4 Preparations for battle 1 (1/2)
Chris was grumbling, this might have been the worst night of his life. Last night, he was tired, both physically and mentally and yet he didn't manage to get much sleep and now, on top of that, his body was hurting, his neck throbbed and his eyes were bloody.
”Damn you rock pillows! I will eradicate you from this world!” This was Chris' first royal decree.
”Sire, are you up?” Berg came over after hearing Chris.
”Berg! Come over here!” Chris put his arm on Berg's shoulder and leaned in. ”That rock pillow was a joke right? Is this a 'Let's haze the new king kind of deal?” Chris stopped and seemed to realize something. ”Wait! Don't tell me you hogged all the good ones?”
”I-I would never my Lord!” Said Berg in a hurry. ”We keep moving from place to place at a moment's notice. We have long lost all such luxury items. Now please come, let's eat!”
”Right...” Said Chris not entirely convinced as he followed Berg's back with squinted eyes.
On the way, many people bowed as they met Chris and he returned everyone's goodwill with a wave. It seems that word of mouth also worked very well in this world, as everyone addressed him as the 'Sun King'.
[Again with the Sun King stuff. Do they refer to all human kings as such? Or is this something prepared for me by that weird god?] Wondered Chris. [Let's ask later.]
The walk from Chris' quarters to the cantina only took a few minutes. Berg pointed to the southernmost cave as they got closer. ”This is where we cook and eat. Most of the village will eat together, only hunters and sentries have their own schedules.”
Chris checked out the cantina. Accommodations were very basic. There were few tables and chairs and no cutlery. Most villagers bunched up and ate standing in groups as they chated. Everyone had a big smile as they received their bowl of soup, a tiny cup, and a good piece of meat to chew on. Chris had a feeling that this was a better meal than usual for them.
And he was right, this was a special occasion as it was the first meal under the new King and so the cooks followed Berg's instructions and prepared larger portions. This certainly helped improve everyone's impression of Chris, who was currently trying to act as ”kingly” as possible when he noticed everyone's gaze on him. He took small elegant bites of the meat and expertly used the tiny cup to scoop out the soup, in place of a spoon, as to not spill any on the ground.
[Hm? They look quite impressed. Are my manners super royal-like?] Chris was quite pleased with himself.
******* *******
People were chatting from a safe distance.
”Look, he is wearing the royal garments!” Said one villager.
”So this is our new king?” Asked another one. ”He looks quite tall.”
”Right, he is very tall. Quite impressive.” Answered another .”But, why is he dunking his water cup in the soup?”
...
******* *******
”Aaah... I feel better already.” Said a satisfied Chris. ”So much stuff happened yesterday that I forgot to eat.”
”I am very sorry my Lord! I should have made sure a meal was ready for you!” Apologized Berg.
”Don't worry, don't worry. I did not have much of an appetite anyway.” Reassured Chris. ”More importantly, how long until the list of personnel and resources is ready?”
”Titus' and Ferlin's lists are ready. However, I still need some time as I have to prepare Cid's share, my third lieutenant, who is still in recovery. But I should have everything ready soon.”
”Then how about joining us on our patrol, my Lord?” Offered Titus. ”It's always a good thing to be familiar with the surroundings.”
[Hee...] Thought a reluctant Chris. [Standing next to Mr.Good Looks somehow pisses me off. It's lowering my stock with the ladies...]
”Well...Sure. Let's go.”
”Don't worry, my Lord. There are no dangerous beasts near camp. The hunters have cleaned them out. We will be safe.” Said Titus as he sensed Chris' reluctance and assumed he was just worried.
They left camp for an elevated spot with a good view of the valley. As Titus said, the patrol route was quite safe and they met no dangerous beasts.
[No monsters that's a relief. But this is very surprising, I can spot Red Maple trees and Douglas-fir trees. Those are all from my world. How did they get here?]
[Hm? What's this weird tree?] Chris' attention was grabbed by a tree he was sure never existed in his world. [A sturdy yellow trunk with thick branches and huge leaves. It smells nice too. Is it a fruit tree?]
He was about to touch the trunk when he was suddenly grabbed by Titus and pulled away. ”Watch out!”
Just then he heard a disgusting noise ”Sprltltltrt” followed by a huge amount of slime splashing where he stood just a moment ago.
”W-what the hell is that?” Asked Chris.
”Haha. This, my Lord, is the Yellow Barfing Tree.” Said Titus with laughter in his eyes. ”Its leaves contain a huge amount of that thick yellowish sap. It showers anything that moves beneath it with it. The sap contains seeds that the animals would then carry away. Don't worry it's not poisonous, but it's a pain to clean!”
”Thank god. Say, you didn't wait for the last moment to pull me away, did you?” Asked Chris.
”No way. I wouldn't dare my lord. Common, let's continue our patrol!”
Titus denied it, but Chris felt he was starting to see his real personality.
The group resumed their walk and Chris was now much more careful.
”Say, Titus... That sap smelled sweet, can it be eaten?” Chris finally asked.
”Sure. In the end, it's just sap, but just a little more watery and slimy than regular. You can make syrups and other products from it. It's just...” Titus hesitated a little.
”Just?”
”Well... If I picked some of that sap right now and offered it to you. Would you eat it?” Teased Titus.
Chris remembered the disgusting noise and the way it looked all slimy. ”Heh, I guess not.”
The group continued.
”Titus. What's that?” Chris pointed at a strange tree leaking water.
”Oh is it the urination season already?” Titus looked quite pleased.
[What?]
”Haha, you look surprised my Lord. Did you not have such trees in your world?” Laughed Titus. ”The trees store water underground and spill it out a few hours every day during the urination season. The extra water helps the surrounding plants to grow, and the tree slowly feeds on them afterward.”
”Thirsty, my Lord? It's quite fresh!” Said Titus, as he took a sip.
”As if! If I'm not eating that barfing sap, I certainly won't be drinking from the urinating tree!” Shouted Chris.
The rest of the patrol was done in silence. Chris noticed other strange trees and animals on the way. The tentatively named, Ra-Pig made a return. This time Chris looked at it in details, it was a pig, with rabbit ears and tails. There were strange red trees on the way, those were all completely covered in spider webs and were very carefully avoided by the group. They passed by a pond and found a cute family of feathered porcupine-like creatures.
[What the hell is wrong with this place?] Thought Chris.
Chris made many strange discoveries until the path eventually led the group out of the forest and it started going up the side of a nearby mountain. They were now somewhere north of Five Cave Village.
Titus pointed to a nearby Cliff. ”This should be the best vantage point in the area to check out the valley. Are you delicate legs holding out Lord?”
”Huff...Huff...” Chris was panting, the climb was harder than he expected. ”If you are so worried, why not carry me?”
”Oh, I wouldn't dare offer something that would be so humiliating to you my Lord! Your reputation is everything to me!”
[Smartass.] Cursed Chris. [Now I can't even order him to carry me for payback.]
”Huff... Huff... ” They finally reached the top of the cliff and Chris slumped down. ”Haaaa, water please, my gourd is empty.”
Titus handed him his.
*Gulp* *Gulp*
”Haa.” Moaned Chris. [The water is incredible in this world...]