The cathedral was so tall it appeared to hold up the night sky.Even though Kenji looked like a n.o.ble, with an ashen vampire corpse under one arm to boot, he still got jostled. The streets leading to the Catherdral steps were choked with people, all armed, many singing their praises to the Everseeing, the Bountyheart, and the Wellfaring.
As Kenji climbed the stairs, huge Templar Knights stood to either side. Larger than any man Tenji had ever known, they were completely hidden beneath silvery steel armour which had T-shaped helmets similar to a hammerhead shark. Each Templar filled the surrounding area with holy aura, so much so that the vampire corpse starting to smoulder beneath Kenji"s arm.
"Do you have to bring that into the ma.s.s?" A robed priest frowned, "can"t you go straight to Psalms?"
"Eh, yes." Kenji thought very hard, and recalled where "Psalms" was. "I"ll head right over-"
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"You"ll never get back through that crowd, holy brother," the priest chuckled. "Not that you would want to miss what the One has to say. Better to head inside, hear his divine words- then head to Psalms."
Kenji smiled and nodded, a few distant ladies with fine dresses blushing and clucking to one another as they gestured in his direction. Even the priest seemed to be batting his eyelashes at him. Kenji shivered and hurried on, thoroughly out of his depth.
Inside, the walls were covered in stained gla.s.s. Somehow light streamed from behind them in golden rays, despite it being dark outside. Inside, a huge amount of adventurers, soldiers and zealots were arrayed before a golden plinth. According to Arthur"s memories, reaching the clerks in the hall known as "Psalms" would be easy once the crowd thinned. So Kenji held onto the burning vampire remains, and ignored the pained expressions of those poor folk forced to stand beside him.
In front of a flock of priests, the One strode to stand before them all. Kenji"s heart sank.
The man wore white bishop"s garb, held a white sceptre and smiled with bright white teeth and peered around with snow-white hair and eyes. His skin was drenched black, the very same man that had worn that white suit and put Kenji in this mess to begin with.
"Brave warriors of our Holy Kingdom of Alandria!" The One roared, everyone else instantly going silent as he spoke.
"You have come before me at my behest. For that I thank you. Threatened in the north by giants, to the west by the Xeno empire, the east by the three Magic Princedoms, and the South by the demon controlled wastelands, we are encircled! We too are threatened from within, Alandria is swamped with monster filth, heretics, and evils from ancient days that hide beneath our very feet. Yet there are new threats to contend with, 18 champions of evil that are prophesied to lead our enemies towards our fair Kingdom"s destruction!"
The crowd was filled with enraged shouting, cheers and pleading prayers for salvation.
"Now, for a word from your king..."
A firm man covered in white-steel plate - Mithril according to Arthur - and with the presence of ten men stood before them all. His Royal Knights arrayed themselves behind him as they floated a hand"s breadth from the ground, and for a moment he just stared. His silver eyes scanned the huge crowd, resting for a moment on Kenji and his smoking parcel of once Vampiric flesh.
"My Kingdom is at war," he stated with all the eloquence of an absolute monarch.
Surprised whispers sprung into life, and there was no mention of an active war beyond minor skirmishes in Arthur"s memory either.
"We are besieged at all sides, but my resources spent putting endless monster hordes in their place. Even welcoming some of the lower species into our lands in return for military service has not been enough. Ladies and gentlemen of my dearest Alandria, the timing of the eighteen evil generals could not have been worse. But we have hope. The three G.o.ds have all decreed that the slaying of any one of these evil 18 will result in a direct ticket to their heavens upon death and glorious powers in life. I too will personally reward any who bring one of their corpses to me. So let it be announced, upon my name, King Thunberad, that the Thunberad crusade should commence!" Pulling a fiery sword free, the King held it high, red banners streaming down the walls to block out the stained windows, a great fervour building up in the crowd as soldiers spilled into the alcoves and blew trumpets in unison.
"You can identify them by their forbidden knowledge! They have the power to understand alien concepts such as "computers", "English", "Mandarin" and "fast-food." I ask of you now, my people, to report any such cases you find, and bring such people to justice!"
So many saluted that a great crashing of fists against plated chest rang out through the cathedral, bouncing off the walls and echoing many times. Kenji got a sinking feeling in his gut. 18? Did that not include him as well?
"To show how many are left to be destroyed, my loyal mages and priests have worked day and night. One, if you would," Gesturing behind him, eighteen golden candles were revealed behind the priests. In the next moment 17 erupted with black flame, the one etched with "16" remaining quenched.
"Interesting, so one of the demons has already been slain," the King paused and gave the One an odd look. "Hopefully, the brave hero who slew the creature will soon step forward, so that they might be honoured."
Kenji dropped the smoking corpse, right before the King"s eyes focused on him through the crowd. He paused, as if waiting for Kenji to do something. Then continued to search the congregation.
At least a dozen voices spoke up claiming all manner of deeds and were escorted into an adjoining chamber.
"We have methods to validate whether a killed creature is of the 18. After some quick testing, we will validate whether any of those champions of our G.o.ds indeed are the hero I seek," Leaning aside the king whispered something to his Royale Knights, and pointed right at Kenji. Immediately the Royale Knights saluted and began to hover slowly over the crowd. Kenji slipped back behind the people around him, leaving the vampire corpse well behind. He preferred not to meet whatever medieval fate would await his discovery.
Yet the Royal Knights came ever closer, and so seeking to lose them, Kenji gambled everything. He ducked behind an especially large man and arose in his old man form. Short, bound in dark cloth and chains he couldn"t have appeared more suspicious. Yet straining to see ahead, he pretended to be a quirky adventurer.
The Royal Knights approached as the King continued his speech.
"I want them hunted, I want them tortured, I want everything possible done in order to bring them screaming from their holes and into the light of justice! We need not fear-"
Just as the Royale Guards noticed Kenji and flew forward to seize him, they were interrupted by a shockwave.
Stone and red lightning exploded from the Cathedral"s side to rain down upon the adventurers. The 18 had heard the declaration of war and had fired the first volley. As stone pillars came tumbling down; dozens were crushed and killed, while hundreds more were injured in the ensuing stampede.
Weak as a leaf, Kenji didn"t stand a chance and was shoved to the ground. Hundreds of feet trampled him. Stone continued to collapse, and Kenji curled up into a little ball as he was submerged under rubble.