CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 68 - A Frank Discussion

The old cleric stared at me for a long moment until I gave a small nod for him to begin. "I recognize that you have misgivings over what happened yesterday," he began while glancing at my odd-colored truth stone. He frowned when he read the caption and realized that the artifact had changed its character! How was this possible? The bishop was very tempted to ask me, but to do so may sidetrack the entire conversation again. Thus, Bishop Canterbury decided to table this inquiry for another time.

I waited again but the old man refused to offer anything in the way of a real apology, and soon I realized that none will be forthcoming. I massaged my left and right temples with the heels of both hands. I was flabberghasted by this man's utter lack of empathy for my plight! In that case, I was wasting my time talking to the bishop. "If you refuse to apologize for your role in coercing me to swear fealty to Order yesterday, then I shall take my leave now. With your permission, Holy One," I quickly added at the end per custom. I began to rise from my seat when the bishop belatedly raised his left hand.

"Please sit down, my child," the cleric requested politely. Despite his calm words, I saw a flash of anger in his eyes but the bishop quickly hid it from his face. Once I was seated again, the old man lowered his head until his forehead touched the table.

I waited for accompanying words to come out of his mouth but incredibly the old man remained silent. Suddenly, I realized why he wouldn't verbalize an apology. I pulled up my left sleeves until the hidden marks on my left forearm were exposed. I put my right hand over the marks and said, "Unveil!" I felt warm energy flow from my palm to my forearm and my limb started to tingle. When the sensation dissipated, my brands were revealed.

Bishop Canterbury's jaws dropped. "That's it?" he asked with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I had no clue what he was referring to.

The old man shook his head. "Normally, when we cast our divine spells we require phrases or verses. You just cast your unveil spell with a simple trigger word." He marveled at the advantages of cutting down the casting time, particularly on the battlefield. It was unheard of! If this player character ever managed to convert more spells to require only trigger words, particularly in the elemental spheres, then he will be very formidable against any character class.

"This was an ability, not a spell," I pointed out, totally ignorant of my companion's fear and consternation. "The verbal component is probably short for this reason," I speculated. Suddenly, I facepalmed my forehead. Smack! The man was trying to change the topic again! Focus, Larry, focus! "You can't express any personal regret for the incident or take personal responsibility because of this," I pointed at the marks.

The bishop nodded in agreement but nonetheless kept his lips sealed.

I began to appreciate his predicament. From my personal interactions with the gods, I realized that they were rather temperamental. The gods absolutely saw no need to apologize for what happened to me because they regarded humans as their play things and therefore, I was subject to their whims and wants. Since the bishop was working under their direction, if he apologized then it meant the gods were offering one, too. This may offend the gods and goad them into doing something in response, such as bringing in minions from other planes to attack Tregome.

Bishop Canterbury was walking a fine line and it was NOT in my interest to knock him over because if my assessment of the church was accurate, then the bishop was the main advocate amongst the church hierarchy for the needs of Tregome. And if this church official was disgraced and forced from his position, then the effects would trickle down to the town that had become my adopted home in this gaming world.

I was in a dilemma. I could seek revenge against this man for his role in stripping away my freedom. But in doing so, I would jeopardize the lives of all the town residents in Tregome. The risk was far too great for a meager satisfaction against the bishop. Fine. If I wasn't going to get a real apology from the man, then I should move on to the next topic. If I dallied in this office for too long, I shudder to think how Kalistra will punish me as part of my training today. "Yesterday, you promised to teach me to use the abilities of the truth stone. However, due to my personal situation, I couldn't learn what I needed from you," I said.