Chapter 512 Visiting Arafell
With the booming of large drums which was so loud that it felt as if the earth, itself, was shaking, a large retinue made its way towards Daneel.
He had chosen a simple 2-row formation of soldiers, with a small, newly added unit at the back.
It was the elves, who had already begun their integration into his army.
These elves, in particular, were the elite ones who were usually in charge of protecting the Queen. Yet, Katerina had insisted that he should take a part of them, as he currently had almost no mages to field.
So, Daneel had obliged, and he had also been quite happy on seeing the graceful attitude of the elves, who seemed genuinely happy even if they were powerful members of their species who were being commanded by him.
The Queen of Arafell, on the other hand, seemed to have chosen quite the method of pomp.
There was a large, open palanquin which was floating in the air, with two long lines of giants who each stood 8 feet tall banging the drums which had been hung around their necks.
They had proud, smiling expressions on their faces, as if they were truly happy that they could be a part of this retinue.
The rest of the procession consisted of artfully dressed humans, who were all mages, which was indicated by the fact that they periodically raised their hands and made flower-like magic structures appear on the large carpet above which the palanquin that held the Queen was floating.
As for the Queen, she was dressed in a dazzling pink dress that once again exposed her perfect curves while leaving little to imagination. Still, somehow, it only dangerously teetered on the line between decency and indecency, even though the dress looked like it would tear if the Queen breathed too much.
Her features were as extraordinary as he remembered, and her luscious lips glistened in the sun, almost as if she was wearing lipstick, a product he had never seen on Angaria.
This time, he wasn't that weak Mage who had almost fallen prey to the Queen's bewitching spell which would make anyone gazing at her feel attracted and attached to this breathtaking woman. In fact, Daneel guessed that a normal human might even agree to throw away his life at a moment's notice if he asked.
He was a Peak Warrior now, so even though the Queen didn't appear to be using that spell right now, he knew that he could have resisted without the system's help if she even thought it.
Her dress also had a cape, which was held by two rows of women behind her.
As soon as she laid her eyes on the King, she broke out into a pure smile which made Daneel's heartbeat quicken slightly.
Yes, this was definitely one of the most stunning women he had ever seen, even if he counted all the supermodels and actresses he had seen back on Earth.
When her procession neared the massive gate that was on the border of the Kingdom of Arafell, it slowed before finally coming to a halt.
Soon, the drumming stopped, causing silence to befall this area.
The walls weren't as tall or strong as those of Lanthanor, but Daneel knew that the Queen didn't need them. No, with that Hero-level formation available to her, no wall was needed at all.
"Welcome, King Daneel, to my humble Kingdom! Arafell is graced by your presence! The last time a King from Lanthanor visited us, he was gifted a Warrior level weapon. However, you are a Peak Warrior! Hence, I have decided to break the rules and give you one of our most precious weapons. Bos?"
Daneel felt quite shocked when he heard this statement from the Queen.
Ever since he had arrived on Angaria, he had noticed something: weapons weren't as valued here as he had read in all of those novels back on Earth. Even though there were a lot of weapons for specific levels which worked in such a way that only those at the corresponding level could wield the weapon to its full potential, he had seen few who truly showed astonishing power while wielding an inanimate object.
In his view, he had felt that it was because an inanimate object would pale against the creative, mind-bending constructs that a skilled mage could whip up to aid them in battle.
So, weapons were reduced to objects which were most appealing to Fighters, but again, although they would be effective against other Fighters, Mages would be able to kill them from a long distance away before any weapon could reach them.
Only Archery was effective, but even that could be nullified using barriers.
Yet, he had heard mention that a proper weapon made by the legendary weaponsmiths of Arafell using the exclusive techniques passed down for generations was capable of substantially increasing a Fighter's strength.
Only, Daneel hadn't seen many fights yet where weapons figured into the equation substantially. Of course, during the Olympics, it had been different as the rules stated that only standard items could be used.
He had already examined the Warrior level sword given by Bos when he had become King, but he had found it to be limiting when compared to a flaming sword which he could conjure.
So, Daneel was pretty excited to see whether a Peak Warrior level weapon would be any different.
Also, he was pretty surprised that the Queen was doing something so momentous, as this was the highest level of weapon that they could make. It was rumored that the failure rate was very high, so, limited numbers of these weapons existed, which weren't even sold unless there were special circumstances.
Bos, the familiar giant who had made the trip to Lanthanor back when Daneel had become King, walked forward and whipped out a strange weapon that made Daneel raise his eyebrows.
It…looked like a trident, but it was more unique than any trident Daneel had ever seen in his life.
The 'trident' part was normal- it included a three-pronged end to the weapon, with the center prong sticking out farther than the rest. Silver in color, the three tips glinted in the light, making it clear that they would cut through anything that stood in their path.
The strange thing was that it almost looked as if two long swords, which ran along the length of the body of the Trident had been attached to it.
At the top of the bottom where the prongs ended and the bottom, these blades seamlessly attached themselves to the central staff using bent blades.
In other words, there was a space in the middle where the staff of the trident could still be grasped, but on both sides of where one's hand would be, there were single-edged swords that shone dangerously.
The angular connections and the blades, together, formed a 6-sided prism that was actually quite impressive to look at.
It was definitely a unique weapon, but what was its purpose?
"Behold the 'Dual-Blade Trident', King Daneel. You might now know that we Arafellians are not just weaponsmiths. We are also weapon designers. This is the weapon I wanted to show off during the Olympics. It is our latest creation: an offensive and defensive weapon which can switch between its present form and a bow. Bos?"
Hearing himself called, the gentle giant smiled wide before pressing something hidden on the 5-foot tall trident.
Twang!
A bowstring appeared from inside on the staff area of the trident.
Whipping out an arrow, Bos slammed the bottom half of the trident into the ground before affixing the end of the arrow to the bowstring.
As he pulled back, strangely, the entire staff of the trident bent.
Boom!
The arrow, itself, had been 3 feet long, but it looked normal in the giant's hands. As soon as Bos released its end, it shot forward with a loud sound and collided with the stone wall, leaving behind a solid indentation even though the giant hadn't used much force.
Grinning on seeing the result, Bos pressed that mechanism again, which made the bowstring disappear. Picking up the trident using the staff area in the middle, the giant which had seemed as if it was just a dumb being moved like an expert, hacking and slashing with the two blades in the air while using the three points for stabbing attacks that would rend any opponent in two.
Watching this, even the soldiers in Daneel's retinue gasped silently on seeing just how useful it was.
"The bowstring is made of a special material we designed which becomes rigid when it is stretched too much. When it is inside the staff, it is stretched, lending stability to the trident. When it is exposed, it becomes tensile, allowing an expert archer to use it like a longbow. This is a perfect weapon for both long range and short range. Although this particular one was made out of materials which make it suitable to be used by a Peak Warrior, I think that it will be very suitable for the armies of the continent when mass produced. Besides, it can even be compressed into a foot-long baton. What do you say, King Daneel? Do you agree?"
Oh.
So that was the case.
Daneel had thought that this was some display of R&D capabilities, but hearing the last sentence, he realized that it was…a pitch.
The Queen was pitching her product to him in an attempt to make him buy it to outfit his army.
Why…did he feel like he had become some sort of unwitting Venture Capitalist who was being pitched to?
Shaking his head slightly to get rid of his weird thoughts, Daneel smiled slightly and said, "Definitely impressive, Queen Arafell. I'll definitely give it some thought."
Although the Queen's expression remained unchanged on hearing this, a large smile lit up Bos's face. On seeing this, Daneel wondered if the Queen was even trying to guilt him into making the deal, as it really did feel like it would be such a pity to ruin an exceptionally innocent smile like this one.
"Of course, of course. Come on in! Why have you stopped at the border, itself? We are allies!"
Right. As if you didn't want me to stop here so that you could make that pompous grand display and showcase your weapon.
Daneel didn't say anything. He just folded his hands and walked forward, following which a white-clothed mage walked out of the procession and came near him.
When he was halted by the soldiers who were standing in a square formation around Daneel, the Mage bowed slightly and said, "Follow the mark I leave behind when I teleport," before disappearing on the spot.
Turning to the elf unit and indicating them to follow, Daneel disappeared, too, following which only the Fighters were left behind. All of his trusty commanders had had jobs assigned to them for the upcoming launch of the next phase of the Network of Angaria, so he had brought no one along. Also, he had no intention to put them at risk.
Daneel directly reappeared inside a large hall, and as he looked around, he saw that it was the Royal Court.
There was a giant-sized Throne on one end, while two giants clad in metallic armor with visors covering their faces were standing on both sides of it.
All around, there were chairs, making it look like a typical Court except for the fact that a lot of the chairs were also giant-sized.
This was definitely quite unorthodox- leaving open such an important spot in a way that anyone could teleport in.
Turning to the Throne, Daneel saw that Queen Arafell had just appeared on the raised platform there.
His 50 elf strong team appeared next, but they were asked to wait outside. With a gesture, the two giants also left, leaving the Queen and Daneel alone.
Daneel was about to say something, but a startling change appeared in the Queen in the silence which made him stare at her while his jaw dropped.
Her shoulders which had been slightly slumped to make her appear demure straightened and her more or less innocent expression was replaced by one of wisdom.
Her eyes were most apparent. Previously, they had been blue, but now, they changed into a very distinct red.
Opening her mouth, she said something that made Daneel's heart begin to thunder in his chest.
"Now that we're alone, it's time I reintroduce myself. I am Queen Arafell: the original Queen that served under the Emperor as the Warrior Queen who led his armies. Ever since the beginning of this Kingdom, I've been the Queen. Oh, my body might change, but as you must know, my name doesn't. I couldn't give a clearer clue for those who wanted to look! Now, I don't know whether you've met my old friend or not, but regardless, I have a proposition for you that I need you to consider very carefully. The Church is coming to kill us all, and I consider it my goal to fulfill the duty which we were made for. I intend to protect this continent he loved so much. I don't know how many other Spirits are left without losing their sanity, but I cannot depend on them. For the good of Angaria, to help me save it, you must ally with me, and swear allegiance by bending the knee. I will not force you in any way. But I want you to listen, and agree. Millions of lives are at stake, and I am the best chance they have for their survival. If you truly love your people, you will put aside your pride and kneel."