Reborn as the First Boss, Book 4 Prologue (Patreon)

Prologue – Denied

“Open the gates, in the name of the Holy Church!”

Dannet Darkhand, Lord Mayor of Crystalshield, snarled as he looked back upon the force arrayed against his city. A group of Inquisitors, by the looks of them, from Eclana. Self-righteous bastards always went about like they owned the place, even outside of their borders, like they were now.

“Fuck off with your Church shit, Eclanan whoresons!” Dannet answered them. “This is the Free City of Crystalshield, not Eclana! Your church has no power here, and we’re not letting your lot in to go killing whoever you please.”

Indeed, this was not the first time Inquisitors had come to Crystalshield. The city was a major trade hub, especially since it was a port city, allowing easy access to the Southern Continent. That, in itself, wouldn’t be much of a problem with the Church types, but out of the so-called ‘Righteous Pantheon’, the only one that Crystalshield paid any attention to was Wobris, God of Commerce.

Oh, the others weren’t kept out, particularly, but they had meager shrines, if any at all, and there were temples to several other gods, from the other pantheons in the world, including the elven and beastmen ones. Crystalshield accepted all who came in the name of commerce, and did not much care who they were or what they believed in, so long as the coin was good. They even traded with the demons in the port city of Meskaele, which had been Zaglela before the demons conquered it.

Meskaele was in an interesting position. The demons couldn’t get out onto the Southern Continent because of the barrier that generation’s Hero had raised, but neither could the beastmen tribes push through it into the city, not in numbers enough to matter. Traders here and there could get through, and animals had no problem, but no army could pass through the barrier, on either side. However, the barrier did not extend past the shoreline, allowing the port to remain open for trade, and Meskaele was one of Crystalshield’s biggest trading partners, as exotic wares from the Shadowed Continent flowed in, and the products of the ‘Enlightened Lands’ flowed back.

It was only natural, then, that Crystalshield drew the ire of the Holy Theocracy of Eclana. They absolutely hated the fact that the city traded with the demons, and everyone else that their group said was evil or worthy of purging. After the fall of Zaglela, it had gotten so bad that the Lord Mayor of the time had barred all Inquisitors, officers, or traders from Eclana from the city, and that restriction had remained in place ever since, making Eclana the only land whose people were not allowed inside the walls.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the self-righteous pricks from trying to throw their weight around. Every now and then, an Inquisitor would slip in, disguised as someone from another land, and start trying to ‘purge the corruption’, which usually meant they stacked up several bodies before they were caught and offered to Shaaos, the beastmen God of the Sea, whose sacred animal was the shark. More rarely, a force like the one at the gates now would show up, demanding entry for one reason or another.

There were forty of them. Not all Inquisitors, most likely, but definitely in the Inquisition’s service. They were too far to be properly [Appraise]d, but he could tell that they all had to be at least Level 30, given their equipment. A truly formidable force, if they were encountered in the open. But he wasn’t afraid. Crystalshield did not have its name just because it rolled off the tongue easily, after all.

Angrily, the Inquisitor at the head of the formation slammed his mace against the semitransparent barrier that stood between him and the gates of the city. “The Pope-Queen of Eclana and the Grand Inquisitor demand that all lands be searched for the heretics who blaspheme against the True Gods by conducting rituals against the edicts of Eztar! Open the gates, so that the city may be searched and cleansed of evil!”

“Sorry, Lord Mayor,” Jaketta, his Captain of the Guard said. “But it doesn’t look like these ones are going to listen to reason. What should we do?”

Dannet sighed, “Yeah, you’re right, Captain. Doesn’t look like they’re going to just give up and go home, either. And if they stick around too long, they may start harassing traders coming or going overland, which will hamper our trade. Might as well get this over with. Is everything ready?”

“Ready and waiting, sir. Mana capacitors are charged and ready. No obstructions in the way, either. We can begin at your order.”

“Right. Wipe them out.”

Jaketta spoke a command into a communication stone in her hand, sending the message to the room at the top of the Crystalshield Tower in the center of the city. It was there that the ancient arcane mechanisms that powered the crystalline barrier which protected the city and kept out those who meant it harm was housed. However, the mechanism could do more than just defend.

The white crystal at the top of the tower glowed with a brilliant light, as mana collected in it. And then, it was unleashed in a beam of power more deadly than any normal mage’s spell. The scholars who knew of such things said that the Crystalshield Tower was a work of a Tier 4 Artificer class, and its power, both on offense and defense, was certainly of that level. The only being who might stand a chance against the full might of the Crystalshield Tower’s attack was the Great Demon Emperor, the only living being known to be in Tier 4. Even then, it was said he lost much of his power when he left the Shadowed Continent, so it was possible that the Tower could defeat him, if he came to Crystalshield. None knew the truth, however, for such a thing had never happened.

Dannet nodded to himself as the blinding light receded, allowing him to see once more. Of the Inquisitors, nothing remained, save for a mark where the very ground had been turned to glass. Man and beast were simply gone, without a trace.

“Send word by message stone to the different kingdoms we trade with. Let them know something put a bug up the Eclanan’s ass, and their Inquisitors are being especially belligerent because of it. And make sure that all ships and wagons are thoroughly appraised. I don’t want any of those rats getting into my city and disrupting trade.”

Jaketta bowed, “At once, Lord Mayor.”