Under the light of dawn, he arrived at the gate of Fort Doral. The guards on staff glared at him and kept their hands on their spears. The archers high in the wall never took their eyes off of him. He had to wait for his admittance until a guard captain came on the scene. After a tense half hour he stepped through the guard door. The man was grizzled, scars covered his face, an eyepatch hid his left eye, and part of his nose was missing.
Despite the man's haggard face, he smiled and attempted to produce an aura of good cheer. However, it looked more like a grimace coming from such a hard-lived man. "I haven't seen you here before, are you on official business from your Lord, or are you the son of a yeoman traveling. Tell me the name of your father I have probably heard of his land or give me the name of your father's liege lord. We must list any powerful cultivators who enter the city. If we don't it's our necks. Do you understand?" The guard captain asked.
Despite wearing finest clothing he's worn in his life. Maybe if he'd come in beggar's rags, they'd have let him in already. Riding a horse into the city wasn't the best idea either. Horses were status symbols, and riding one into town put him above the common rabble. Or that's how he thought they thought about the situation. A yeoman's son might have a nice horse, nice clothes, and might feel that he had the strength to travel by himself even through the night. If that were the assumptions presented, then how could he use them?
Lex had gotten better at measuring the strength of others. The captain was in the great circle of qi condensation. The guards weren't even mid qi condensation. Lex was in the middle of qi condensation and closer to the great circle than the beginning. But what did the guard sense from him? He didn't know how he appeared to them; he may appear as an ordinary fifth stage qi condensation cultivator. There was also the possibility he may appear in the great circle himself or higher. Was this the correct response for someone of the foundation realm? Could they be attempting to suck up to him by asking about his parentage?
He didn't know, and lying badly wouldn't get him anywhere. Lex rubbed the back of his head and thought about how to mix the truth with assumptions.
"I'm sorry to say, sir, but I'm a commoner. I was advised by a Capt. Franco to seek out the Hidden Dragon Institute for further education when their job became too dangerous for me. Though you might have difficulty getting ahold of him, he's currently hunting the witch of the black forest." Lex said.
He watched the man's eyes go from disappointed at the word commoner to comprehensive and aware at inquisitors. Everyone knew about the Inquisition and why messing with them was a bad idea. Naming a captain of an inquisitorial band raised an eyebrow. If Lex wasn't sure the captain wouldn't get a confirmation anytime soon, he wouldn't use the man's name.
"You met Capt. Franco. He saved my village from a rampaging demon. How was he?" One of the guards blurted out.
"Scary, no-nonsense, and intense, I almost feel sorry for the witch, but from what I heard, she and Capt. Franco fought before. Fortunately, Franco's band was joined by 11 other inquisitors trapped by the witch. She won't do so well against so many inquisitors." Lex said. His words bent the truth, but the men nodded and seemed mollified by Lex's response.
"Is this animal your familiar?" Lex nodded slowly. "Then I suggest you keep him in his bounded form. Commoners, no matter who they know, can't ride within the city. You know how to shift familiar to their bounded form, son." The captain asked.
Lex didn't know. He'd learned it while he was researching the familiar contract. Certain familiars could take on a bounded form easier than others. Nightmares could phase onto a separate plane, a dream plane within their bounded master's mind. While with other familiars, a familiar bag of holding was needed, Lex didn't have access to one.
He dismounted, placed a hand on Brutus' nose, and the beast turned into black mist before flowing into him.
"What's your name, its needed for the admission list?" The guard captain said.
"Lex," they waited for something else and when nothing was forthcoming they wrote his name down.
"Lex, take care of yourself and don't cause trouble in my city. Keep your nose clean, and we will get along just fine. I advise you to make your way onto Pestle Street and line up the rest of the crowd. Rumor has it that Prince Artus has come to Fort Doral. He's going throw a parade." The guard captain said.
Lex plastered a smile on his face and stepped through the opened gate. Artus had come to Fort Doral of all places. For the first time in a year, Lex would be in spitting distance of the traitor. Would Gram the strong enough to turn the tide against Artus's mythic blade? He didn't know.
Mechanically he followed the signs for the winding streets; past the road of steel, merchants bartering talismans, and the occasional stall selling pills. Rows upon rows of people had gathered down Pestle Street. This street, lined with numerous smokestacks and furnaces built into homes, This street was where wealthy alchemists manufactured pills in the city. For anyone studying the Tang standard, this was perhaps the most crucial street in the Fort. But for the prince even greedy merchants had willingly closed their shops for this magnificent event.
Three chariots led by white stallions galloped forward carrying ladies dressed in their finest clothes throwing rose petals out from behind the chariots. The first of a column of knights rode down the road among the fallen rose petals. Alchemists of all kinds threw pills to the knights who caught them and added them to their bags of holding. Roses were thrown into the hands of these men as they trotted down the road towards the ducal Manse.
Behind the knights was a robed man dressed in more finery than anyone. In his left hand was a bedazzled staff covered in changing stars and moons. The wizard's eyes sparkled, and the women swooned, cheers erupted from the crowd, and teen girls fought to catch the eye of this man. Lex could sense there was some glamour radiating from the man. It affected the women in the crowd and drove them to near hysterics. They kicked, gnashed, pulled hair, and fought all to catch the eye of this man. Lex could feel the glamour pass over him and tasted the technique. After experiencing the glamour of the demons, he could recognize a similar technique. While it drove women mad with desire, it forced men to became complacent. They'd allow their wives, daughters, and sisters to bed this wizard without a second thought and take care of the child created from such a union.
Behind the wizard, a man dressed in formidable armor of an almost fiery orange trotted along to the wizard's right and nearest to Lex's side of the crowd. By the armor alone, Lex recognized this man as Ser Kay, the foster brother of Artus. He was known as the witch burner, an inquisitor, and a knight. Many witches of Britannia were said to have attempted to curse Artus in his youth. Ser Kay became the witch burner to protect the traitor and later used his talent for fire to burn down Lex's village. Lex remembered the horse Ser Kay rode upon as the flames burned down his family home. Ser Kay had a part in all of this, just like Artus.
He heard drummers, the gentle thrumming of lutes, and the squeal of horns. Then, behind Ser, Kay minstrels began to play and sing. "Praise Artus the Prince who defeated the Blight and saved many villages and towns. The prince, the heir, God blessed him with many airs. As a child, he killed a roc with a rock, and as a man great Britannia's stability he paved." Cheers resounded through the crowd, and the knights turned their heads and glared at the minstrel. The song had been a spur of the moment.
More knights dressed in silver behind the minstrels. Behind them, on a palanquin resting on the backs of blue-skinned oni, young nobles tossed bread, oranges, and copper coins to the audience. Before the crowd had been boisterous, the coin had driven the audience mad. The crowd cheered until their voices tore. Men of all stations fell to their knees and slammed their heads to the pavement. Teen girls ripped open their clothes expose themselves. Even cultivators pressed their faces to the pavement to give respect. Lex bowed as he heard the familiar breathing and prayed to Hel for restraint.
He sensed him like a village on fire condensed in a single body. The breath of a dragon contained by human lungs labored to pull in each breath. He could feel the cycle as it dragged in evermore raja from kilometers around.
It was unlike Lex's cultivation method. While Lex produced a great deal of qi, the way he used it was different. The raja Lex absorbed fused and as a byproduct generated qi. Artus pulled in vast amounts of raja from the environment and slowly refined it into qi he could use. It reminded Lex of Zhan in a way, only in return for the raja, Zhan took she reintroduced the raja of storms into the atmosphere.
He kept his head down as the parade continued, he caught a thrown orange, and tried to blend in with the crowd even as mania swept through the city. The man who would be King of all Britannia had come to Fort Doral the seat of Duke Weston's power.