Marcus...
Unsure of how to react to Azazel's sudden declaration, King Aldia asked, "Can you...elaborate on the matter? When you say that we are to 'align ourselves' with this man, what did you have in mind?"
Marcus, who was confused by the sudden change in events, looked back at Ruvick as if to ask him to explain as well but he just shrugged as if he didn't know what was going on either. Although, for some reason he had the feeling that Ruvick was playing dumb.
Azazel then turned his head to look at him and said, "Tell us what your true intentions are. Tell us why you really came here for Forrosa's support, and be sure to not leave out any details. Honesty would benefit you greatly in these circumstances."
Looking at the expression on his face, Marcus didn't get the impression that Azazel was threatening him. It almost looked as if he was suggesting that telling the full story would actually improve his chances of getting what he wanted.
"Well...truth be told, I wasn't sure how far Forrosa's technological advancement was at but the rest of the world still has to catch up eventually. I wanted to develop an innovation industry in Duranell, starting with selling lightbulbs to miners and eventually integrating it into everyday neighborhoods themselves as a start. I came here with the hopes of offering something that might entice you to invest in funding the development of my industry so that I could quickly move onto bigger projects. Unfortunately, I didn't know what level of technology would be right to present with. I will say that compared to the rest of the world, Forrosa must be hundreds if not thousands of years ahead of its time in terms of innovation and development of mechanical technology, yet still behind in some areas compared to my own world. As far as architecture is concerned though, Forrosa is more advanced than anything I've ever seen in my own world. Looking at this kingdom with my own eyes...its nothing short of magnificent, and I mean that wholeheartedly," he said, to which King Aldia smiled appreciatively while Azazel's eyes shone with pride while puffing out his chest.
"I appreciate the kind words, but so far you have offered me little to work with, and although Lord Azazel himself has voiced his stance on the matter, I myself, still want to hear what you can offer us in terms of merit," he said with a more open yet firm tone of voice.
"I can understand that, but I am concerned that if I introduce new technology into the world that is far more advanced than its people can handle or comprehend, then it could put a target on my back. I would prefer to be...gradual about this," he said and the king's eyebrows rose warily.
"You fear a culture shock would come into effect if your world's technology were to be adapted by this world?" King Aldia asked.
"Yes, exactly. For example, in my world we have devices called computers. These machines can process massive amounts of information and complete even the most complex calculations faster than any human being alive without the aid of magic, and they can do so much more as well. I don't know if I can perfectly replicate one with the materials that this world has available but by using this world's understanding of magic and my understanding of modern technology, I could figure out a way to reinvent a computer using both resources. The other big problem with this is that my world also invented something called 'The Internet'. I imagine that the internet itself would be effortless to replicate but the implications behind it could become an issue as it is a tool used to connect every person on the planet onto a system where they can seamlessly communicate with one another, share ideas, and even store information. Something of that scale would require the entire world's cooperation and even if it were to be implemented, I don't want to think about how it would impact society as a whole," Marcus said as he voiced his concerns.
King Aldia listened to him intently, absorbing his every word and it seemed that he had come to an understanding.
"From what it looks like, you intend to help speed up the progression of technology in the rest of the world but not on a level so drastic that it would uproot the current societal order that is in place? I can understand that from a logical standpoint, but still. What projects do you have in mind that could benefit my kingdom?"
It was then that Azazel chose to speak once more as he asked, "You have told us the method in which you want to achieve your goal but you have not actually shared with us what that goal is. Can you elaborate on that?"
The king looked back at Azazel curiously as if wondering where this conversation was going to lead as they had both asked two different questions but did not speak out over it.
Azazel's eyes bored into him as if he knew the reason he had chose to pursue an industrial income and what it was for.
"My goal isn't anything outstanding or grand, I simply want to gain a source of income that is more reliable and profitable than taking jobs from brotherhoods. I have several experimental projects in mind that I would like to explore but I can't really pursue them without money. In fact, I was hoping that gaining Forrosa's financial support would be a big step in speeding that process along as I would need a large sum to work on a very specific project as soon as possible," he said and Azazel nodded as if to signal that he was headed in the right direction.
As the King continued to soak up every detail of Marcus's story, he seemed more interested and invested in it.
Things were going well...
"I'm curious, what is this project that you have in mind?" he asked.
Oh crap...
How to answer this...
Considering Selene's reputation, he wasn't sure how well it would go over with the king if he even mentioned her name since nearly everyone he knew of was afraid of her. Although...being completely transparent about the situation has been going well so far. Why should he stop now?
"Maybe you've heard of a woman by the name of Selene Kiser?" he asked and though he expected the king to react angrily or fearful, instead King Aldia's expression remained neutral.
"Selene...? I've heard the name before but what does she have to do with this?" he asked and that threw Marcus off guard. The way the king phrased that response made it sound as if he had only heard of her in passing conversations but considered her to not be of great concern.
"Selene Kiser if a friend of mine who has a great difficulty dealing with controlling her power. So much so that she worries of burning people alive by accident just by being near them. She once had a set of armor that helped to control and contain her power, keeping it from harming anyone unintentionally. Unfortunately, upon releasing a secondary element of magic power that had been sealed since she was born, it destroyed the armor and a similar one cannot be made to replace it. Not only are the means to forge a copy of that armor unavailable, but it would end up being worthless because of the secondary element. The only option would be to craft a full set of armor made entirely out of adamantine but the cost of doing that is out of reach for both her and myself. This leads to my goal of finding an alternative form of income to pay for the cost of forging a new suit of armor for her as well as using that money to pay for whatever else I have in mind," he said and the king smirked.
He then surprised Marcus as he started to laugh.
"How amusing...you went to all this trouble, asking Ruvick to bring you to my kingdom, seeking an audience with me, and gain the financial support of my kingdom in the hopes that it would accelerate your technological industry all for the sake of a woman. I swear, it is a tale as old as time itself! Haha!"
The king continued to laugh heartily at the idea, not in a mocking manner but as if he were pleasantly amused. It made him feel uneasy as he never would have expected a king to act this way in response to a story like his.
It took a moment for the king to calm down as he said, "Actually, something just came to mind. When it comes to developing suits of armor, that is one form of technology that our kingdom is lacking in. Adding additional plates to a suit of armor will add more protection but it will make the armor much heavier. Making the material lighter will make it much easier to destroy as well as make it unstable if a person wanted to infuse their magic into it. Not only that but the more complex the design, the more difficult and cumbersome it becomes to try and put it together. How far as technology progressed is your world in regards to armor?"
In regards to armor...
Honestly he was somewhat hoping to avoid the topic of developing advanced armor but considering what he was trying to do for Selene, it was really only a matter of time until it came back to bite him in the ass.
He let out a sigh before saying, "Well, when it comes to advancing the technology of protective armor, most full armor sets have been phased out and replaced with armor plated vests and helmets. Besides, the weapons that my world has developed makes most forms of armor rather useless. There have been many attempts across the world in developing mechanical suits that can carry the weight of heavier armor for you but many of those projects were scrapped because the power source to keep them running didn't last very long."
The king was surprised to hear that as he asked, "Really? Its hard to believe that a power source would be much of an issue at all when you can simply use one's own spiritual energy as a fuel source, correct? A suit of armor is only worth as much as the soldier carrying it."
Marcus smiled without humor as he replied, "That would be ideal but unfortunately, in my world, spiritual energy is so infinitesimally miniscule that you could make the claim that it doesn't even exist at all. On my world, the practice of magic is completely non-existent."
King Aldia's face twisted in shock and horror upon hearing that.
"That...can't be possible. How was your society able to exist without the use of magic, nay, how did any of you even manage to stay alive if your world was almost completely barren of it?"
Marcus simply shrugged as he said, "I guess you could say its just the relentless drive of humanity and the sense of self-preservation that kept my world going."
The king seemed rather disturbed to hear that as he then replied, "One could only imagine the amount of focus and effort put forward to advance your society to compensate for the lack of magic in your world."
If only that were really the case...
If he was being honest with himself, his impression of Forrosa was that of a more advanced kingdom than any country on Terra could every hope to be. Even the king himself seemed so dedicated to innovation and improvement that he would not allow anything aside from natural disasters or global conflicts to get in the way of Forrosa's continuous advancement to the next greatest step of its own evolution.
"I think we are getting off topic for the moment. While I know I said that many countries in my world have attempted to make more advanced suits of armor but have failed in many areas, I myself, am the sole inventor of the most technologically advanced mechanical armor in my world and likely this world as well. If you would agree to offer me your support, I could help develop more advanced suits of armor for your kingdom," he said and the king went silent as he thought about his offer.
As the king pondered this, he looked up at Azazel who nodded to him.
"Hmm...after thinking it over, I've decided to make you a counter offer. I know that you are to participate in the Contest of Champions soon, at the start of the next month in fact. So if you can design a more sophisticated and powerful armor design in the next two weeks, then I will agree to offer you my support," he offered.
Hmm...
He didn't like where this was heading. If he took this offer then he would have to bring back a part of his past that he had wanted to keep buried. Everything involving the armor that he had created was rooted in the very worst moments of his life and stemmed from the worst parts of himself.
However, if he didn't take the offer then he would be squandering the opportunity that was right in front of him. An opportunity that could put him in a very financially stable position.
"Very well. I'll accept your offer. May I...stay in your kingdom while I work on a design for you?" he asked and the king nodded.
"You will have a room provided for you soon," he said and was call for someone when Azazel stepped forward.
"I will escort you to your room personally," he said, to which King Aldia reacted with concern and confusion but did not object.
"I-I'll...leave you to it then. I have important matters to get back to," he said and Azazel walked towards Marcus with an outstretched hand as if to usher him out of the room.
His mind told him that he should feel wary about this strange god that was approaching him...no, Ruvick called him a Demon Prince. Even so, despite his better judgement saying that he should be careful when dealing with this person, he felt abnormally calm.
"Would you walk with me Marcus?" he asked as he headed towards the exit.
He looked back as if to ask what he should do.
"I'll come back for you after you've finished making them their new armor," Ruvick said as he flicked his hand at him as if to shoo him away
Without any idea of what else to do, he followed Azazel out of the room and into a wide spacious hall. In comparison to the throne room that he had just left, the hallway was much MUCH larger. The closest comparison he could make to describe the interior was to that of the St. Francis de Sales Oratory in Missouri.
Its polished floors and high arched ceilings were breathtaking but it left him with a strange feeling.
"Lord Azazel-," he started but was quickly cut off.
"You need not address me as lord. Azazel is fine," he said with a mildly sheepish tone. Why he was acting this way towards Marcus, he might never know.
"Azazel..., compared to the throne room, this hallway is far more beautiful and well crafted. Why is the king's throne room seemingly less important than the tower's own halls?"
"That is because this tower is not built in tribute to its king or this kingdom. It is built in tribute to our revered God of Wrath. This entire tower was crafted in honor of him," he said, and as he turned his head away to look through the polished glass of the tower walls, looking through it to see the magnificent kingdom surrounding it, he had a look of longing on his face.
"You built this tower in honor of an unnamed god? For what reason? According to the words written at the base of the tower, this god is yet to be born, or even named. Why would you worship a being who is yet to even exist?" he asked without thinking of what it might mean if Azazel would react violently to the criticism of his beliefs.
"The people of Forrosa worship the God of Wrath because even though he is yet to be named or born into this world, his presence is felt by its people. His presence is felt throughout the land itself. His power has been passed down for over ten thousand years among the royal family and entrusted to its warriors who defend its lands. His power has even been granted to those who need it in battle or in times of great distress. Wisdom, power, the very strength to cling onto life when death is circling one's self...these are the gifts that our God has granted the people of this kingdom," Azazel said as he turned his head to look back at Marcus.
"And you believe...that by aligning yourself with me, your god will be born into this world and named? What evidence do you have to suggest that this power you speak of wasn't granted to you by some other force? How certain are you that it was the God of Wrath who gave these people this power?"
Azazel then responded with, "Centuries after the Amaskian War had ended, the founding king of Forrosa, Isaiah Riddick was on his death bed and said that in the night before, he had envisioned Armageddon unfolding in a dream, followed by three gods facing off against a singular powerful entity that wished to dominate all of creation. He had said that one of these three gods would destroy all of creation, one of them would kill the entity that wished to claim all of creation for himself, and one of them would give birth to a new reality that was freed from all the pain and struggle of the former reality. Ever since then, every king on the verge of death has shared a similar vision the very night before they died. One fact remained entirely constant though. The more that the people tried to understand the vision that their kings had witnessed, the more they wanted to see that vision play out with their own eyes. This kingdom functions on the idea that its people will one day witness their god pave the way to a new age in a new reality."
Hearing this was nerve wracking to him. Trying to comprehend the scale of all of this was beyond what he could feasibly understand.
An entirely new reality? How could he visualize a goal leading to that?
"And what is your purpose in all of this?" he asked, to which Azazel froze in place.
"I'm...not sure. If I'm being honest with myself, I don't really have a clearly defined purpose aside from keeping Forrosa's kingdom on its path. Even then, they haven't really needed me to reinforce their dedication. I was created, not with the goal to serve the God of Wrath, but rather to grant humanity the power to fight in whatever battles they took place in. I was made as an offering of strength in exchange for their souls. I would give humanity strength and in return, upon their deaths, they would go to Hell and be turned into soldiers in Lucifer's armies. Although..., that was a very long time ago. I have long since abandoned that role when I came to this world and saw the glory of my lord with my own eyes. I chose to worship him, and upon his birth, serve him in any manner that he saw fit," he said but his eyes told him that he was weary. As if he had been waiting for a very very long time.
After a little while, they eventually came up on his room and Azazel welcomed him inside.
The inner walls were made of stone but the wall facing out from the tower was entirely made of glass so that he could see the rolling clouds as they passed by the face of the kingdom below. Inside the room, there was also a very large bed, a fully stocked bookcase, and a desk.
"If you ever need anything from me, do not hesitate to speak my name and I will arrive to assist you," Azazel said before disappearing in a cloud of red smoke.
Standing in his new room and looking out the window of the tower that this kingdom had built in the honor of their god, he couldn't help feel...cold.
It wasn't so much a physical sensation as it was more an emotional one.
It was the chills.
He hadn't felt like this in years. Not since..., not since Ender had taken over.
Ender...
The very worst part of himself that he had tried to bury into the deepest pit of his mind after he had killed Romano and anyone he had ever worked with. All those people...all of the slaughter...
Marcus closed the door too his room, took off his shoes, laid down his bed as he looked out of the window and thought to himself.
The king had asked him to create a suit of armor for his kingdom...
He would have been much happier if he had been forced to create a nuclear warhead rather than another godforsaken suit of armor.
Only horrible things have come from him building a suit of armor. The worst of which was Ender.
In the back of his mind, he heard a voice say to him, "Come on now...without me, you wouldn't have had the stomach to kill them all and keep your family safe."
Marcus put his hand over his eyes as he said, "Just shut up and disappear. I don't need you anymore."
The voice in the back of his mind went quiet for a while and he thought that it had disappeared and so he opened his eyes again.
There was no one there.
He looked to his right, there was nothing there but the glass wall.
When he turned his head to the left, what met his eyes was...himself. But this visage of himself was drenched in blood, covered in scars, and had met armor across his whole body.
"You may not need me now, but someday, you'll need me again to keep your sister safe," said the voice in his mind called Ender.