Nirou and the others stood outside of the cathedral briefly after leaving. He wasn't sure why they had decided to stop, but it could be that they were giving the young man a few moments to collect his thoughts. It's true that he was thinking about a lot, considering just how much information had just been revealed to him in the past few minutes.

"Hey, Laska." he gets the girl's attention. "I saw you pray that one time, so you're a follower of this god, right? Like, you actually believe in him. I mean, obviously something is taking the blood and giving stuff in exchange, so not believing would be kind of dumb. I don't really mean it like that, more like uhh..."

Nirou was having trouble putting things into words. Religion in his old world had nothing like this, it was all purely faith-based. At least as far as he had been concerned. Being so disconnected from things and coming in suddenly, he was naturally going to look at these tributes in mostly practical terms. He wasn't sure if he was being offensive by bringing up this topic. But somehow over the past weeks, he had gotten a different impression of Laska. The description that Mediator gave of pious worshippers happily giving up their blood didn't seem like Laska at all. To him, anyway. But in the end, he was only operating off of his limited knowledge of her.

"I know what you mean to say." Laska interrupts Nirou's train of thought. "Though God surely exists, you're asking how much faith I put in Him. A perfectly legitimate question. It's something I myself have been contending with for some time now. Nearly all children of Dragunasia grow up with strong ties to the Church these days. I am no exception. There was a time that my faith was unwavering. But no longer. If God would see to a monster like Temat gifted a mythical weapon, then His whims are naught but to be scorned. I have no more faith that He would see anything done. I'll take whatever I can get from Him and carve out my own justice."

Laska makes her declaration with a determined look, before putting on a more forlorn expression.

"The only time I will pray is when Man can do nothing. Only God can ensure peace upon the souls of the dead, all we can do is hope His whims align."

"It's better off like that, anyway." the General adds. "You won't find me in this place on a single holiday giving away my blood for nothing. And it hasn't held me back one bit. Anyway, we're not done with just this. I had another place I was going to bring you two today. If you're going to be going off on a mission on my orders, then you need to be properly outfitted. We're visiting the armory."

Shilan motioned his young companions to follow as he walked back the way he had led them to get here. As they approached the corner to turn to the front of the palace Nirou heard a sound of creaking metal in the distance, though it was mostly drowned out by the wind and other ambient noises.

It only struck him what that sound was once they had gotten closer. As the group drew near to it, they could see that the main door of the palace had been opened. Their destination seemed to be on the other side as far as Nirou could tell from the General's lead, but he stopped short of crossing in front of the door. A few footsteps on the stone path could be heard, and from the huge palace door emerged three men. The one on the left was actually someone familiar. It was Almadju, the General's younger son. He and the man on the right were decked out in some fancy armor and holding some ceremonial-looking spears. At least Nirou couldn't fathom that much gold being used in the design for a spear meant exclusively for combat.

However it was the center man that drew the bulk of the attention. More lightly armored than the other two, he seemed to prefer covering himself in jewelry. Gems decorated nearly every article he was wearing, from the clasps on his sandals to the crown on his head. His long black hair gave off a similar sheen to his favorite accessories, as if he was trying to make it look like obsidian grew out of his head. Nirou could barely stand to look directly at the man, since the angle of the light made everything he was wearing glint in his direction.

"Get down." Nirou heard Laska whisper, as he squinted uncomfortably at the new source of light. It took a moment for Nirou to connect the dots in his head, but he soon realized who they were dealing with. No two ways about it. This must be the King. Laska and the General were already taking a knee and bowing their heads, which left Nirou standing hilariously exposed. He was about to follow suit, but it was too late to go unnoticed.

"It's so like the General to drag filth like this into the palace grounds." the man remarked in disgust. He seemed particularly irritated at having to look up to look Nirou in the face. "Practically wearing rags. Are you trying to degrade my palace with their presence? Look at this big oaf, he's slow in the head. He should be kneeling faster."

Nirou was already in the process of putting his knee down, but he was suddenly pushed to the ground with great force. He had to drop to both knees and catch himself on his hands to avoid slamming face first into the stone below. It was as if the air itself was crushing him. He could feel a huge weight on his back, and his head was inching closer and closer to the ground.

"Much better. Let this be a lesson to you, this is the proper position to take in front of royalty. Etch it into your body."

"I apologize for my guest, Your Highness." the General steps in before the King can go much farther. "It's my fault for not teaching him the proper etiquette before bringing him to the palace grounds. I assure you it won't happen again."

"It shouldn't have happened even once, General. Who are these foreigners you've brought to my home?" the King asks incredulously. "With how often you deal with foreigners, you are sure to have leaked information. Or maybe you're selling it outright?"

"This is the daughter of Count Voldbend, a longtime ally of our Kingdom." Shilan explains. "As well as her... bodyguard. After all the man has done for us, it would not do to turn away his family in their time of need. It has been on short notice, so it's true that I have been lacking in my execution. But hospitality is the proper course of action here, Your Highness."

He makes his case entirely with his head lowered. The King hears it and stays silent, seemingly content with the given explanation. After a few moments, the weight is lifted off of Nirou's back and he doesn't have to struggle to stay up anymore. Though he stays prostrated just so he doesn't cause any more trouble than this.

"It's been a while since we've spoken, General." the King moves to a new topic. "I hope you have been utilizing your time wisely."

"Repeated trips to the border regions to ensure their defenses, Your Highness. A common cause in the defense of the Kingdom will improve unity, even among the more recently incorporated areas. The South in particular is a priority, I expect an attack from the Beastmen by next year. They have been too quiet as of late."

"Then I leave you to it." the King turns away to resume his walk. "Try not to let me take in such a pitiful sight as these unkempt guests again."

Almadju had remained stone-faced through the entire exchange. Maybe he was just taking his job seriously, but he didn't seem bothered by the King's attitude. He and his father gave each other merely a brief nod of acknowledgement before the young man resumed his duty as the royal entourage. Once the three men are sufficiently far from the group, they all stand back up. Nirou rubs his aching back, still wondering what exactly happened. He doesn't have to wonder for long.

"Six star blessing, Airshape." the General explains. "Of the shape-type blessings, it's likely to be one of the most formidable. A fearsome ability... in the right hands. But the King has never been in a real fight. I can't respect the power of someone who hasn't feared for their life."

It was a surprisingly blunt statement from the General considering they were standing out in the open right next to the palace. Nirou glanced around worriedly, the recent incident alerting him to the dangers of not paying attention to your surroundings. Luckily it seemed the group was alone. Once his initial panic wore off, Nirou wondered just how far that principle applied for the man. Maybe that was even why he didn't care too much for this world's god.

"He is Kadjakul Anjdrahm, the One-Hundredth Ruler, Successor of Ninety-Nine Kings." Shilan said, interrupting Nirou's thoughts. "As you can tell from the titles, he's the one hundredth king Anjdrahm has has since it has formed. A nice round number, don't you think?"

"It still astounds me that you've been able to keep your plans a secret." Laska replies. "With how proudly you declare your disrespect, I would expect the whole of the Kingdom to know."

"I don't have to be overly paranoid like Mediator with his insistence on that barrier." the General laughs. "I just humor him. In the case of my home I just have Sahla keep a lookout, and that's mostly for Almadju anyway. He's in a vulnerable position, so he can't be made to know. As a member of the royal guard, I can't know how deeply he's entrenched. I'll just have to trust him to side with his old man when the time comes."

"But you don't trust him now." Laska gives a sharp retort. Her expression is exceedingly unamused. For some reason this topic seems to have hit home. Nirou suspected something involving her own parents.

"Well, it's not like I don't want to trust him, but..." the old man looks sullen for the first time Nirou had ever seen. "That boy and the King, they're similar types in a way. Hargujad was content with his lot in life, he's made himself happy. But Almadju resented being my son, I think. Regardless of his accomplishments, he's always been considered 'the General's son'. But more than that, I suspect those two were able to hit it off quite well. The King has always envied me for receiving two six star gifts while he has only one."

"It's little surprise. The measure of a ruler has often been estimated by the level of their gifts." Laska pivots to the new topic. It seems like she's more comfortable talking about this than about the General and his son's relationship. "Rulers with a seven star gift are lauded as the greatest in history without fail. Six star gifts also make for esteemed rulers, and five star gifts are respectable. Those that never receive greater than a four star gift are commonly considered unworthy to rule outright. Now, the King has a six star gift, so he should be held in high regard. But he's outdone by his own subordinate. The General is the one to get all the praise and adoration. It is somewhat understandable. Not that it excuses his poor attitude."

"Alright, that's enough about the effect me being so great has on people." the General puts his grin back on. "We were on our way to do something important, focus kids."

The man set off once more towards the armory, and the younger two fell in line behind him.