Lucius was quite busy in the following weeks to come. Though the Demon King’s mountain rumbled ominously in the distance, waiting for the forces of the world to converge, at last, near its infested base, the Franks were more concerned with rebuilding rather than subjugation.

  In time the common citizenry returned, only to find the capital and their livelihoods buried under mounds of rubble. But they did not despair. They joined hands and picked up their shovels; they worked in tandem, slowly but surely unearthing all that had been lost.

  Bricks and stones could be toppled, but so long as the people remained, struggled, and persisted, buildings could be rebuilt; a home could be remade. Francia and the empire was only so because of its citizens, unlike what Pepin believed. It followed wheresoever the citizens willed it to be.

  Their moods were surprisingly bright despite facing such disaster, though Lucius supposed it wasn’t much of a surprise. No longer did they need to fear the demonic Evils. Four had wandered the land since his late Holiness, Pepin the Traitorous Puppet Who Which Betrayed His Own Kind, died five years ago; and it was coincidentally with his second death that the four were all vanquished, brought under heel by the Peers and holy otherworlders.

  Yes, indeed. Even with dirt stained nails and sweaty brows, the people celebrated, and for the first time in so very long they began to harbor a hope, a belief, that their dark times were soon to be past them. Only one scourge remained: the source of their suffering.

  But whilst they dreamed of a future bereft of fear, those of the nation’s administration worked quietly in the background, preparing for their lord’s official enthronement… as well as the High Tribunal’s trial.

  The players were not given much to do during this time, especially considering that some of them had even joined Ganelon’s side during his rebellious uprising. Thankfully the good Lucius was able to lighten everyone’s punishments by proclaiming that the ‘otherworldly heroes’ were merely tricked by the sleazy man’s deceitful words, and that they had not a clue of his true desires. This seemed to do the trick, and so the gentleman’s fellows were taken to a quaint temporary space just outside the capital’s borders where they could rest until the castle’s staff decided what to do with them. Lucius of course was exempt from this temporary exilement due to his status as Peer.

  It was during the gentleman’s first visit that he had the opportunity to thank his fellows’ savior, Mister Hemingway, in person. Medical tents were propped all about the makeshift village, the rooms at full occupancy from holding the injured; and the good hunter rushed to be of help alongside the other healers. The man wasn’t able to use any spells himself but he did know how to wrap a tight bandage.

  “Mister Hemingway! Reunions are ever such sweet joys,” Lucius said, walking up and bidding him a gentlemanly bow. “Your timing couldn’t have been any better, my ruggish friend. How do you fare? It must have been quite the surprise to arrive at the capital during such a precarious period.”

  The rugged man in the cowboy hat broke out into a wide smile. “Heya, Lucius. Figured I’d be seeing your handsome mug soon. And boy… surprised doesn’t cut it one bit. One moment I was walking through the gates, ya know, hoping to lend my hunting expertise to those fine priest fellers in white, when the whole damn place started shaking and rumbling. Barely managed to keep my footing straight before the city just went upside down — looked straight out of some kinda action movie. Luckily I was a park ranger before this whole game stuff, so rescuing folks came pretty naturally. Used to be there was always some idiot who managed to get himself stuck up a tree or under a landslide.”

  “Hoho, I see. Whatever brought you to the capital might I ask? Last I remember, you were planning to hunt a beast out in the wetlands.”

  “Yep, tracked down the behemoth you told me about before. Real nasty thing. It was like some kinda drugged up fusion of a bull and an elephant: super aggressive, sharp teeth, built like a brick house, and had this long horn it shot lightning out of. Would’ve been impossible to beat it in one go, but I’m a patient man, Lucius. Mankind’s been hunting beasts since the dawn of time. After following it for a while, whittling it down, I managed to come out on top and claim its horn for my own.”

  “Sounds like quite the adventure.”

  “You bet it was. But it also made me realize that I wasn’t really getting any stronger. It’s nice to get EXP and all, but a fellow hunter I know said it’s more important to finish missions and take part in the main quest. Otherwise I ain’t ever getting more skills, the good ones at least. So I moseyed my way back here, and… well, you know the rest.”

  >[The Primal Hunter understands the urge to play solo as a fellow avoider of groups themselves, but the main quest and its related missions shouldn’t be ignored for too long. Rewards naturally follow wherever danger is most present]<

  Lucius was quite curious about Mister Hemingway’s experiences, as the man had forged a different path for himself compared to the rest. Judging by his stories it seemed that he was still receiving quests from the system, but the rewards were much more sparse, and he often had to seek out or naturally involve himself in what he called ‘side quests’.

  They were a bit similar to what Lucius was doing before, except rather than causing the conflict himself, Mister Hemingway volunteered to help those with personal issues or related woes. If the request was of suitable danger or effort, the system would issue a mission. Most of the time the rewards would simply be coins, reputation, and the occasional stat point here and there. His progress was slower than the players who stood at the forefront of the demonic battles, but in turn he had more freedom and choices.

  Lucius could understand why one would choose the lifestyle of a wanderer; however, the gentleman was at his core someone who deeply loved being surrounded by people. He wanted to be where they gathered most, where he could find those hidden amongst the masses with the potential to bloom into something beautiful. That was why he often found himself in regions of great political turmoil, like that time he inadvertently inspired the Filipino populace into publicly executing all members of their government, which to be fair wasn’t entirely his fault as their president at the time was attempting to mind control the nation using a cursed amulet that originated from the ancient nation of Butuan. Yes, Lucius was the one who gave it to him, but what was a gentleman to do when he had asked so politely?

  “Eh, but I’ve rambled on enough. You probably want to see your pals, right?” Mister Hemingway said. “They should be just down that lane over there. Third tent from the right, can’t miss it.”

  “Why, thank you! It’s been a pleasure catching up. Can I count your assistance when we eventually depart for the Demon King’s Mountain?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  With that, the two amicably sent the other off, and Lucius headed to meet his jolly companions. It didn’t take long before he spied a familiar firefighter’s suit.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “Hm? Oh, hey Lucius!” Harper said, waving at him. “Glad to see you’re alright.”

  “And I to you, Miss Brooks. Do forgive me for not seeking you all sooner. The battle’s aftermath left quite the commotion for us Peers to handle.”

  The firefighter nonchalantly waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I should be apologizing if anything, leaving you behind to deal with that monster by yourself.”

  From inside the tent, Miss Mili poked her head out with a sheepish smile. “Yeah, sorry about that, dude. I got knocked out clean — woosh! Light’s out. Couldn’t remember a thing until we woke up like hours later, but by then everyone was running around shouting that the wicked emperor was dead.”

  A gruff voice chuckled behind her, and out did Marco emerge, his appearance looking dapper as usual despite having been sent crashing directly into a building. “Ya think you got it rough, kid? My bones were pokin’ out of my stomach after that Pepin fella swatted me like a bug. I would’ve already been one foot into the grave if it wasn’t for my recovery skill.”

  Mili laughed and smacked the old mobster’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re not a masochist, big guy? I swear, you’re always dealing with the craziest stuff. It wasn’t even that long ago when you set yourself on fire.”

  “It’s a man’s romance to rush headfirst into danger, though maybe I might've bit off more than I could chew. Ya know with the whole city topplin' over me? Haven't felt that spooked since the chaos a decade back.”

  Harper snapped her fingers, her brow furrowed as she dredged up a memory. "You talking about when Ohio was wiped off the map? Heard it was one of the craziest disasters of the century. What was a New Yorker like you doing out there?"

  "Nah, I was in Chicago at the time for business. Being near the lake, the city didn't have the chance to prepare before giant dirt chunks and debris came crashing all the way down from Michigan. I had to dunk in a shelter with my kids, but with the earthquakes and tornadoes and all... wouldn't be surprised if a god fearin' man thought the rapture was starting. Almost seemed supernatural if ya ask me. It took the entire midwest years before they finally rebuilt everything, though at least here those Frankish folk are lucky the damage was contained within the city."

  Supernatural, indeed. Who would've thought that ancient Native American deities would be so petty? Just because the gentleman refused to overthrow the government and instill a new indigenous dictatorship didn't mean they had to throw a tantrum about it. Besides, the United States already belonged to the Illuminati.

  The four fellows bantered for a bit and delighted in their renewed connection. After a moment however, Mili’s face suddenly became grim.

  “Speaking of bad times, that gal with the spear probably had it the worst out of us, right?” she said.

  Marco replied with a confused look. “Which gal you talkin’ about?”

  Harper shivered and hugged her shoulders. “Oh yeah, you weren’t there when it happened. Probably for the best. It was… ugh, can’t get it out of my mind. Poor girl.”

  Ah, Lucius believed he knew exactly who they were talking about. Of course, everyone who encountered Pepin suffered wounds of some sort, but only one left with a permanent scar: both physically and likely mentally.

  “You think we should give her a visit?” Mili asked, to which the party nodded.

  “Yeah, it’s the least we could do,” Harper replied. “I heard her tent isn’t far from ours. Let’s go searching.”

  With that, the group set off and gradually scoured the space for Miss Enapay’s lodging. It didn’t take long before they found it, as well as their other two fellows, Mister Crowley and Miss Rhodes. The two of them somberly stood at the tent’s entrance, and it was only when they caught sight of Lucius’s group that their expressions brightened, albeit only subtly.

  “Howdy, y’all. Looks like you fellers are doin’ alright,” the seamstress said. “It’s a right miracle we survived at all, honestly.”

  Mister Crowley nodded. “I really thought I was going to die there. Heh, would’ve been pretty boring way to go after all I’ve went through. Didn’t see my life flash before my eyes or anything. Just… awake one moment and then dark the next. How the hell did you manage to beat a monster like that, Lucius?”

  “I suppose it just wasn’t my ordained fate to perish that day, nor yours or all of ours as well,” Lucius replied.

  Truthfully, most of the gentleman’s actions after Pepin was revived had been improvised. Who could’ve expected that the former emperor, of all people, would be their last and final Evil? But Lucius didn’t complain. He had such a wonderful time, for that was life, so unexpected and curious and utterly loveable. He loved the world. He truly did. Even for someone who had witnessed so many differing tragedies, dramas, and heartfelt stories, the world still somehow managed to surprise him.

  “But what of Miss Enapay?” Lucius asked. “I did my best to treat her wound on the spot, however even my own expertise can do little for scars of the mind.”

  Miss Rhodes sighed and shook her head. “Why don’t ya folks come in? It might help.”

  She pulled back the tent’s cover, letting Lucius’s companions pass through as they entered a wide space filled with blankets, beds, and low hanging lanterns. There at the far end, Miss Enapay laid slumped over in a chair, her eyes devoid of light, hollow. She did not react to Lucius’s presence nor anyone's; she merely sat there, silent, submerged in a dream no one else could see whilst clutching the stump that once was her arm.”

  “Oh gosh, Talli! I told ya not to slouch like that. It ain’t good for your neck.” Miss Rhodes hurried over and corrected the despondent woman’s posture.

  “Oh, that’s… I’m sorry,” Mili muttered.

  “Don’t be! If anyone’s to blame, it’s that demon creep. Though I guess cursin’ him ain’t gonna do much since he’s dead and all.”

  Harper and Marco gently approached Miss Enapay and took a closer look at her condition. She didn’t seem entirely lucid, but there was a slight reaction when they held her hand. That was a good sign; she hadn’t entirely shut down just yet.

  “I’ve seen a couple of folks like these during my service days,” Harper said. “The best thing we can do is give her time, let her rest in an environment she feels safe in. Trauma’s stubborn. Sometimes it’ll stick to you for weeks, months, or even years. But I think she’ll get better, eventually. The girl I saw before was a real mean fighter.”

  Marco agreed with her. “I used to rescue a lotta kids from bad places. Some had no choice but to go beggin’ on the streets, while others were stuck at home with blood they couldn’t escape. The eyes are the first thing you notice with them. They’re always dark and murky, as if they’re lookin’ someplace far away. But you know what? In a good house, with good food, and good people, ya learn to heal. It’s a slow process but sometimes it has to be slow. You can’t rush these things, so I hope you folks stick by her side thick and thin.”

  Mister Crowley grinned. “You can count on me. I’ve actually been studying a bit, trying to see if I can fix up a prosthetic arm that she can use, maybe even augment it a bit to make her stronger. I’m an explosives nerd so I’m not too familiar with this kind of stuff, but hey — an inventor innovates. No use tinkering with all this gear if I can’t help anyone with it.”

  Lucius walked up to the man and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “That sounds like a lovely idea, Mister Crowley. I’m sure Miss Enapay will be most thankful.”

  The group talked amongst each other for a little while after, partaking in a lovely tea party while the day slowly came to a close. The players had suffered much just as the Franks did. In this unfamiliar world, they were often anxious, hurt, and struggling to make it to the next day; but it was because of such dangers that the comforts of companionship were all the sweeter. With friends, they could grieve and lament. In the company of trusted allies, they felt in their hearts, even if only a slight pang, that surviving this terrible game was perhaps possible.

  Nightfall came, and so everyone departed, returning to their respective tents. Lucius on the other hand still had some obligations he needed to fulfill, and preferably soon. For after a few weeks, Karolus’s enthronement ceremony would be held, officially crowning him as ruler in this age where the people desperately needed one.

  Ganelon’s wish was that the boy’s ascension be an easy one, and that meant getting rid of the filth still leeching on Francia’s grandeur. How could the gentleman refuse such a heartfelt request? And so, Lucius did as he always did and slinked into the cover of night.

  There was much to do and many places to visit. Of course, Lucius wasn’t some drab killer. He wasn’t going to touch a single hair on their head. Yes, by the time they realized anything was amiss, or perhaps a certain something was gone, it would already be over.

  The curtain still lingered for one final scene.

  The Esteemed Gentlepeople of the , to whom I am forever grateful.

  [The Distinguishedly Dandy Gentlemen Hall of Fame]