The Realm Between: A LitRPG Saga (Books 7 - 10), page 36
The princess’ hand fell to the bracelet, and she rotated it as if she might take it off, then stopped.
“She’s not lying,” Azure said, tired of the bullying. “Dyasitet did send us here. You are to return to the eastern bridge with your sister or else face the wrath of King Nheirded. If you don’t relocate, he will send Adventurers to kill you both.”
The troll seemed surprised by this, her eyes widening for a moment. “Is that so?”
“It is as he speaks, ma’am,” Rerdam added.
Her brow fell as skepticism took over. “And why should ey believe ya?”
“We are not from here and have no reason to lie.” Princess Zadori narrowed her gaze. “We don’t even have a desire to cross this bridge.” She gestured to it. “We only came to deliver this information.”
“Well, in’t that mighty kind a ya.” The troll scratched her chin.
Feeling like they were finally getting somewhere, Azure bolstered the princess’ argument. “She’s right. We have no business in Raetha. Our only goal is to save you and your sister.”
“Speaking of which,” the old knight interrupted, “Might you gift us with your name, miss?”
The troll seemed taken aback by the request. “Tis no gift, but ma name es Lota.”
“Lota,” Rerdam parroted. “It’s a fine name.” He smiled.
Lota didn’t know how to react.
They all stood in silence for several moments, no one really sure what to do next.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Lota spoke. “Ey still don’t know if ey can trust ya. Ifin ey had some kinda proof.” She scratched her chin again.
“Perhaps if we brought you a royal decree?” the old knight suggested.
“A royal decree?” Lota pinched her thick, hairless eyebrows together.
“Yes, ma’am. It’s a document signed by the king. It would prove that what we’re saying is true,” Rerdam explained.
“That would do it.” Princess Zadori nodded, pleased with the suggestion. “Royal decrees cannot be forged, under penalty of death.”
“That does sound authentic.” Lota mulled over the idea.
“The only problem is,” the old knight hesitated, “we would need to cross the bridge to retrieve it.” He gazed past the troll toward Raetha.
“That is a quandary, now init it.” Lota shifted her weight, the slightest hint of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. “Tell ya what, I’ll give ya a discount this one time. But ifin ya don’t return with that decree an ey see ya again, I’ll smash yer bones inta mush.” The troll beat the thick end of her club against her palm.
“Sounds fair to me.” Jin looked to the rest of his party for approval.
“We are not disingenuous, so I don’t see why not,” the princess agreed.
Lota puffed out her chest with satisfaction. “Then 25 gold a piece it is.”
“25 gold!” This time, the words did come out of Azure’s mouth. “That’s still highway robbery.”
“Take it or leave.” The troll shrugged nonchalantly.
“Take it,” Jin said firmly, eying Azure as he began digging into his bag for the payment.
“That is a bit steep for someone who is trying to help you.” Even Rerdam grumbled about the price.
Once they’d all paid the exorbitant toll, a quest notification popped up.
Quest: A Royal Decree
Lota needs a bit more convincing before she’ll be willing to abandon the western bridge leading into the Kingdom of Raetha. Bring her a royal decree signed by King Nheirded saying that she must leave or face death, and she may be inclined to listen to reason.
Difficulty: Very Easy
Success: Bring Lota a royal decree
Failure: Fight Lota or fail to return
Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?
Of course, they had to accept. It was the only plan they had.
Azure was happy to see that the quest difficulty was Very Easy. No doubt, King Nheirded wanted to rid the bridge of the troll with the least amount of force possible. Why he hadn’t already sent a royal decree to Lota was beyond Azure’s reasoning. At least, getting her to leave should be simple once they had it in hand.
He was also glad they’d get a bit more experience for their efforts. Doing quests that didn’t involve killing things slowed down his character growth. Most of the time, Azure didn’t really think about it. Fighting wasn’t his favorite thing, but he definitely liked leveling up, and that was the only way to do it without experience from quests.
Lota moved aside to allow them to pass, clinking the coins in her hand almost mockingly as they went. Both Uden and Azure wore scowls, but no one else seemed affected, more focused on the goal than their finances.
Whatever the case, they were past the bridge, and the Kingdom of Raetha lay ahead. Azure prayed it would not be as big as Noseon. With as urgent as Dyasitet had made the quest sound, he wasn’t sure they had that kind of time.
GOD OF LIFE
CHAPTER SIX
THE REALM – DAY 651
The Kingdom of Raetha first appeared on the horizon as white towers. Azure was surprised at how different it was from Noseon. Where Noseon looked like a typical medieval kingdom, Raetha seemed stripped straight from a magical fantasy. Whatever stones they had used to construct the city had a faint glow, even under the full rays of the sun. Instead of square angles on the buildings, everything was rounded. There were even a few towers that Azure thought looked like giant dildos. He wanted to make a joke about them, but he was fairly certain that none of his comrades would understand. Sometimes, being the only person from Earth sucked.
There was a steep slope before they reached the gate, though everything else around the kingdom was flatland. Up close, the stonework was even smoother, like ivory.
The guards at the gate wore white steel armor, a heart embossed on the chest with intricate designs woven inside and around it. Much like the guards in Noseon, they stood like sentinels, not seeming interested in barring anyone passage into the city.
Raetha was blessedly a lot smaller than Noseon. The layout was simple: inns, then a large plaza, then shops, then residences, then military barracks, and finally, the castle.
There also did not seem to be as large of a social divide.
Most of the inhabitants of the city wore simple white tunics and trousers. Only a handful donned more expensive garments, though even those were subtle. There was no real flash of wealth anywhere, but there were also no paupers.
“There is a world of difference between this place and Noseon,” Azure commented as he watched a woman through a window in one of the residences brushing her daughter’s long golden hair.
“No Underland here,” Uden grunted, clearly displeased.
“Wealth is spread out around the country,” Rerdam explained.
“Are you saying there’s no poverty?” Azure asked.
“Not like you see in other countries. There is definitely a social divide. Peasants and nobles and the like. But you never hear about people in Sheidan starving or freezing to death.”
“The land of life is all about preserving just that,” Jin picked up the conversation.
They all expected him to say more, but when he didn’t, Princess Zadori jumped in in his stead. “The past kings of Sheidan decided to build Raetha small so that it would not cost so much to run the city and they could keep the wealth amongst the people. King Nheirded is quick to respond when his people are in need. Most of the taxes that are collected here go back to the people in some form or another.”
Azure’s eyes widened for a moment. “That sounds like the way everything should be run.”
The old knight hesitated. “I think it’s more of a cultural thing. Unlike in other countries, most wealthy Sheidans are very minimalistic. They get by on the least they can so they can help the less fortunate.”
“You wouldn’t be able to tell by these garish houses.” Uden cast his glance to one of the ivory buildings.
“This is the only place in all of Sheidan where you will see opulent wealth,” Rerdam told him.
“Sounds like a fairy tale,” Azure snorted, unable to believe it.
If what they were saying was true, then why hadn’t the Sheidan system been adopted by all The Realm? But after a few moments of thinking, Azure remembered life back on Earth. Some countries clearly had superior systems of helping their people that were not replicated by other countries due to political and cultural beliefs. It seemed that both worlds were equally complicated.
They reached the steps leading up to the castle by late afternoon. It stood as a magnificent spire before them, reaching up to the heavens.
When they arrived at the entrance to the throne room, the great ivory doors were barred shut. A guard standing outside informed them that King Nheirded had already retired for the evening.
Looking up at the sun barely kissing the horizon, Azure felt it was a bit early. King Algrenon back in Noseon would definitely have still been seeing people.
“But it’s so early,” he complained.
“Because the people here help each other, there is less need for the king to be involved,” the old knight explained.
Jin sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot. I guess we’ll have to come back in the morning.”
“That just means more time to drink!” An ear-to-ear grin spread across Uden’s face.
That smile disappeared when he found out they had to pay 3 gold per night for a room. It turned into a downright scowl when he discovered that Raetha was a dry kingdom.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! How can you call this a tavern if there’s no booze?” he scolded the tavern wench. “You mean to tell me you don’t even have some sparkly fru fru alcohol back there?!” The half-imp gestured toward the kitchen.
“Don’t make such a scene.” Jin narrowed his eyes at Uden. “It’s not like you don’t have a ton of booze in your bag.”
The barmaid quickly pointed out a sign that said Drinking Not Allowed.
Uden slammed his balled fists down on the table, cursing under his breath before declaring, “This place sucks!”
The tavern wench glared at him as she walked away. In fact, everyone in Raetha that had seen the half-imp thus far had given him stink eye and a wide berth, not wanting to be anywhere near a darkly aligned creature.
“Should have stayed in Kigboldar.” There was zero sympathy in the elf’s tone.
“No kidding!” Uden huffed before sulking.
Once they’d finished their meal, the half-imp urged Azure to return to his room so they could have a drink. Initially, Azure had planned to stay with Jin and Princess Zadori, but the princess had requested that the elf take her on a leisurely stroll of the city, and Rerdam had insisted that he would be able to watch over the two on his own. Astonishingly, Jin had not demanded that Azure come along.
The interior of the rooms was all white. White wooden floors, white furniture, white walls. While the accommodations weren’t particularly lavish, they still had a somewhat expensive feel thanks to a décor style that varied so much from every other part of The Realm.
When Azure had first sat on one of the beds, it felt like he was sinking into a cloud. Pressing down on the mattress had left an imprint of his hand. This was the closest he’d come to seeing memory foam inside The Realm.
For lighting, each room was provided with two large lanterns that consisted of a glass dome filled with three small yellow will-o’-wisps. In the daytime, you couldn’t even see the will-o’-wisps inside. Azure had puzzled over how the lanterns actually worked since there was no place for a wick. Princess Zadori had chastised him when he’d tried to take one apart before launching into an explanation. Apparently, the will-o’-wisps were the souls of deceased light elementals, which was kind of morbid if you thought about it.
“It must suck to be trapped for all eternity in a jar,” he had mumbled, feeling bad for the will-o’-wisps.
“It is their duty to give light to Sheidan after they die,” the princess had said.
“So what happens when more light elementals die than are needed?” Azure asked, surprised that it wasn’t as bright as daylight in Sheidan all the time. If what Princess Zadori had said was true, there would eventually be an overabundance of will-o’-wisps.
“Only so many will-o’-wisps are allowed to exist in The Realm at any given time. Once a light elemental serves its time as a will-o’-wisp, its soul transcends to the beyond. In Sheidan, there is a balance to all things.” She sounded very much like Dyasitet had in The Crystal Forest.
Azure had just nodded at this, finally willing to accept the explanation.
“I’m surprised you forked out 3 gold for a room,” Azure confessed as he and Uden stood side by side looking down on the city from the window of the room that the half-imp had rented.
“There’s nothing for me here,” Uden replied with a bit of sorrow as he dug two very different bottles out from his bag and passed the skinnier one over to Azure.
You have received the following item:
Bottle of Dwarven Wine
Item Class: Common
Quality: Poor
Weight: 1.2 kg
Uses: Tastes like moldy grapes but will do the job
Effects: Increases strength by 5% for one hour
Increases attack of all axes by 5% for one hour
Decreases power and duration of all spells cast by 50% for one hour
Decreases Agility and Dexterity by 3 points for one hour
“This stuff has some serious side effects,” Azure noted as he read the part about spells. Then he glanced at the shorter, fatter bottle in the half-imp’s hand. “What are you drinking?”
“Dwarven barley wine.” Uden held the almost black bottle up to him. “Doubles the hair on your balls for an hour. Makes your dick twice as thick. Really, it’s a waste to drink it with no women around.” He shook his head.
“Then why are you drinking it now?” Azure raised an eyebrow.
A grin spread across the half-imp’s face, and his gaze fell to the floor for a moment. “I’m just fucking with you. If there was really a drink that made your dick twice as thick, every bloke in The Realm would have a lifetime supply. This has close to the same boring effects as yours. I just picked it at random.” He quirked his head to the side. “Though I do have to admit, I did steal…I mean buy,” he quickly corrected himself, “an awful lot of dwarven booze when we were in Kigboldar.”
“I kind of wish I would have gotten to drink more of that dwarven ale while we were there,” Azure said as he uncorked his bottle.
“Yeah. You pretty much got screwed out of that experience.” Uden uncapped his barley wine and took a long pull.
The city before them looked magical. In the dark of night, the glow of the buildings was amplified. No lamplight was needed to illuminate the city, and since everything closed early, there was a stillness that caused a sense of peace. Azure thought it was a bit romantic. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw Jin and Princess Zadori step into view below.
The princess moved close to the elf. Jin tried to step away, but she quickly wrapped her arm around his. Rerdam tailed several yards behind them with a disapproving expression. Azure couldn’t help but grin, though the grin was soft and didn’t linger.
Unrequited love was a painful thing. Did Princess Zadori even have an inkling that she’d never be with the elf? Azure wondered if Jin’s feelings would change toward her if he couldn’t revive his race.
He turned to look at Uden. “Has there ever been such a thing as a half-elf?”
“Yes.” The half-imp nodded. “But they have been few and far between, and for good reason.”
Azure knitted his brow. “Why is that?”
“Half-elves are born sterile, and they don’t gain any racial abilities from their elven parents. To make matters worse, elves are such a proud people that they will not allow half-breed offspring to be raised in their cities. They have an extreme hatred of anyone who dirties their bloodline, so the elf parent typically ends up getting banished from all the elven cities, forced to live with the humans, which is particularly dangerous, especially for female elves.
“It’s also elven law to kill on sight any half-elves that approach the cities. And there is even a law that states that if an elf meets a half-elf in the wild, he can kill that half-elf without consequence.
“Humans are no kinder. There isn’t a single king in all The Realm that has passed a law protecting them.”
Azure frowned. “It doesn’t seem fair that they would be so hated for no fault of their own.”
“I agree,” Uden nodded, “and I sympathize. Generally, no half-breed is regarded kindly. Mixing races has always been taboo. But half-elves definitely have a harder lot. They’re typically skinny and frail, prone to catching illness easily. Even naturally, most don’t live past thirty. They just…shouldn’t be.” He solemnly shook his head.
Sorrow filled Azure’s heart, but he wasn’t exactly sure who it was for. There were no other elves besides Jin to create half-elves, and he clearly had no intention of doing so. No half-elves currently existed in The Realm, having last lived over a hundred years ago, perhaps longer than that. The only person Azure could still feel sorry for was Princess Zadori, but even that seemed wasted. Her pining over the elven king was a bit selfish. Surely, she understood what his duty was to his people beyond their return. An heir was something she could never provide him, and thus, her love for Jin had been doomed from the start.
“Tragic,” he muttered before turning away from the window.
“What is?” Uden stayed in place, gazing out over the city.
“I was just thinking about how the princess pines over Jin. It seems like a waste of time.”
