The Last Fire Monk

by Gensh

The memoirs of a man who survived the world's destruction by Frenzied Flame. A record of how he built a kingdom upon the ash and fought the soulless Lord within the Flame.

21. Lord of Liurnia

In spite of everything, Raya Lucaria had come to a general consensus. I, a Fire Monk, was now master of the Academy. On the knights' insistence, there was a small ceremony proclaiming me king of Liurnia. Our alliance with the dragon was formalized. I was now bound to this place and this people.

There were two concerns for which I was now responsible. By my command, this band of survivors would live or die. A renewable source of food could wait. We needed to prepare defenses against the Rot if not the Frenzied Flame.

I called for a small mixed group to travel south. They should seek passage through the scorched cliffs and learn the state of Limgrave. If the road was still clear, they should continue east, to Caelid. Precious little had survived the Rot there, but those who had were likely to have survived the Flame as well. We needed the wisdom of such a survivor.

Until the search party returned, I addressed the concerns of the scholars. I did not mistrust their sorcery like they did my incantations. We spoke with the dragon. There would be no new line of Lunar Princesses. We would reform the Academy and close the distance between the moon and stars.

So too, some among all the factions wished to learn of faith – or a faith which did not rest in the petrified hollow tree which loomed on the horizon. I would not share the secrets of the giantsflame. My vows aside, the Flame of Ruin was yet another horror, and I had no wish to spread it.

However, in our subjugation to Marika's Order, we had learned some of the ways of Gold. These, I taught to the most promising and bade them teach any others who wished to learn.

Then I could turn my attention to the next concern. Our south was safe. The dragon had subjugated the crystalians, and while they were not our allies, we would know if they were attacked. The west had some ruins which may need cleansing but nothing of great concern. Any threats to the north would need to contend with my ex-wife.

But what of the east? What of the other Fire Monk camps, the wandering ancestor-followers, and the rumored influence of the Frenzied Flame? Likewise, was there any side effect of the Divine Tower's collapse? The Academy had studied it long ago but discovered little.

I dispatched another mixed team. They were to scout only. I didn't want to be in the midst of a conflict if we were to welcome any guests from Caelid.