We got up early the next morning and were delivered breakfast. I appreciated that, since it saved us time from having to make something for ourselves. We still had quite a bit of food stored in our bags of holding, not counting the things we took from the dragon's lair... I mean the garglemacer's lair. We weren't going to be worrying about food for a while.

Either we were being watched, like I suspected since we arrived, or someone had great timing. The server came back when we finished eating and took the remains of breakfast, then informed us that the queen was waiting for us in the sitting room. With no need or reason to delay, we followed the server as she led us to the room and the queen.

“I hope you slept well.” The queen said and motioned to the chairs in front of her. In the middle was a small table with sweets of some kind and a tea service platter. She had a cup of tea and a sweet in her hand already. I had Maylia sit first and I sat next to her.

“Better than some nights, not as good as others.” I said. “Constantly being watched is getting on my nerves, though.”

The queen chuckled. “It's an enchantment on the castle.”

“Excuse me?”

“The castle monitors everyone in the castle. Depending on what they are doing, the appropriate people are notified when necessary.”

“So, because we were eating...”

“The server was told when you were done.” The queen said.

“Can the castle make judgment calls?” I asked, curious.

“You're wondering about the incident with the healers yesterday.” The queen said and I nodded. “The guards weren't informed because no malice was intended towards myself. It won't react in any other way.”

“So, if I intended to kill you, I would be swarmed by guards; but, because we only fought with underlings, it wasn't that big of a concern?” I asked.

“In essence, yes.” The queen said. “People can still work against me; but, not openly. If they are active, then they will be caught.”

“Can you tell when someone lies?” Maylia asked.

“That is one of my gifts.” The queen said. “Why?”

“At random times, just surprise people with an easy yes or no answer.” I said. “It will catch them off-guard and they should give you an honest answer. If they don't, then you can gauge how much they are actually lying to you.”

“That is a good tactic.” The queen said. “I suppose I shouldn't have to ask why you learned it.”

“When surrounded by liars who even lie to themselves, being able to detect lies is only good to have when dealing with absolutes.” I said. “I grew up like that, so I've become sensitive to it.”

The queen nodded. “As have I.” She said. “Before we go out into the courtyard so you can show me the garglemacer, I shall answer your questions.”

“When did the emissaries appear?” I asked.

“Almost two weeks ago.” The queen said. “I was very reluctant to use the Acolytes of Light to have them summon heroes, since they are a new religion and have almost no followers.” She said. “What could someone with no real faithful followers accomplish?”

“Let me guess. It was spectacular.” I said and she nodded. “She might not have a lot of faithful here; but, she has hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers, on other worlds.”

“I suspected that when the acolytes managed to summon five people, when every other summon spell only managed to bring four.” The queen said.

“How many summons have there been?”

“Seven, counting you.” The queen said. “Most of them managed to make some headway with the evil that permeates the world before they were killed.”

“Did they have healers in their groups?” I asked.

“Yes.” The queen said. “Most parties were balanced for survival.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“A fighter, a ranged fighter, a magic user, and a healer or cleric.” The queen said. “An all around team to fight in any situation.”

“They didn't survive, though.” I said, and she shook her head. “I guess that means they faced something that their balance couldn't handle.”

“They could have taken magical wounds like you did.” Maylia suggested and I looked at her. “Unlike you, who felt the claws cut you, they might not have known that's what it was and ignored it.”

“Like I did the first night.” I said, and Maylia nodded.

“It's not like we could have gone anywhere then. You were exhausted after that run.”

“Yeah, and I still don't know how to deal with those kinds of wounds, besides coming back here to the castle to get healing.” I said. “I sincerely doubt that...”

“I will allow it, if that's what you wish.” The queen said and both Maylia and I looked at her.

“Are you serious?” I asked, and she nodded.

“Although, the other emissaries have more than enough healing to handle anything that happens.”

“Wait, did you say 'other' emissaries?” I asked.

“I don't normally tell people this; but, I can see what people are, their abilities, and where they should be.” The queen said. “When the healers were working on you yesterday, I saw your affiliation, your title, the things you can do, and where you should be.”

“I'm not going to like this part, am I?” I asked.

“Chosen Hero and Emissary of the Goddess Chaiya, Psionic Vanguard that leads from the front, and you are supposed to be with the other emissaries.” The queen said.

I dropped my head into my hands, put my elbows on my knees, and held my anger in check. Barely.

“However, you are not a chosen of the Light.” The queen said.

I lifted my head and tried not to growl when I spoke. “What difference does that make?”

“The others had the appropriate titles. Archmage of Light, Sorcerer Priest of Light, and Paladin of Light.” The queen said. “The woman named Kara is classed as a Swordsman and has a blessing of the Light; but, she doesn't have a title like you and the others.” She said. “You, on the other hand, have not been blessed by the Light.”

“Thank god!” I exclaimed, and a pulse of Presence and mana came out of me. Both the queen and Maylia gasped at the strength of it and we all felt that it wasn't mine.

“Hunter! That's why!” Maylia put a hand on my shoulder. “I knew it was strange that when we prayed at meals we felt that Presence! It's because you've been blessed by god!”

I looked at her with wide eyes and then looked back at the queen.

“Now that I've felt it directly, she's right.” The queen said. “You are an emissary for the other in name only.”

I took a deep breath and put my head back in my hands and tried to get my swirling emotions under control. I wasn't blessed by her. I thought in relief and my anger at being violated like that receded. My mind raced at the implications of what being blessed by god meant, however.

“It's all right.” Maylia said and moved her hand up to stroke my hair. It was starting to pull out of the tie I had it in and she tucked a few stray strands behind my ear. “This also explains why being around the others affected you so much.”

“Yes, which means I need to pick up that ring before we leave the city.” I said. My voice didn't waver, despite my uneasiness, and I looked at the queen. “Can you tell me what god's blessing did to me?”

The queen shook her head. “If it was prominent like the others, I could. As far as I can tell, it's pretty much hidden unless invoked.”

“I need to be more careful when I say it, then.” I said.

“That would be wise.” The queen said. “Before we go outside, I have been receiving messages on a weekly basis from the emissaries about their progress in fighting the monsters.” She paused for a moment. “Their last message was about you.”

“They want you to delay me as long as possible so they can get here before I leave, don't they?” I asked, and she nodded. “Since I was hurt and needed healing, you didn't even have to try.”

The queen nodded again.

“How long do I have?”

“I don't know.” The queen said. “If they take as long coming back as they did to find you, while doing the tasks I assigned them, then it would be a week from when you met them.”

“Only if they did the same things on the way back.” I said. “They also said something about finishing the list.”

“Where did you meet?” The queen asked, and I told her the approximate area. “Then add a few days for travelling the rest of the way, and subtract a day or so for not having to stop along the way, except to eat and sleep.”

“A rough and generous estimate would be about six days, give or take a day.” I said. “When was the message?”

“A day before you arrived here to get healed.” The queen said and stood.

“So, I have three days, plus or minus a day.” I said and stood as well.

“The head acolyte has requested to see you as well.” The queen said.

“The what?” Maylia asked as she stood.

“She is the leader of the small band of women called the Acolytes of Light.” The queen said. “They were the ones that summoned you.”

“I vehemently decline.” I said. “I swore to myself that I would have nothing to do with that goddess, after everything that her followers have done to me.”

The queen looked at my eyes, from one to the other. “I would like to hear that story some day.”

“I can give you a summary as we go outside; but, I only share the deep personal details with those I intend to be intimate with.”

The queen was startled for a moment, then looked from my face to Maylia.

“Yes, she knows it all. Both the good and the bad.” I said and Maylia nodded.

“Then I must settle for the summary.” The queen said and walked over to the door. Four guards came out of the next room and formed around her and I talked as we were led through the castle to the courtyard. I was tempted to leave some things out, especially with all of the extra sets of ears we were passing, then figured that I've told people all over about different things. Laying it all out for the queen to hear wasn't any different. None of it was a secret, after all.

I kept talking as I took the bag of holding and opened it to remove the dragon's carcass. Several of those hidden people gasped at the sight of the huge monster, including Milly. Even the guards were surprised at its size. The queen walked around it and examined it while I finished my story, then she motioned to the guards around her and pointed to the wing. It took three of them to pick it up and unfold it, while the fourth one had to help them extend it out to its full length.

“Yes, I will definitely pay more than a fair price for this magnificent specimen.” The queen said and looked at me. “Give me a few minutes for an expert to...”

“I don't really have the time to waste, your majesty.”

“You need to know how to remove the scales and the teeth safely.” The queen said. “You can't just pull on them and hope that they will come free.”

I held in my sigh, because that was what I was going to do, and she had called me on it. “I assume you already have this expert in the castle?” I asked, and she pointed behind me. I turned around and a woman with dark hair stepped out from the wall.

“Can I ask where you found it?” She didn't even look at me and went right over to the garglemacer.

“Yes, you can ask.” I said and that made her look at me. “Go ahead.”

She squinted her eyes at me. “Where did you find it?”

“Near the second peak in the Karmack Mountains.” I said.

“Did it have a nest or a horde of goods?” She asked as she ran her hands over the ridges on the creatures skull.

I glanced at Maylia and she shrugged. “Kind of both.” I said, and described what the inside of the cave looked like.

The woman turned to the queen. “I'd like to form an expedition and investigate...”

“We stripped it.” I said, and the woman gasped.

“Wh-what? How could you do that?!?” She exclaimed.

“It was fairly easy. We opened a bag of holding and put the things inside.” I said. “It took a while.”

“You...” The woman clenched her fists. “If I had seen the den and the nest intact, I could have determined where it had attacked, estimated how many people it has killed, and possibly if there are any more of them.”

“First off, you can get both the number of attacks and the people it killed from the captain of the guard, since all reports go to him.” I said. “Second, you can contact the people who filed the reports and see what was taken and what the nest was made of. Third, it was a solitary nest. No eggs, no broken egg shells, and no indication that anything but a huge creature had been inside the thing.”

The woman just stared at me and didn't know what to say.

“You're surprised I'd notice things like that, aren't you?” I asked, and she didn't respond. “For your information, I had similar thoughts after the creature was dead.” I said. “Was it alone? Do I need to worry about retribution? Are their baby garglemacers flying around somewhere?”

The woman still didn't respond and I stepped close to her.

“Well, Ms. Expert, can you show me how to remove the scales and the teeth?”

“Are you going to strip it before selling it to the queen?”

“I promised some of the Bitosin townspeople some scales and teeth. I'll limit them to the smaller teeth, probably from the sides, since I don't want to ruin the look.”

“The look?” The woman asked, slightly confused.

“I assume the queen is going to have the head preserved and mounted, then hung up on the throne room wall... or better yet, right up there.” I said and pointed up to the spot where the kingdom's crest was on the high castle wall. “It would be a great conversation starter, regardless of where it is.”

“It is a majestic creature!” The woman spat. “You can't display it like a trophy!”

“How about in a museum or something?” I asked. “Would putting the whole thing out as an example of the beast's species be okay with you?”

“I...” The woman had to think about that. “I suppose... if it was done properly and certain precautions were taken...”

“Show me how to take the smaller scales near the underbelly.” I said and pointed. “That way the people get a scale and it doesn't damage the carcass more than it already is.”

She couldn't refuse the request when it was said so well, and she took out a two-pronged knife and showed me how the scales were overlapped and locked together. With two twists of the special knife, she dislodged a scale and then used the end like a lever and popped the scale out of the recess in the skin. She handed me the scale and I put it into a pocket and asked her to do a tooth next. I watched her closely as she did it and she popped the tooth out expertly. She handed me the tooth that was several inches in length and I nodded to her and put it into the same pocket.

“Thanks.” I said.

Now that I knew what to do to easily remove both items from the garglemacer without ruining the rest of it, I opened the bag of holding and slipped the carcass inside, put it back into the Presence backpack I had, and the weight disappeared when it was covered in my powered armor's energy. I saw the disappointment on the woman's face and reached into my pocket, then handed her the scale and the tooth. She looked at them and then at me.

“You're giving me these?” She asked, stunned.

“I hear they might be valuable.” I said with a smile. “I'm sorry I ruined your scout trip to its lair.”

She didn't say anything in response, so I turned to the queen.

“I need to leave, so tell Milly I said goodbye.” I said and turned to Maylia. “Do we do a flashy exit, or just disappear?”

“Didn't you say before that you didn't like showing off?”

I chuckled. “Just disappearing it is.”

“Wait.” The queen said and stepped forward. “I want to offer you a job.”

“I thought I was summoned to help you.” I said. “We already have a list from the captain of the guard.”

“I meant as a representative of the First Sothen Kingdom.” The queen said.

“What does the job entail?”

“It's simple, really.” The queen said. “You travel. You do good deeds. You tell people that I sent you.”

“I've been doing two of those things already.” I said, unsure of where she was going with this. “Why would I need to do the third?”

“Two reasons.” The queen said. “You can travel freely to every city and town.”

“I thought I could do that anyway.” I said, slightly confused.

“Not just in my kingdom.” The queen said and took out a golden circular crest that was the same as the one on the front of the castle. “This gives you the rights and privileges you deserve as my personal vassal.” She said. “Wear it at all times and it will protect you.”

“What's the second reason?”

“You would have access to resources that normal adventurers don't have.” The queen said. “Extra healing, weapons, supplies, and anything you need.”

I looked at her to try and figure out her angle. “What do you get out of it?” I asked. “What's one more adventurer in your arsenal going to do?”

“I believe you know the saying, quality over quantity.” The queen said. “I could have a hundred adventurers and maybe combined, they could have fought the garglemacer.” She glanced at Maylia and back at me. “You and your companion entered its lair, fought and killed it, then came back to claim the bounty. You didn't do it for fame or to prove yourself. You did it because you knew it was a danger and had to be dealt with.” She said. “Even that job you described that you did for the captain of my guard, you did it because someone was in trouble and before you knew they would be worth anything.”

I couldn't refute anything she said, so I stayed quiet.

“There won't be many that can see your title, and even less that can see what you are.” The queen said. “After hearing your story, and seeing your reaction to finding out how you arrived here, I believe this will be beneficial to us both.”

“Will Maylia get a badge as well?” I asked.

“Just being beside you would be enough for most people to accept that she's a part of your party.” The queen said. “However, you can formally add whoever you like to your status and they will get a smaller badge and be provided the same benefits, even if you are unconscious or absent for some reason.”

That was music to my ears. I thought. It's exactly what I wanted to hear. “Now, tell me what you really want.”

The queen gave me a slight smile and then it disappeared. “I am very uncomfortable with this new religion. As you say, with so many followers in other places, it could take over everything.” She said. “If I can co-opt the summoned hero and have him work for me and not in the name of that goddess, her claim of power here is weakened.”

“I'm listening.” I said and the queen stepped close and explained about how the other summoned heroes would travel and do good deeds in the name of their religion and how that made the religion spread, because of the acts performed in the deity's name as proof. The heroes would gain fame and fortune and the power of that deity would increase as more deeds were performed.

“They're solicitors.” I said when she was done.

“What?” The queen asked, confused. “Did you just curse?”

I chuckled. “My apologies, your majesty. It's not a curse. It's a term for someone that travels around and sells something, usually something that people don't need.”

“Yes, that's exactly right.” The queen said. “That's what's been happening. The more deities floating around, the more confused the people become. I won't eradicate them, since that is also against being in harmony with the people and their beliefs; but, the less of them they have to choose from, the better. Not just for them, either. For everyone.”

“How so?”

“Would you want to go to a city where there are a dozen different churches and the followers of those churches are on the streets all the time as they try to convert others to their cause?” The queen asked, and I shook my head. “I imposed a ban on that happening in my kingdom before too many churches were built. If people are curious, I won't stop their free choice. What I will stop is the bombardment of their senses by a deluge of unrealistic expectations.”

“Your majesty, you keep saying all of the things that make me want to agree with you.” I said and smiled. “It's almost like you are trying to convert me to your cause.”

The queen opened her mouth to deny it, then realized what she had just told him and sighed. “You're right. I just did it myself. I'm sorry.”

I stopped myself from laughing at her expression. “Your majesty.” I said and held a hand out to her. “I'll gladly accept your offer.”

The queen raised her eyebrows at me.

“You've been completely honest with me and your apology shows you have integrity, even if you think you made a mistake.” I said. “You didn't, so your apology isn't necessary.”

The queen gave me another partial smile and placed the badge in my hand.