I unlocked the door and entered Merlin's Workshop. The guildmaster separated from my group to execute my instructions to post on the Job Boards. But the rest of my party joined me in the workshop.

I walked across the floor and sat in the small study. I took out Merlin's Eighth-Tier Spellbook and flipped through the pages. Most of the spells were used to create magic items: Permanency (which I already knew), Glassteel, Polymorph Object, Runes, and Trap the Soul. With a war looming, it was pointless to learn any of these spells at this time. I decided to learn Mind Blank, which protected the mind from mental influence.

I took out my spellbook and my writing equipment and began to copy Mind Blank. Three hours passed by in an instant, and dice rolled inside my head. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. +200 XP. Spell of light LEARNED: Mind Blank. Level 4, +200 XP."

I turned my head to check the grandfather clock against the wall. It was a half-hour to six in the evening. I took a quick break to eat my travel rations. Ten minutes later, I resumed my studies.

I took Merlin's Ninth-Tier Spellbook and flipped through the pages until I found Time Stop. This spell would serve as an excellent trump card against the unpredictable Arthur. I cleared my mind, took a deep breath, and started copying the spell into my spellbook. Five hours passed and then dice rolled inside my head. "Read magic FAILED, reroll SUCCESSFUL. +250 XP. General spell LEARNED: Time Stop. Level 9, +250 XP."

I set down my quill and stood up.

"How did it go?" someone asked.

I turned and saw Van. He was leaning next to the clock. "I managed to copy Time Stop," I answered.

"What tier is it?" the paladin asked. He wasn't familiar with this spell.

"Ninth," I said succinctly.

Van whistled. He was impressed.

I looked across the floor. I saw Bila sleeping on the couch. Dovarata sat cross-legged next to the front door. But everyone else disappeared. "Bila went back to her tower?" I asked.

"Yes," my bodyguard nodded. "They wanted to eat something besides travel rations," Van chuckled.

"I'm surprised Bila didn't join them," I noted.

Van smiled as he stared at her sleeping form. "Yeah, I was surprised, too. But Bila felt the need to stay and serve as your bodyguard."

After a brief moment of silence, Dovarata opened her eyes and stood up. "What about me? Don't I get credit for staying here, too?" she pouted.

I smiled at the Draco. "Yes, I appreciate your sacrifice."

She puffed her chest at my praise.

I rechecked the clock. It was past midnight. "It's getting late. I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" I took a few steps to climb into the nearby bed. Its softness against my sore back lulled me into unconsciousness.

***

I awoke to the sound of a rooster crowing in the distance. Sunlight filtered into the floor, piercing through the darkness. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I stretched my arms and then rose out of bed.

"Good morning, Champion," a female voice said suddenly.

I turned and saw the red glowing eyes of Dovarata staring at me. "A blessed morning to you, Dovarata," I greeted warmly. From experience, I knew that the Draco had a different sleep cycle than humans, and she appeared to require very little sleep. In this way, Dovarata was an excellent bodyguard, and I was glad that she rejoined my party.

"What's your agenda for today?" the Draco inquired as she pulled herself up.

I thought for a moment. "Breakfast at The Big Oak Tree, meeting with the proprietors of the other Magic Shops, and copy more spells," I answered. "I'm also waiting for Saint John and Regent Paget to summon me for war planning," I added.

"With all due respect, Brother Mulligan, that might be wishful thinking," Van suddenly interrupted. "While you are, indeed, the Champion of Order and, therefore, cannot be ignored, the people in power see you as a figurehead only," he explained.

I laughed. "You may be right about that," I admitted. I always felt that Saint John the Kind and Regent Paget were engaged in a power struggle to control the kingdom. They were master chess players, while I was a mere amateur. It was unlikely that they would even listen to me if I offer any suggestions to the war plan the two men were preparing.

"Are you going to accept that?" Dovarata asked. As a member of the dragonkin, she was taught to respect power. In her mind, I had more power than the Saint and the Regent combined. It galled her to see me placing myself beneath the two weaker men!

I held up my hand. "I know what you're thinking, Dovarata, but the Kingdom of Merlin is a Lawful country, and I can't simply usurp the authorities of the Regent and the Saint. An internal power struggle in the face of danger from the army of Chaos will result in our defeat," I said.

The Draco folded her arms across her chest. "If we didn't have an alliance, I would fly out the window right now!" she huffed. Dovarata checked the grandfather clock and saw that it was almost six o'clock. "Can we go break our fast now?" she asked.

"If you can rouse our cat girl awake, sure!" I grinned.

"With pleasure," Dovarata grinned back. She moved stealthily toward the sofa, and suddenly jumped on the still asleep Bila!

The cat girl awoke with a yowl, and the two combatants immediately tumbled to the ground. Her claws scratched at her assailant's body, but Dovarata's scales proved too hard to penetrate.

When Bila and Dovarata were at a stalemate, I spoke up. "Let's go have breakfast at The Big Oak Tree."

The cat girl reluctantly retracted her claws, but her yellow fur was still puffed up.

The two combatants untangled and quickly left the workshop.

Van and I walked together. Once we stood outside, I locked the door. I closed my eyes and cast the Gate spell. I set the tavern as the destination. A half-minute later, a golden portal appeared before me.

Van stuck his head through the opening and then gave me a thumbs up. He entered the portal, followed by Bila and Dovarata.

I entered last and closed the portal behind me.

When we walked into the lobby of The Big Oak Tree, an unfamiliar elf accosted us. "Welcome to The Big Oak Tree, Champion Mulligan," the receptionist greeted me warmly. The Elf left the front desk and stood before me. "Are you here for breakfast?" she inquired.

"Yes. I wish to use your VIP room if it is available," I requested while ignoring the pleasant scent of flowers emanating from her body.

"Of course!" The hostess led my party through the dining room, which had a few patrons already, and we entered the VIP room. Once we were seated, she asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"Do you have chicken soup?" I inquired. I didn't want to eat oatmeal this morning.

"I'm not sure the chicken is ready at this hour," she replied with a slight frown.

"Can you check with the kitchen?" Bila asked with pleading eyes. She, too, wished to avoid eating oatmeal this morning.

"I'll ask the chef. What do you wish to drink?"

"Honey tea," I replied. My companions nodded.

"I'll be right back," the hostess promised and left the room. She returned a few minutes later. "The chicken will be ready in ten minutes," the worker announced.

"We'll wait," I replied as the elf placed a cup of tea for each of us and then left.

While we waited for the soup to be ready, Rijana, Bjoukia, Bjoukin, and Waverly entered the room.

"A blessed morning to everyone," the sister greeted us warmly.

"A blessed morning to you, Sister Waverly," I replied with a nod.

Once the newcomers were seated, Rijana asked me, "What spells did you copy last night?"

"Time Stop and Mind Blank," I answered.

My magic instructor's brows rose. "Impressive!" Rijana understood how difficult those spells were, and her odds of learning them were low.

Waverly raised her hand to draw my attention. "Where are your followers? I didn't see them in the dining room," she pointed out.

I slapped my forehead. I forgot about my followers! "They are still at the mage tower," I admitted sheepishly.

"I'll go get them," Rijana volunteered and stood up.

"Thank you," I replied with a smile. Since Rijana knew the Gate spell, she could retrieve my followers from the mage tower quickly.

Once the enchanter left the room, Sister Waverly began her lecture. "Brother Mulligan, you have great responsibilities to your followers. In return for their allegiance, you have to ensure they are fed and housed. If you treat your followers poorly, your Reputation will suffer, and the common folk will doubt your suitability for Kingship."

"I understand," I said solemnly. I didn't appreciate what having followers meant, and I was glad that the sister was willing to explain this to me. It would be troublesome if I lost the hard-won respect of the people due to my poor treatment of my followers!

The food soon arrived, and I immediately ordered more soup for the rest of my party. Before the waitress left, I said, "My followers will be arriving soon. Please serve them whatever they wish on my tab."

"Yes, Champion," the elf replied with a curtsy and departed.

Rijana returned a few minutes later. We made eye contact as she confirmed, "Your followers are in the common room."

"Thank you," I replied. I stood up and said, "I'll go greet them."

Van, Bila, and Dovarata immediately rose from their seats and followed me.

When I entered the dining room, I looked around and saw that my followers had claimed three tables: the knights in one table, the clerics and mages in a second table, and the adventurers in the third table. I walked over to them and greeted each group in turn.

"I apologize for not dropping by yesterday. I was busy studying," I explained.

Basdeng, the knight leader, shook his head. "It's fine. We understand," he said. "Champion, if I may ask, what's today agenda?" he added.

"I'm going to meet with the other Magic Shop owners if they show up, and then I will study in my workshop at the mage tower," I answered honestly. "I will continue with my studies until the war leaders summon me."

The leader nodded in sympathy. He knew that the war planning committee would exclude me because I hadn't earned their trust yet. "Thank you, Champion," he bowed.

The other followers bowed deeply to me.

"I'll be eating inside the VIP room," I said with a wave of my hand and left the dining room.

Once I was seated again, I asked, "How did I do?"

Van understood my inquiry. "You acted appropriately toward your followers," the paladin answered honestly.

Bila and Dovarata nodded in agreement.

I breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating my now cold soup. Once I finished my breakfast, I waited another fifteen minutes and then rose from my seat. I left twenty gold pieces on the table to cover the tab and walked out.

My followers saw my entry into the dining room, and they rose in unison to follow me out of the tavern.

My entourage gathered away from the entrance of the Big Oak Tree and watched as I created a Gate to return to the mage tower.

This time, Rijana entered the portal first, and she took my followers back to their guest rooms.

I agreed with her decision because I didn't know my new followers well enough to permit them entry into Merlin's Workshop. Furthermore, I was afraid that one of them could be a spy or saboteur; spells like Detect Evil or Protect Evil could be countered and therefore, not one hundred reliable. In the end, I could only depend on the people I knew before I became the Champion of Order.

During my stay at the mage tower, I spent the bulk of my time copying more spells into my spellbook. I took breaks in between for meals and to visit my followers. I also engaged in mock fights with them to attain a better understanding of their fighting tactics and personal abilities. In particular, I learned that the adventuring group was composed of a fighter, a cleric, a mage, a ranger, and a thief named Calton.

I was delighted to have a thief in my party who was an expert in what I called the "thieving arts:" trap detection and disarming, lock picking, and danger sense. Having Calton as a follower was a relief because it meant that I didn't need to rely on magic anymore.

The days flew by. During lunch on the third day of my stay in London, Mordekai the Wiseman entered the VIP room with several people.

I recognized Xon 'Tein, the gnomish shopkeeper at Bristol and the secret Guildmaster of the Magic Guild branch. I assumed the other people were also owners of magic shops. I rose from my seat. "Welcome! My name is Lawerence Eugene Mulligan, Merlin's Successor and the Champion of Order," I introduced myself with a slight nod.

The newcomers lowered their heads respectfully. After we exchanged pleasantries, Mordekai spoke up. "These people are Magic Shop owners, and they have agreed to sell their shops to you under the same deal that Galvorg received," he explained.

"You have a deal," I answered immediately. I pulled out my rainbow card, and the proprietors formed a line with Xon 'Tein in front.

"Forty million gold coins," he said and touched the card.

I repeated the sum and heard a faint "ding" sound.

The gnome stepped out of the room, and the next person in line stepped forward. "Sixty million gold coins," said the store owner named Terbour.

I repeated the sum and recorded the transaction.

By the time I finished buying all the shops, I had spent a little under three hundred million gold coins.

Once the final seller left the VIP room, Mordekai said, "We march tomorrow. Please arrive at the Public Square at eight o'clock sharp." The white mage bowed to me and then departed.

My companions continued eating their meals in silence. They were anxious to fight the army of Chaos, and now they have a departure date.

On the other hand, I decided not to think about going to war tomorrow. Instead, my mind rolled through the list of spells I needed to add today. I had approximately eleven hours available to copy my last spells before retiring for the night. I would need to get up by seven tomorrow morning to break my fast at The Big Oak Tree and arrive early at the Public Square to meet with the war planners to learn their plans.

My entourage left the tavern at the first bell after the noon hour and used Gate to return to the mage tower. Before my followers returned to their guest rooms, I said, "We march tomorrow. Please be up by seven."

"Yes, Champion!" my followers replied.

Once they were gone, I teleported with my party back to Merlin's Workshop. Tonight, I will attempt to learn the Seventh-Tier Mass Invisibility, the Sixth-Tier Control Weather, and the Second-Tier Mirror Image spells. For these and other lower tiers spells, I had been visiting the Magic Shops and taking scrolls. I was surprised the mages had little interest in the magic scrolls; I assumed they were able to copy these common spells from each other instead.

When I entered the workshop, I made a beeline straight for my study. I took out the scrolls from my Bag of Holding and started copying them into my spellbook from the highest-tier to the lowest. With Lady Luck on my side, I was able to learn all three successfully tonight.

I put away my spellbook, and I called up my Player Status screen. A picture of my player avatar was in the left column and right above that read: “Title: Pursuer of the Crown, Title: Merlin's Successor, Title: Champion of Order, Title: Spirit Magi, Title: Matter User, Title: Anti-Matter User, Title: Dragonslayer, Title: Finalist in the Melee Tournament, Title: Undead Hunter, Title: Were-Hunter, Title: Avenger of the Town Judge Wachtel; Title: Liege of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Title: Protector of Southampton, Status: Member of the Mage Guild, Status: Journeyman of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Status: Adept of the Church of Britannia, Status: Town Judge of Tregome, Status: Honorary member of the Tregome Bordermen, Status: True Friend of Burnhamm Village.”

The middle column read: "Name: Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, Race: Human, Alignment: Lawful Good, Permanent Conditions: Marked by Bane, Marked by Musa, Marked by Luck, Marked by Gaea, Marked by Jasla, Marked by Leonus; Profession: Mage/Swordsman, Level: 17, Experience: 171,725/153,000, Reputation: 100,402, Attack: 68, Damage: 13-15 (Unarmed), 15-19 (Dagger), 15-25 (Long Sword), 14-22 (Staff), Critical Attack: 13%, Critical Damage: 350%."

On the right side of the screen, my player attributes were listed as follows: "Health: 191, Stamina: 92, Magic: 105, Strength: 27, Intelligence: 55 (+10), Wisdom: 20 (+11), Dexterity: 22, Constitution: 32, Charisma: 18. Abilities: Navigation-Sense (Level 7), Magic Sense (Level 10/MAX), Immunity to Electricity (Level 2), Immunity to Fear (Level X), Negotiation (Level 5), Spirit Sense (Level 10/MAX), Reroll (Level X)."

At the bottom were six tabs. The first tab was marked, "Skills." When I mentally clicked on the tab, I saw: "Professional Skills: Mage—Read Magic (Level 10); Swordsman—Dual-Weld (Level X), Charge (Level 6), Disarm (Level 4), First Strike (Level 3), Slide Step (Level 4), Duel Winner (Level 2), Sprint (Level 1), One Hundred Butterflies (Level 1); Staff—Impenetrable Dome (Level 1)."

The second tab was "Magic Spells: General (Level10+1)—Detect Trap, Light, Dispel Magic, Enchant Magic Item, Enhance Minor Attribute, Permanency, Summon Elemental, Anti-Magic Shell, Time Stop; Fire (Level 9+1)—Fire Bolt, Flaming Sphere, Fireball, Protection from Fire, Fire Shield, Wall of Fire, Delayed Blast Fireball; Water (Level 8+1)—Acid Arrow, Iceball, Acid Storm, Wall of Ice, Cone of Cold, Ice Storm; Earth (Level 7+1)—Armor, Web, Earth Spike, Wall of Stone, Move Earth, Plant Growth, Statue, Meteor Swarm; Air (Level 8+1)—Magic Missile, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Stinking Cloud, Fly, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Wall of Air, Cloudkill, Telekinesis, Mass Invisibility, Control Weather, Gate; Light (Level 7+1)—Charm Person, Protection from Undead, Remove Fear, Fear, Mass Charm, Recall, Mind Blank; Dark (Level 7+1)—Dark Vision, Darkness, Animate Dead, Death Spell, Disintegrate, Power Word Stun, Power Word Kill."

The third tab was: "Divine Spells: Order—Unveil (Level X), Call of the Wild (Level X), Chaos—Veil (Level X), Charm Opposite Sex (Level X); Life—Minor Heal (Level X)."

The fourth tab was "Artifacts & Magic Items," and it revealed: "Truth-Stone of Order and Chaos—Truth-Telling (Level X); Copper Ring of Wisdom +1; Staff of Merlin; Merlin's Legacy (key, card); Mantle of Order; Copper Ring of Featherfall; Bag of Holding; Lightbringer; Wand of Cold."

The fifth tab was "Followers." I decided to skip it because I knew this section was full of unfamiliar names aside from Bila, the Paget House, and the Kingsbury House.

The final tab was "Leylines," and it listed: "Divine Forest of Gaea (Earth); Hleandro's Lair (Fire); Southampton Water (Water); Southampton Harbor (Wind); Primrose Hill (Wind); Westminster Abbey (Light); Westminster Abbey (Dark)."

Although I had enough experience to advance to Level 18, I saved it just in case I failed to learn a spell. I was delighted with the repertoire of spells I could cast now. I was hesitant at first to add Dark spells such as Animate Dead and Death Spell because they could be used for Evil. But as I thought more about it, I realized that these spells were handy on the battlefield, and I was foolish not to add them to my spellbook.

The only thing I was curious about was the "Call of the Wild" divine ability, which I received from Leonus, the patron god of the beastkin. I had no idea what its effect was. I imagined being able to summon nearby creatures to serve me. But that was probably not the case. With a sigh, I closed the screen and retired for the evening.