A Guide to Kingdom Building

Servus 132-X walked towards his group of misfits, huddled over the campfire. The dwarf was waving at him, with a bowl of food on his hand. Servus 132-X smiled and nodded back to greet him. The campfire provided a welcoming warmth after walking in the cold dark night.

He rubbed his hands together, breathe some warmth into it and sat near the fire beside the beastman. The dwarf passed him a bowl filled with cobblers and carrots stewed in tomato paste with some jerky bits and wild mushroom.

Servus 132-X's stomach grumbled with glee just by looking at it. He took a sip of the soup and felt the warm comfort of the soup. The tangy taste from the tomato stimulated his palate, wanting him to eat some more.

The cobbler was soft and delicate that it crumbled immediately with a few chews. The flavors from the soup and other vegetables exploded into his mouth. The saltiness of the jerky and the earthy flavor from the mushrooms coated his mouth with a blissful meaty aftertaste.

The marriage of the subtle sourness of the tomato and salt reminded him of the time when he was reincarnated in a world where cooking was a superpower. It was his 299th incarnation when he was sent into a world where he needed to learn different cuisines from different continents to defeat an evil cooking society ruling that world.

He wanted to tell that story to his new-found comrades, but they wouldn't even believe it even if he told them.

The timid beastman broke Servus 132-X bubble of food euphoria and asked, "How's the food?"

Servus 132-X went back into his senses and nodded, "It's amazing! I haven't eaten this before!" He lied. The food brought back a lot of memories. But he dared not to say that to them.

His jovial presence receded as quickly as he made it appear. Servus 132-X blankly stared at the flames diving his mind into the dancing crimson. Tomorrow is the day, that he might not return back to this lovely and warm campfire.

He might die at that wretched hole, despite what that mysterious lady claimed. What might happen to his comrades? Would Lord Prestonheim still credit the end of his deal? The question resonated in him, tearing him apart. His conscience cannot allow the deaths of his comrades when he's gone. It just can't.

For the first time in such a long time, he came to fear the unknown more than death. The sense of dread pitted into his stomach, and suddenly the delectable food he enjoyed became nothing more than a tasteless warm soup.

His brooding atmosphere caught his friends' attention, especially the elf. She elbowed the dwarf beside her and asked him to speak for her.

"Are you afraid for tomorrow?" she relayed to the dwarf.

Servus 132-X broke away from his drifting thoughts and looked at the dwarf.

"She asked it!" The dwarf responded and pointed at the elf.

Servus 132-X sighed and shook his head, "If I am being honest, I don't know."

"You don't know what you fear? Or you fear what you don't know?" She signed once again.

Servus 132-X was caught off guard by the question. He tried to look for an answer, looking at the sky and scratching his head—it didn't help him at all.

The beastman suddenly grabbed his shoulder and hugged him in one arm. "It's okay to be afraid." While patting his head.

The awkward experience made Servus 132-X speechless. Unable to stand being hugged by the hulking beastman, stood up and muttered his lies.

"I am not afraid." He said while trying to come up with a topic to diverge from the question. "I am okay! You know what—"

"You're lying." The beastman looked at him straight in the eyes. "I know you're lying. I can smell your fear from here," he proclaimed.

That was another shocking moment for Servus 132-X. The timid beastman who was shy and always avoided eye contact is now staring him in the eyes. He took a deep breath and sat back on his seat, staring silently at the hissing fire—lost for words.

"Lad, the beastman is right," the dwarf's rugged and boisterous voice, suddenly became warm and gentle. "You are doing too much for us. At the very least, we can hear you out." The dwarf pleaded with him.

Servus 132-X cracked a tired smile and nodded, "I am afraid of what's going to happen tomorrow." He sighed, "Would they truly keep their end of the bargain? What if I die in the burrow? Would they still keep that bargain with the remainder of you?"

"It saddens me that you carried us around like a burden." The elf relayed to the dwarf. "Although, I am forever grateful to you for saving our lives, I cannot tolerate the thought of you risking yours to this extreme just to save us!" She signed, while tears welled her eyes.

"There! There, lass," the dwarf tried his best to comfort the elf by his side. He patted her back then said to Servus 132-X, "Lad, y'ave done more than enough. Too much. Too many. Tah the point that yah cannot seem tah trust those around yah!"

There was silence after that. The elf wiped away the welling tears in her eyes while the dwarf and beastman constantly comforted her. It took a few moments for everything to settle down. But on his mind, Servus 132-X took an eternity to battle his emotions on the poignant words his comrades voiced out.

Has he been underestimating them? Is he truly trying to save them or just trying to relive the glory days of his past self? Is he trying to find a way somehow to be significant in this world? Could it be hero-reflex he dreaded to end that is working its way into the surface?

Those questions played in his mind repeatedly, drowning himself with his thoughts.

"Ave a lil' faith in us, lad…" the dwarf toned down his voice, breaking the silence. "Yah do not 'ave tah worry about us. I trust y'all come back to us in one piece. The Lady Moon watches over us!"

Servus 132-X broke free from the bondage of his own thoughts. He was relieved that the dwarf broke the silence and indulged it with a question.

"Lady Moon?" Servus 132-X was baffled by the dwarf's last statement. "Is that a goddess of this world?"

"Hah! Not just any goddess, she's a heroine!" The beastman proclaimed.

Servus could tell the excitement in his eyes. He could also see the look of disbelief in the eyes of the elf and dwarf.

"You haven't heard of her?" The elf relayed to the dwarf again. "She's the goddess who created this very isle."

"I-I don't know about her." Servus answered. "We weren't taught of her."

The dwarf stroked the growing stubbles on his chin, "Well, I supposed as much." He smiled at the rest of them. "Okay, lads and lass, gather around. I would like to tell you a story."

The elf smiled in her amusement while the beastman's eyes glimmered with nostalgia written all over his face. Servus 132-X on the other hand, wanted to distract himself from the thoughts and burdens he placed on himself. He moved closer to listen to the dwarf.

"Okay," the dwarf cleared his throat. "I'm gonna tell yah a story. The story of the Lady Moon and her love for this world. The story of her greatest regret and ultimate sacrifice. The story of the forgotten goddess, Oyue."

Servus 132-X leaned closer so he could hear the dwarf. More than just looking for a distraction from his thoughts. This story for some reason, sparked his curiosity. Now, he's awaits the dwarf's story.contemporary romance

done.co