The Jester bowed low before the king, his face witty and voice full of mischief. "Your Majesty," he announced. "I heard a king is the pillar of the kingdom, but if I dare to say, the only thing you are holding is your royal weight."
The king wasn't pleased. He laughed nonetheless. The great Baloonhart III, the man who conquered all lands, with only victories under his name, was angry.
His laughter stemmed from irritation; his ego was touched, but no one should be allowed to do that.
Especially a lowly court jester who was making fun of him in front of his officials.
Jester could easily read his reaction. He could even tell that he was risking his life, but there was no way he would back down.
'I must entertain the masses,' the Jester thought and opened his mouth.
"Perhaps you didn't find this revelation to your liking, your Highness." He bowed even lower. "I have another joke just for you. I promise you'll be delighted if you would be so kind as to allow this humble fool to speak his mind."
The Jester sounded convincing. The king didn't want to show that mere words hurt him. He despised weakness more than anything and wouldn't allow others to see it in him.
"You have my permission." His voice echoed throughout the hall. His power, and his dominant stature, caused several of his attendants to break into a cold sweat.
The same wouldn't happen to the Jester. Not in this life. He blew air through his nose, laughed silently, and began. "My liege," he grinned widely as if he could barely contain his excitement.
"They say a king's face is the kingdom's fortune, but with your proportions, I fear your country will go broke."
Silence fell.
Almost!
Several of the attendants barely held back their laughter and let out the slightest sound.
They quickly subdued themselves in fear, but none escaped the radar of the glorious king. He memorised their faces and would make them pay when the time was right.
Baloonhart then looked at the Jester. "That's a funny joke." He said, but there was no laughter or smile in the hall.
"A joke, of course." The Jester replied with undisguised cynicism and proceeded to the performance.
His entertainment wasn't limited to cruel jokes. He performed acrobatic stunts, began to juggle, performed magic tricks, and even told various gags.
No one dared to enjoy the Jester's performance. Especially not openly when the king wasn't thrilled.
He waited a dog's time, although the performance dragged on for seemingly forever.
Jester finished his entertainment with storytelling as he danced. He wore an unusual cap with a three-colour pattern. The bells were also added to the dangling sleeves just to announce his arrival.
He also wore motley clothes. It had a green, red, and yellow patchwork in the shape of diamonds. It was hard to decipher his face and shape, but he looked athletic.
The Jester didn't have a name. At least for the last 24 years. He genuinely looked ecstatic as he was having fun making the king angry.
After finishing his performance, he bowed to the monarch. He seemed to be obeying, but his face said the opposite. "I shall take my leave before your noble ego swells even further," Jester looked almost comical when he said that.
Then he ran away in a hurry. He left the king's vast tent before anyone could do anything to him.
'They won't hire me again. It's a pity; the pay was good.' He set off dejectedly, thinking about suitable clients.
He thought about barons and other nobles, and maybe this time he would hold his tongue. A similar incident repeated many times, and due to his unruly language, not only the circuses but also most of the nobility refused to take him.
'If I continue like this, I'll go hungry.' He hopped around gracefully as if what awaited him wasn't his problem.
It should be mentioned that this Jester couldn't stay upset for more than two seconds.
Then his eyes caught movement around him. 'They won't let me go so easily, will they?' He lowered his head again for a moment and looked at the approaching warriors.
They surrounded him with raised swords, prepared to capture him.
"The king summoned you. He is hopeful he can meet you again. Privately! And this isn't a request." The commander of the squad announced to the Jester and moved closer.
"I know he is full, but it's not because of hope! Did he miss me already, or something? If he liked my jests so much, he could have said something. A bit of a bonus would have been enough as well." His tone was mocking, which the king's soldiers couldn't bear.
Jester didn't care. He himself was in a hurry to leave and punched the approaching captain in the throat. He pulled a sword out of the commander's hand and cut off his opponent's head.
His quick action was followed by an unexpected pause, which he used splendidly. With weapon in hand, he broke through the siege, killing numerous soldiers on the way.
"Wait, he's just a jester. Peasant Balatro, but how does he use a sword so well?" asked one of the officers who was chasing the fugitive.
"I have no idea, but he's fast. It'll be hard to catch him alive," said another, who was looking at the Jester's hat and the clank of his movements with interest and fear.
The Jester was running away, pursued by about a dozen warriors. They also shot several arrows, which the owner of his body and agility had no difficulty dodging.
Unfortunately, the country was in a state of war, and the army was close. The warriors were joined by the entire corps, and the Jester was thrown into a new encirclement.
A narrower and more numerous one.
'I am such a fool.' In the meantime, he thought and looked at his blood-stained clothes.
"Damn you! Do you know how much I worked to sew this?" He exclaimed in dissatisfaction and cut down the soldiers one after another. His movements were like a dance, harmonious and clean.
The sword always found the right point, and no one could block his attack. It was invisible, and no one could dodge his sword.
The magnificent army that conquered kingdom after kingdom bowed its knees before one fool jester.
The proud warriors couldn't keep up with his movements, and the Jester was still able to break through the line.
He instilled fear, especially since his entire face was covered in blood.
His hat had fallen off a long time ago. He ran among the corpses of about twenty dead soldiers and looked for a way out.
The Jester no longer looked silly. He was like a killing machine, a monster that no one could tame.
'Where should I go? Where should I hide? What should I eat?' He was also thinking carelessly when his foot slipped in the thick mud. He twisted the boot inside, kicked the other leg to the ground, and jumped into the air.
He successfully returned to the road, but the carriage moving in the whole chaos couldn't be dodged.
"RIP!" he said loudly, and the horse-drawn carriage flattened him to the ground.
Jester was used to pain. Death was no stranger to him, either. 'This is the first time I've been hit by something and died like this.'
The warriors stood over him, he lay with crushed bones and in a pool of blood. They were talking and weren't pleased about his end.
He couldn't comprehend their words, but he understood that the king wouldn't be joyful about his demise either.
Before death struck, the Jester imagined the king's angry face and smiled for the last time. He wanted to say that he died because of the punchline, but alas, it was too late.
Then darkness came, which lasted an unusually long time.
Then he hung in the darkness, with no control over his body, and heard a strange voice. It was a soft, deep, and friendly tone, belonging to a cheery woman.
A text appeared before the Jester, which looked like runes, although he had no difficulty reading it.
[Archetype System triggered.]
[Your information has been processed.]
[All 12 necessary lives have already passed.]
[The 13th and final reincarnation begins.]
[This is your last life. Don't waste it!]
'What the hell is going on? What is this system, and why is this my last reincarnation?' Jester, who had just died, said in displeasure.
Sadly, he had no voice and couldn't ask anything to this strange entity.
He had already lived 12 lives. Each time he resided in different worlds and got diverse professions and lives. He had been a Hero, a King, a Warrior, and finally tried his hand at being a Jester.
Now he had a little idea of the reason for his reincarnations and uniqueness.
However, he never imagined that he would someday start his last life.
[The reincarnation is completed. Open your eyes and read the system's messages.]
[Welcome to the planet Maskera!]
[Welcome to the world of Archetypes!]