Filling an empty wooden bucket with water, Mike and the other soldiers quickly rinsed the remaining soap lather on their bodies off. Climbing out of the large pool and onto the marble flooring, he moved swiftly towards the waiting room where his plate carrier, battle belt, and other miscellaneous items waited to be collected.
Entering the room, a plethora of white shirts, and brown tunics were placed neatly on the benches, while the gear was half-hazard moved to the opposite side along with the weapons. The sudden thought that someone could've snooped through the gear flashed across Mike's mind, and he was soon joined by the other Rangers in making sure nothing was taken.
After checking in, the group moved to put the clothes provided by the kingdom on. Albeit odd, Mike was thankful that the clothing seemed to fit perfectly. He had no trouble buttoning up the white shirt and putting on the brown trousers.
As he was strapping his multi-cam plate carrier around his torso, Green snickered, "You look like one of those CIA guys we met in Sierra Leone!"
"You're not entirely wrong Private." Malkovich said as he lifted his arms and looked at the white tunic adorning him. "The clothes provided look similar to that one photo from the Persian Gulf War."
"Wasn't that guy apart of Delta?" Simon questioned checking to see if anyone tampered with his rifle.
"Something like that. Either way let's get going!" Thompson ordered ending the conversation.
Opening the doors and blowing past two maids who were supposed to help the men get to the throne room, Thompson led the six men unguided down the red-velvet carpets and stone hallways, as Sergeant Malkovich kept watch in the rear.
A feeling of dread came over Mike as he spotted several Royal Guards scrambling to some unknown destination with a plethora of papers in tow. One of the guards almost tripped in his frantic movement, but luckily was caught by one of the butlers who he thanked before running off again.
His pace quickened as he grasped his M-5 tighter. He momentarily saw a flash of gold from the inside of his weapon, reminding him that he had yet to chamber a round. He pushed the bolt release on the side of the rile sending the bolt forward with a bullet encased in a brass cartridge.
The loud click attracted the attention of several knights roaming the halls, but they made no move to stop the Rangers as they approached the throne room. With two maids curtsying the men and opening the doors, the hall grew silent as the seven entered. Princess Lecca stood next to King Aldrecht and Queen Juna. She looked upon 'her' Rangers with interest.
"You all finally look the part!" She said cheerfully clasping her hands together with a bright smile on her face. "I must say your armor fits the tunics perfectly!"
King Aldrecht nodded in affirmation as he moved away from the table in the middle of the room. It was obvious that the throne room had become more of a command center as several occupied tables held servants and military personnel handling papers and important documents.
"Ah your Majesty." Thompson said in a semi-formal manner gaining the ire of the more studious people around. "You called for me and my men? Are we finally being sent on a mission?"
No missing a beat, the king swiftly answered the question, "Yes. You seven will be moving to the city of Bishmark along with the Princess. We have word that a large hostile force is gathering nearby, so I want you and your men to deal with it."
"Wait, how large?" Patterson suddenly cut in making a nearby guard scowl at him.
"Perhaps a legion, we do not have exact numbers." The king said in an unsure manner.
The king folded his two hands over one another as he stepped on his heels to face the map once more. Following the old man, the seven too looked at the map which displayed the city of Bishmark. It was a large circular city that had two rivers flowing through the center. A quick observation from the nickname at the top, the "Crown Jewel", pointed to it holding a vast amount of wealth, thus the assumption that the city was the nexus of trade was easily accepted by those living in such a prosperous environment.
Thompson made several attempts to question where the enemy and friendly forces would be located and why they were being sent with no support, but the king danced around the topic leaving only vague answers such as "we have enough", or "you'll have everything you need", these answers angered the captain, yet he kept his mouth shut.
With no other option, the men removed themselves from the throne room with Princess Lecca following behind. She walked beside Mike and the two broke into small conversation as there was nothing else to do.
"Hey." Mike said gaining the silver-haired woman's attention, "What is Bishmark like anyway?" His questioned was followed by Lecca placing her left index finger across her chin.
"I suppose you can say it is the main city that trade occurs within my kingdom." She said. "Many merchants gather in the city to trade goods and create new business opportunities. There are even new businesses that deal with investors, which is an idea that has recently come from a nearby country."
"So, it's like New York?" Mike said to himself.
"New York?"
Recalling a memory, Mike chuckled to himself as he explained, "It's similar to what Bishmark is. New York, more specifically Manhattan, is the nexus of global trade, and the United States stock market is there where a shit ton of investors gather." Lecca listened intently, "The world we come from relies on a global market, so it's important for us to have places where we can manage not only money, but different resources and goods."
"My, my." Lecca said. "Your world is truly different than ours. I would like to visit your homeland in the future, I think it would be a worthwhile experience." She let out a small chuckle and she wore a bright smile, bringing an uncomfortable feeling into Mike's chest.
"Sure. I wouldn't be against it, but we'd have to defeat the Demon Lord…" Mike blinked several times and a smile threatened to ruin his plain expression. All he could hear were their two footsteps pressing against the red-velvet carpets. Not knowing what to do, Mike put his hands in his pockets.
"Hey! Hurry up! We need to make our window down by the castle entrance!" Up ahead Sergeant Malkovich called out to the two.
"I believe this can be discussion for another time?" Lecca said while tilting her head towards Mike, her silver hair drooped to the side and shimmered in the limited sunlight. Her smile beamed and her cheerful attitude seemingly removed all tension around.
Holding onto his carbine tight, Mike nodded his head as he momentarily walked backwards increasing his pace, "Yeah! C'mon let's go!"
Publicly Available Information: Investors and Merchants:
Acting as the economical lifeblood of any nation, Merchants move goods from foreign lands and introduce new technologies and cultures to nations all over the world.
Investors give the ability for merchants to expand their reach and hold greater wealth amongst the common people.