The Emperor Class

Dreu and Jeane appeared before the Council of Light. The Council of Light was made up of the seven most powerful and influential clerics in the entire kingdom. Despite what Dreu heard about Geoff being the savior to the fortress, the power and influence of the Holy Knight greatly paled in comparison to the seven members on the council.. With the “disappearance” of Geoff and his followers, there were many within the Ujun Fortress who wanted answers from the two young adults.

“What are your names?” said a thundering voice.

The seven members of the council were all hidden behind some fabric. Only their silhouettes could be made out by Dreu and, even then, he had trouble identifying them through their silhouettes alone.

“I am Dreu.”

“I am Jeane.”

Before they entered the room, Jeane told Dreu to answer the questions directly. The more they went a roundabout way, the worse they would appear before the council. Dreu heard rumors about lie detection spells used by clerics so he assumed Jeane was hinting at that.

“Is it true you two were the only ones within the inner sanctum when Cleric Jon arrived with his followers?”

“Yes,” said Dreu.

“I will give you a chance to explain what happened. Be warned that lying before us is punishable by death.”

Taking heed of Jeane’s advice and the council member’s warning, Dreu began his recollection with the screams of the clerics. He did his best describing the being emerging from the crystal and the one-sided battle between it and Geoff. He finished with the near death experience he had. Once Dreu finished, there was a short silence before another council member spoke. Even with the event over, he could still recall the fear within him when the being’s sword was mere inches from taking his life.

“How do you prove you aren’t in league with the demons?” said a deep female voice. “Seems convenient you two were spared. Maybe the death of the Holy Knight was only the first step of the diabolic plan you two are carrying out?”

While Dreu’s fists tightened at the accusation, he kept silent. He knew that, by coming out of the situation unscathed, he couldn’t avoid appearing suspicious. Knowing he needed to provide an answer, Dreu wondered about what past feats he could bring up. Sadly, killing weak demons hardly supported his case. As he was deep in thought, a voice beside him jolted him back to reality.

“I firmly believe the Council of Light can differentiate truths from lies,” said Jeane.

“Is it that difficult to change the memories of possessed humans?” asked the same woman.

Dreu noted the silence and refrained from turning towards Jeane. He feared that, by making eye contact, they would be accused of communicating with their minds. As he tried to come up with a response, another council member spoke up.

“Now, now,” said a nasally voice. “They would be dead already if they were possessed. We shouldn’t be so hard on them. Look at them! Old enough to adventure but far too young to see much of the world. Our great god Xemir must be smiling upon them. After all, they did manage to arrive at the fortress against all odds.”

Dreu and Jeane stayed silent while the council members discussed quietly amongst themselves. After what seemed like hours, they were declared innocent and were allowed to exit the room. As soon as the two were in the hallway, they both let out a loud sigh. Two Holy Knights stood guard outside and one of them offered to take them to the mess hall within the fortress. Dreu’s face turned red when his stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. He hadn’t eaten after their teleportation and, given everything that had happened, his stomach wasn’t shy in expressing itself.

The Holy Knight left them at the entrance to the mess hall. After thanking the man, Dreu and Jeane walked inside. The mess hall was enormous and could easily hold a few hundred people. Across from the entrance, there was a kitchen where the staff was busy cooking and serving food. Only a few people were getting food as everyone else was spread out in the mess hall with their respective tables marking their territory. Except for a few stares, most of the people paid no mind to them. As Dreu and Jeane walked towards the short line, they heard Gaenor calling out to them. Jeane gestured to the food and the ranger nodded in understanding.

“Welcome! I see you two are new here!”

Dreu nodded but his eyes were focused on the food. After living off rations consisting of bread, the sight and smell of the food made his mouth water.

“Would you like a bit of everything?” asked the cook.

After nodding his head a second time, Dreu watched the cook loaded up his plate and handed him the food.

“Enjoy!” said the cook with a big smile. “And don’t hesitate to come for seconds!”

Dreu doubted he could finish the plate of food but, upon sitting down, he found himself wolfing down the best food he had since he left Berkton. He turned to Jeane to see her plate was empty too.

“If I didn’t know better,” said Gaenor, “I would say you two were in an eating contest.”

“I think that was a tie,” chipped in Sadon. "You two can get seconds for the tie breaker."

As Jeane argued with her friends over the matter, Dreu noticed the empty plates before Bayard and Rohese. He tilted his head slightly and recalled the words from Zhao. Dreu checked his prompt window and saw a status for both the footman and archer.

< Status: +5% attack and defense for 6 hours due to good quality food consumed. >

The young man then turned to Jeane.

“I’m surprised they didn’t cast any spells on us.”

“They did,” said the cleric simply. “We just never noticed it.”

The knowledge scared Dreu slightly but, with his stomach stuffed, his eyelids grew heavy. As he found himself bobbing his head, he heard Gaenor suggest the idea of resting in their rooms. When asked, the ranger told him the rooms they were assigned. Reluctantly, Dreu stood up to make his way to a proper bed.