read his thoughts.
"This-- 7, 000 gold coins will not be able to cover up the amount of destruction that had taken place" He explained.
Of course, it won't. But what else could I have done?
Her rank as an ascendant doesn't seem to be weak, which means that she might have a seated position among the Crimson Blackeye crew, which means that her authority isn't any greater than mine.
Yet, I didn't say that.
"Don't worry. We can use this opportunity and finally deal with the Sloywoth kingdom, who has been running around in our city as though they own it" I responded.