He had won. A Sharp tap to my abdomen signified his victory, turns out you don't beat someone after an hour of practice.
"Thank you for your instruction Darevellum" I thank him smiling at the slightly shorter Lithoni.
"You're welcome your Majesty" he replied before giving a small bow before he turned and began barking orders at the guards who stopped to watch our spar. Taking a moment to watch it I heard a small shuffle of feet behind me. Turning around I saw a small Brownie with a small satchel of at his side.
"A moment of your time Sir" he asked politely, figuring it might be important information I nodded.
"Thank you, ah, oh yes Elder Nuerm requested your presence at the new healers house set up in the inner ring sir, can't miss it big ole building that one" he explained rapidly before departing without a word. Typically I would say that just a tad rude but I knew that for the Brownies it wasn't personal.
Departing from the training ground, and as I rounded the bend that secluded the guards training area there where houses. Some where only ten feet high with small red, yellow, of white mushroom tops as roofs. Some where easily 50 to 40 feet in the air styled like mushroom treehouses.
In-between the houses and on the roofs great canopies of spiders webs acted as another layer to the inner rings architecture. Exiting through a path between two flanking houses and on to the main road from the keep to the walls and into the Outer Ring.
The Mycelium Keep stood domineering over the other structures, with the next tallest being a measly 60 foot mushroom with several smaller sprouting creating grand fungal staircases up to several doors. The central one was decently tall, big enough for majority of the taller Lithoni to enter. Considering that Lord Alvest was roughly the same size, maybe even a bit taller if he rose go his full height, I couldn't image him fitting in their.
Walking to the central door way, the small invisible cloud of spores that surrounded me interacted with the fungal door, and like a passcode the doors opened.
As I stepped through, the Healers House as it was called by a hanging sign possesed few patients. By a few I mean one Lithoni holding his own arm talking calmly with the Brownie receptionist.
"Alright sir take two lefts down that hallway and you'll find Elder Ngue he'll patch you right up." I picked up the tail end of the conversation. The little Brownie turned towards me and smiled. Apparently whatever the Brownies did they really enjoyed.
"Ah, Your Majesty Elder Nuerm is waiting for you sir, just take a right down that hall sir and you'll come to his office" the Brownie explained pointing to the opposite hallway to the one he sent the other Lithoni down.
"Thank you have a good day" I stated before following the receptionist's instructions. Taking a right down the hallway lined with three of so doors emblazoned with different names that I didn't pay attention to. I came to a single door with the name 'Head Healer's office: Elder Nuerm' nocking on the door I hear a muffled voice.
"Come in" the voice said and the door opened shrinking into the surrounding door frame.
Stepping into the room I saw it wasn't just a fancy office but rather a place of research. Rolled up scrolls stored in shelves made into the walls. Various species of plants hung drying out on strings, and the form of Elder Nuerm crouching over a small garden of tiny mushrooms.
"Elder Nuerm I see you've grown the Healing House" I said and the Treant backed away from the blanket of tiny mushrooms.
"Thank you Sir, If you have any requests or questions I would be happy to help" He said as he bustled from his garden of mushrooms to one of shelves. Tapping what looked like a chin he searched until he delicately pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment.
"Here, Sir I have the blueprints for the healing house also" He said spreading out the blueprint on his desk. Looking over it I saw that each of the Elders had their own studies marked on the map, roughly ten each. The number would work, especially considering that Fungi didn't get a whole lot of diseases, or at least that was the impression I had gotten.
"Alright well how's it going so far?" I asked the ice breaker just see where I might go, really I wasn't any where near a medical expert but I figured showing interest was important. Especially for an initiative I started.
"It is going well sir, patients come every now and then, and each of us Elders have our research we take part in in the mean time" He answered.
"What kind of research" I asked out of curiosity, having Institute that would research and heal the population was great.
"Oh, well right now I'm researching the exact causes the evolution between us and the other mushrooms, and what kinda of conditions and species evolve into which of us humanoid fungi" he explained his research which I had a feeling was important as that could mean a nursery of sorts for them.
"With a the growth of agriculture you could sustain a greater population" I stated the Obvious but the Elder seemed giddy.
"So, yes before we simply foraged because there was no need for a large population, and we let the our Brethren evolve by themselves, but now that we know about the tutorial numbers are crucial." he stated.
We talked a little bit more with me being lost rather quickly as he began talking about the growth and various technical terms. However I had reminded him that we where going to be starting the war games soon now that the Healers House was finished and ready.
Departing from the large fungal structure I made my way back to the Mycelium Keep. Entering entering the Main hall which was primarily empty. I moved to the right of my throne and entered the council chamber.
"Ah, Your Majesty thank you for Joining us, we tried to alert you but Anastasia was not at her usual places and the runner we sent couldn't find you at the guards training ground" Lord Armeant stated as soon as I entered the door.
"Ahh, yes sorry that's alright, Anastasia is off trying to find a hobby of sort or another" I answered after stumbling over my words for but a moment.
"Sir, we must really have a way to communicate, what if It was urgent" Lord Armeant replied a little worry in his voice. An idea flashed to my head of single with a symbol that would shine on the cavern ceiling, however much the idea appealed to my nerd brain I knew it wasn't practical.
"Well, any of the spiders could easily communicate with me in the city" I stated remembering that tidbit of information. I was just use to having Anastasia boss them around during combat.
"We'll have to remember that, the spider councillor isn't here though my liege" Lord Armeant responded.
"Where is he?" I asked curiously where he could be.
"He's off to the Spider Matriarch to debrief her, we are currently planning out the logistics of how the Crown and Hence the faction government is going to make money, right now we are merely running on the funds of the previous monarch which are running out" Lord Armeant explained, and letting out a sigh, I sat down this one was going to hopefully be easy, and as an American a deeply shameful move.
"So, what do you guys know of taxes" I said mournfully as I could feel generations of my American born ancestors curse me from beyond the grave.
...
Finally after several hours of negotiation and planning we had come up with a solution. Since having the council run the farms would probably lead to an unintentional dictatorship the Brownies who had become obsessed with farming, would sell there goods with only small oversight. The Council would generate money off of sales taxes of five percent as luckily it turns out the Lithoni volunteered in the Military. As long as they where allowed spoils of war they didn't need any additional payment. As it turns out rabbit bones and pelts where worth a lot so the Lithoni sold them to the Brownies for a money. The Guards on the other hand did get paid but the tax should be able to cover it.
...
[Law Created!]
You have created a law, [Sales Tax] this law adds a 5% cost to the buyer of any product sold inside the Walls of the [Mycelium Keep].
This Law if Broken has a chance to alert officials and guards. This chance is affected by luck, intelligence, and perception of the parties involved.
...
That was a new feature, I waited to hear sounds of uproar. Checking in telepathically with the Spiders none of them seemed it be overreacting. I relayed the information to the present Council.
"Yes thats to be expected its a law, do humans not follow their own laws?" the Lithoni representative asked.
"Some do, but their are always those that couldn't care about it" I replied, for humans it really depends on where you where raised. I know that Americans have a reputation for not following laws and regulations versus Germans which had reputation of following there countries laws pretty consistently.
"Hmm, well we Fungi tend to not have that problem, Your Majesty" Lord Armeant piped in.
The next part of the Council Meeting was my idea of the War Games.
"Okay so here me out we train the guards to deal with a siege, one where we split up the guards and have them practice against each other using practice weapons, and then the second time I go against them training them against a single powerful enemy" I explained to them.
"Alright, well Lord Alvest and his second will probably like to look over your plans, unless you have objections to that sir" the Lithoni stated. Shaking my head no, I looked to see Lord Urisk spaced out.
"Lord Urisk, are you okay?" I asked the Brownie Lord snapping to attention.
"Huh, oh sorry Milord, no I got lost thinking about a new technique a scouting party brought back from one of the fallen ant cities" he said dreamily. Smiling at him well shaking my head I turned back to the others.
"Alright well if you guys don't see a problem I'll bring it to Lord Alvest and get his opinion on the matter." I stated before departing from the council room. Leaving the keep and the inner ring and into the outer ring I saw it. The fungal houses of different colors and shapes with small stalls or hanging signs advertising a business every now and then. Even with the buildings fully grown I could see the head of Lord Alvest peaking out above the roofs of the taller houses.
Running up I jumped up to the top of the wall.
"Lord Alvest I have an idea for training" I stated to the colossal Lithoni Lord.
"What type of training my Liege?" He asked and I noticed interest in his voice.
"Well I had the idea where if we split the guards in half, one defending and one attacking we could train the guards for attacks and I could also train them for battling challengers who are essentially really powerful individuals." I explained rapid fire to him.
"I see no problems with it, when do you plan to implement it, Sir?" He asked me.
"Well, It depends on how long it takes to organize but ideally this afternoon" I stated to him and he nodded in thought.
"Of course Sire, could you please deliver the message to my second In command Darevellum, my liege I would do it myself but.." he said before signaling to the filled streets.
"Yeah I understand and I know where he is, see you soon Lord Alvest" I said before jumping off the side of the walls and running to inner ring wherein I went to go explain the plan to Darevellum.
"Back so soon Milord?" Darevellum laughed a little bit before barking at fumbling guard. I explained the plan that I had already explained to Lord Alvest and the Council.
"Alright Milord sounds great to me, I'll round up the guard, if any people cause trouble I'll deal with sense you are taking them off my hands