Lion's Quest: Trinity: A LitRPG Saga

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “Allurie, do you have my documents?” Chrysa asked my friend as we approached the main gate.

  “Yes! Thank you for letting me carry it!” The pretty elf seemed to have pulled a foot long scroll out of the air, and she held it out to the beautiful noblewoman.

  “No, thank you for returning to my suite to get it. This will make it much easier to gain entrance. Especially since they are expecting me to arrive with a royal procession in two weeks.” Chrysa smiled at the elf, and Allurie fluttered her eyelids in return.

  “Leo,” the brunette said to me. “Will you accompany me to the primary guard station? I believe it will be easier to make my introduction if it is only the two of us.” The woman’s eyes shifted to look at Bolverk, and I could put the pieces together. The gnome man wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his torso was still covered in the dried blood of the assassins he had slain.

  “Sure.” I gestured to my companions, and they gathered around me. “Lady Chrysa and I are going to speak to the guards. You all keep an eye on her handmaidens. I’ll give you the signal when it is time for us to enter the walls.”

  The six of them nodded, and I walked across the street with Chrysa on my arm.

  The conversation with the guards went quicker than I expected. The lovely woman didn’t say anything at first, she just handed the scroll to the first guard to address her. The man looked at the wax seal, opened his eyes in amazement, glanced at the woman, back to the scroll, and then told us to wait while he grabbed the captain.

  Ten minutes later our group of eight was walking inside the palace. Chrysa had explained to the captain about the attack on the ship, and on the streets of Sanduport, so we had a good thirty soldiers as an escort. These were hardened men and women. They wore thick polished plate armor, shields with moon symbols carved into the metal, and swords that I guessed were magical. It was clear that Sanduport had a lot of money, and I started to wonder if I had gotten in way over my head by agreeing to help the beautiful woman.

  “Dearest Chrysa! Oh, how I have longed to see you again!” A man’s voice cut across the magnificent garden that the guards led us through. The group stopped, and a well-dressed man descended from the marble stairs ahead of us. He was a large man, maybe six and a half feet tall, and his fat stomach rolled over his belt with a generous hang. His robe was the same burgundy color as most of the decorations, and he wore a large gold medallion around his neck.

  “Sharles?” Chrysa gasped, and the guards parted so the two could see each other better.

  “Yes, child. Oh, I am so pleased to see how you have grown!” The two embraced as they laughed, and the big man lifted the much smaller noblewoman in the air like she was a child.

  “I do remember you! Thank you for the letters all these years,” Chrysa said.

  “Thank you for writing back! I know most prefer to just Mind message, but I love the wait and the handwritten correspondence.” The man turned to see the rest of us, and he raised a large hand to his mouth. “These do not look like your family guards. Unless they are suddenly making men in Iria as my dreams create them.” The man stepped toward me and made a deep bow.

  “This is Leo Lennox, Cornalic of the Mind, Allurie, and Bolverk,” Chrysa hesitated a bit before she introduced the gnome, but the tattooed man didn’t even look like he was paying attention to anything but the axe he’d pushed into his belt. “Leo has agreed to be my Champion. We were attacked by pirates while we--”

  “Goodness! Pirates?” the fat man asked, and the beautiful woman quickly summarized the story for him. Then she told him of the battle in the street. I noticed that she glossed over most of the gory parts, and I had to correct her a few times when she exaggerated my role in the battle.

  “Sir Lennox. If even half of what Chrysa says is true, you are indeed a noble knight and a true champion of the crown. I have yet to introduce myself to you. I am Sharles Kailifar. I am the Royal Herald of Sanduport and Chief Administrator of the Council. I am a lover of art, wine, food, and dancing.” The man bowed deeply again, and Chrysa let out a cute giggle.

  “Sharles is modest. I will fill in for you, Leo. He does everything around the palace. The place would fall apart without him. I suspect he is also the reason that I was invited to this election. I am more than sure that the council didn’t care about me.”

  “That is not true, dear one. Everyone remembers you running around the palace when you were a babe. You were the sun to everyone’s morning. I might be the only one who sent letters, but you were never far from everyone’s heart. They are all beside themselves with thoughts of seeing how you have grown. Once you have been settled in your room, I will take you to them.” Sharles spoke with grand movements.

  “Ha. I hope you are right. I have passed through many hardships to reach here. I do not have many memories of this place, but I seem to remember this garden and the beautiful armor.” Chrysa gestured to the guards standing around us, and I saw a few of the chiseled men smile.

  “Let me walk with you. I have our most splendid rooms made up for you and your champion. Come!” Sharles wrapped his left arm around Chrysa’s right and his right arm through my left. Then we were walking through the palace.

  The interior of the palace was more beautiful than I had expected. The Turkish theme continued from the outside decorations to the interior. The floors, columns, and walls were all made of a pale white marble. The spaces were grand, open, and airy. Hundreds of servants scurried past us as we walked with our entourage, but the hallways were wide, and there was plenty of room for the guards and servants to walk.

  Sharles was a bit of a motor mouth. The man talked nonstop, and I wondered if he was able to breathe through his nose while words poured out of his lips. His conversation was like a flock of hummingbirds, and he fluttered from giving us a tour of the palace to asking me about my history, to inquiring about Chrysa’s family, to updating us about the latest drama with the chariot races, to asking about her painting hobby, to giving us the detailed taste description of the last bottle of wine he drank. Jax, Garf, and I were used to talking quickly with each other about our video game stuff, but Sharles made my head spin. Even Cornalic had shut up to let the man talk.

  “I have placed you on the fourth floor on the west side of the southern wing. It has the best views of the gardens. We will have to walk up these stairs, it will not be a problem for you young folk, especially Sir Lennox here.” The man gave my bicep a squeeze and opened his mouth with appreciation.

  “Sharles, you delight me. You are hardly old,” Chrysa said.

  “I do feel it, though. This place has been lifeless for so long. Your father…” the man’s voice trailed off and then became a whisper. “I am good at my job, he tried to replace me four times and his operations fell apart. The man had little love for the things I hold dear. Your mother did though. Ahh! She enjoyed the arts and beautiful things.” Sharles winked at me when he finished, and I let out a chuckle. I was comfortable enough with my own sexuality to not mind men hitting on me.

  “Here it is!” The herald gestured to a grand doorway. “This entrance leads to a semi-private wing. There are eight rooms here. The guards will be posted outside of this doorway, but also near the various windows and the individual suites inside. Come, let me show you what I have prepared.”

  The herald led us through the rooms. They were each large, with private bathrooms, giant beds, lounging areas, and enough furniture to stock a retail store. Chrysa’s room was the biggest of the bunch, at about two thousand square feet, with an upper loft level where her servants could sleep if they wished. There was an eight-foot tall fountain off the side by the balcony doors, and the bubbling water cascaded down the marble sculptures of riding chariots.

  “This is the size of three of my rooms put together,” Chrysa gasped as she studied the fountain.

  “I am glad it pleases you. Come, let me show you the view.” The robed man gestured to the balcony doors, and the party followed him outside.

  The balcony doors
opened up to a veranda that was about half the size of a football field. It was crafted of granite, and four foot high stone fencing rimmed the perimeter. We passed another fountain styled with stone griffons, half a dozen individual pavilions, and then came to the edge of the balcony.

  “Great view,” I commented.

  “I didn’t even know that I missed this place,” Chrysa said with a sigh.

  Half of the palace spread out beneath us. We had a clear view of the gardens we’d walked through earlier, a marble building that looked like it was some kind of mausoleum, and a fruit orchard. The designers of the grounds had crafted a small canal system through the gardens and orchards, and I could see a few small rowboats tied up against strategically placed docks.

  “Oh Leo, this is so lovely. It looks like they have elves working in the gardens and orchards! I would love to work here,” Allurie said as she shuffled up to the railing next to me.

  “We can always find a place for good workers!” Sharles said to my friend. “We have five kitchens on the property as well.”

  “Oh! Maybe the old me would have wanted to stay, but I’m with Leo now,” the elf girl wrapped her arms around my bicep and then leaned her head on my arm. “Isn’t he wonderful? He hasn’t mated with me because--”

  “Let’s talk about something else,” I interrupted Allurie.

  “You are the last potential queen to arrive, Chrysa,” the fat man said as he faced the beautiful woman. “The council will want to move up their plans. We will begin the official process soon. I apologize for the suddenness of it all, but the political environment in the country is stressful. Have you lunched yet? I will have servants bring you and your entourage a meal. Then we will have a grand banquet tonight.” The man made a flourishing motion with his hands, and then he leaned in close to whisper to both of us. “That will actually be when the unofficial selection process begins.”

  “Sharles, I wrote to you about this; I will do my best to serve if selected, but will feel no great disappointment if I am not. I love my home, and will be happy to return there,” Chrysa said.

  “Dearest, we will feel a collective disappointment if you are not selected. Ha! I will go see to your lunch.” The man turned to me. “Is the champion ready?”

  “I’m always ready, but I feel as if I might be missing something. I am being referred to as the champ--”

  “Leo will be ready. Have no worries. Thank you, Sharles,” Chrysa said quickly, and she gave me a look that told me to stop talking.

  “Very well! I will have servants return with food!” The fat man bowed and then walked away with surprising speed.

  “What was that about?” I asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

  “I was speaking to you earlier about the game Castles. Do you recall?”

  “Yes,” I said, and I started to feel the cold tingle of dread enter my stomach.

  “You told me you were good with strategy games. Are you good at Castles?”

  “Leo is wonderful! He can beat anyone at any game! Have you seen his muscles? They are so strong,” Allurie said with a sigh.

  “Allurie, maybe you can go find a bath for Bolverk, and some clothes for him. Oh and maybe ask around for directions to a Mind Healer? Can you do that job?”

  “Yes! I can do that!” The elf girl spun around with a spread of silver hair and ran to the gnome. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the woman grabbed onto the tattooed gnome’s arm and then proceeded to drag him back into the suites.

  “So what about this game?” I turned to Chrysa.

  “Each of the queens were to bring their champion to this trial,” the beautiful woman began to say, but she sighed at the end of her sentence.

  “And?” I promoted after she paused for too long.

  “And the captain of my guards was to be mine. So I am without one. Which will mean that I shall not be elected Queen, or I will have to represent myself during three of the five challenges.”

  “So you want me to be your champion?”

  “Yes. I am sorry, Leo. I should have been more direct with you earlier. When I had started to speak to you about it on the streets--”

  “We were attacked. I understand,” I interrupted her. “What are these five challenges? What are the three you need me to do?”

  “You will help me?” Her brown eyes were full of hope, and she took a small step toward me.

  “Yes. You have agreed to help me find the item I want. I will do what I can for you. We are friends.” I smiled at her. I didn’t know exactly what these challenges were yet, but how hard could they be? I was the best video game player in the world. I’d be able to hack some mini games.

  “Leo, you are--” the woman paused and then bit her lip as she looked around us. Her servants were standing on the edge of the balcony a good twenty feet away from us. They were speaking with Cornalic, and I could overhear the half-orc talking about saving orphan girls. I doubted that they could hear what Chrysa was saying. “You are honorable. I have the feeling you would help me, even if I couldn’t help you find the treasure you seek.”

  “Maybe,” I said with a laugh. “I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

  “I understand. I will briefly explain how each of these challenges works. The first is a simple melee tournament. The champions of each potential queen will meet in a ring and battle each other. The last man or woman standing will be elected the winner.”

  “A fight to the death?” I asked with a bit of surprise.

  “Oh no, they will be given protection amulets, and there will be a series of healers surrounding the circle with a hope of preventing accidents.

  “How many of these women are you up against for election?”

  “Five. My father had nine daughters in total, but four of them are seconds, and would not be in contention.”

  “Each of these five women has a champion?”

  “Yes, I wouldn’t call them women, though, Leo. I am the eldest and have just past my nineteenth Winter. Most of them are girls and are being put up for election by their powerful families. That might be another reason why the council could favor me; I am old enough to rule without regency.”

  “Five of these champions are going to enter this ring, and then just try to kill each other? I’m not seeing how that helps your country pick a queen.”

  “I will admit that it is a bit barbaric, but there is some logic behind it. Rulers are only as powerful as their recruitment skills. Having a strong champion will mean that I am able to attract powerful men and women.” Chrysa shrugged. “There is also a political aspect to this challenge that I should speak to you of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It will be five champions in the ring, with little rules. During our dinner tonight, and until the time when the challenge starts, you and I will try to make allies with the other girls and their champions. If you enter the ring with two or three allies, it will make the conflict easier.”

  “But it will be a fleeting alliance. If I make friends with someone, then I’ll just have to fight them at the end,” I said.

  “That is true, so you might not want to pick the most powerful warrior as an ally since you will have to end up dueling them at the end. You want to ally with someone you think you can beat.”

  “I see.” I leaned against the railing of the balcony and ran through a few scenarios in my head. I had first thought that Chrysa’s explanation of the challenge was ridiculous, but now I saw the genius behind it. This wasn’t all about combat prowess. This was about identifying an enemy’s or ally’s strengths and weaknesses to exploit them. The other champions were going to either sandbag their skills or bluff their abilities. I was going to have to see through all the bullshit and figure out who to work with.

  If I even wanted to work with them at all.

  “What is the next challenge?” I asked.

  “The second one is something you will excel at. It is a dungeon exploration with a maximum of three members. The party to return with a magical item
from the bottom of a chosen dungeon will be determined the winner,” she explained.

  “Yeah. I’ll do great at that, but I don’t see how doing that will mean you are fit to be queen.”

  “Oh, I will be the fourth member of the party. So the three will have to protect me during the exploration.” She smiled and nodded as she spoke as if her explanation should have made sense to me. Chrysa must have read my expression because she waved her hands and corrected her comment. “I am supposed to be directing the party. It is perhaps the worst of the contests because it doesn’t actually happen that way, but that was the tradition. Perhaps it is set up as just a temptation for the contesting queen to blunder her way through the event by ordering her champion and his party around. I know enough to just be quiet and let you work within your area of expertise.”

  “Alright. The third?” I asked.

  “Is Castles, and this might be the most important challenge.”

  “What does it entail?”

  “It is a strategic war game played on a life-sized field.” The beautiful woman gestured out past the garden, and I could see the edge of a grassy plain. “The champions summon golems to move across the field. There are a variety of castles to capture, and the game is won when all the castles are captured. The game is simple to learn, but it is deceptively complicated. There are three types of golems: Melee, Missile, and Support. You will want to get a balanced array of them, pay attention to what the opponent is doing, and then adapt your strategy. The good news is that it will be one of the last contests of the selection process, and the council will eliminate one of the five contestants by then. So you will only have to participate in two matches.”