In the heavy rain, John was called by the king of the city.
John and his servants reached the palace of the king.
Some stairs fully polished, and a small palace made with white marble stood in front of John.
They enter the palace dripping wet.
The purple carpet on the floor, and 7 golden royal seats, distant from each other, 4 on right side and 3 on the left were in front of him. Though they were empty, they felt a bit off to John. And above all was the King, the Ruler.
The king had a hunch and white beard. His eyes were round.
He was wearing a gold robe and gold gloves.
John walks upto the king and kneels on one knee.
Hand on his chest.
Eyes look down.
"You called for me, your majesty??"
The king walks upto John and hold him by his shoulders while sweating.
"Oh! Please! Get up! You are the God, I'm just servicing under your greatness."
"??"
"The Great Goblin God is here to meet me. I'm the one in debt!"
"…"
"Now If you may, please follow me."
John nods with a raised eyebrow.
(And why am I the one getting respect. Am I the king in a king's palace??)
The king walks into a room and opens the door for John to enter.
After John enters, the door closes.
The room was completely empty with a window on an end and a rectangular table located at the center with a white linen cloth on it.
A light bulb was just above the table creating enough light so that the only thing which can be seen is the table.
They both walk towards the table and stand.
"So, why are we here??"
"My lord, first let me introduce myself. I am the King of The Golden Knot. Also, I am the God of Everything that is Gold. My blessing is…whatever I touch turns into gold. My name is Alan, Alan Leonardo."
He reaches and shakes hand with John.
John's interest starts to take over.
(He is a god??)
"Greetings, Alan. I am John
"As you can tell by looking at me, I am one of the weakest Gods. I get prayed by people not because I help them-"
He keeps avoiding eye contact with John.
"I-its because I give the money and gold."
"So…what is the issue, Alan??"
John tilts his head and looks to the left as if he is trying to look outside.
"They seem happy about it, right??"
Alan looks down with his eyes closed.
"In a world full of chaos and power, where money is only a shoe's dust…people love and support the one who saves them. I couldn't save my people, other gods, commanders and monsters…..They all came and kept destroying my kingdom."
Alan walks up to the window, John follows up.
"The part you've seen of this city so far…is just a quarter of what it used to be."
John looks outside.
*gulp*
John takes a long breathe to comfort himself. Breathing becomes tough for him after looking outside.
A huge land was turned into dust. The broken houses, apartments and shops. The blood of the owners was being washed away and getting drained into the soil.
With a guilt and unease in his throat Alan turns around and looks straight in John's eyes.
"They all need Gold, My Gold. So they snatch, they kill and steal. They destroyed my kingdom."
"My blessing is a half-curse for them."
"…"
"Mr. John, I have a favor to ask for."
John clears his throat.
"I am sorry, Mr. Alan…but I have a job to fulfill, and for that I need commander's help."
A tear drop on the floor.
"…"
Alan grabs his great-axe from beneath the table. It was black with a golden knot imprinted on it. The golden skull was the sign of the City.
He points it at John.
John stutters.
"Why? Why can't you help me!?"
John summons Ethan who stand in front of John and points his sword at Alan.
"Why should I??"
Alan's expression changes from request to disgust.
"You need something in return so you can help me?!"
John smirks.
"If you would've asked anyone for help, they'd ask for something."
Alan just stood there.
"…"
"You need to understand this Mr. Alan. This world goes hand-in-hand. No one in this world who believes in helping someone for free. I'm one of them, I don't need your gold, especially in a world like this."
"…What is your point??"
"I will sign a contract with you, I won't help you directly, as I said earlier, I have some work with the commanders. And…in the future I will be hunting down the Gods. So…I need YOU to become stronger…and join me, my crew."
"??"
"I will train you, and you can hunt anyone you wish. Not the commanders though. After my work is done, then maybe. And in return you will be under my command."
Alan takes a deep breath.
Alan puts his axe down.
"How can I trust you. How can I know how strong you are??"
John's gaze hits straight at Alan's eyes.
"With a Duel, Between Two Gods."