Main Quest Triggered: The Iron Cross
Objective: Repel, Negotiate, or Destroy the Invaders.
Year: 1521
(History is already broken)
The morning sun gleamed across the bay. I stood atop the highest watchtower, peering through my crude telescope — two polished lenses fitted inside a bamboo tube.
"They're late," I muttered. "According to the histories, they should have arrived weeks ago."
Hiraya stood beside me, polishing her new steel-plated armor. "Maybe they got lost. Or maybe they sensed danger and turned back."
I lowered the telescope and smirked. "Greed and faith are stronger than fear. They'll come."
The Alarm
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The deep bronze bell rang out — the signal for visitors, not fire.
I raised the telescope again. Three massive galleons emerged from the haze, their white sails swelling like the wings of enormous birds. Red crosses stood bold against the canvas. Wooden floating fortresses bristling with cannons.
The Spanish had arrived.
"Sound the call," I ordered calmly. "All units to battle positions."
By the time the galleons dropped anchor far offshore, we were ready.
What they saw must have confused them deeply:
A fortified settlement with sharpened palisades and stone foundations.
Rows of lantaka cannons lining the shore, all aimed at their ships.
Hundreds of warriors standing in disciplined formation, armed with steel-tipped spears and newly forged swords.
A flag I had designed flying high above the main hall — blue field, eight-rayed golden sun, and three golden stars.
On the deck of the flagship, Spanish officers stared through their own spyglasses, visibly unsettled.
System Message:
Detected Foreign Entity
Name: Captain Miguel López de Legazpi (Expedition Leader)
Title: Adelantado
Status: Shocked • Cautious • Calculating
The Landing
A longboat was lowered. Twenty soldiers in steel armor and helmets rowed toward shore, shields and muskets ready. At the bow stood the captain in full plate armor, a plumed helmet catching the sun. A priest in black robes stood behind him, holding a tall wooden cross and murmuring prayers.
The boat scraped onto the sand. The Spanish formed a tight defensive line.
I walked forward to meet them.
Hiraya flanked me on the left, hand resting on her sword. Pagbuaya loomed on my right like a storm about to break. Madam Mei observed quietly from the rear.
Captain Miguel stepped ahead, clearly expecting a primitive chief dripping in gold. Instead, he found me in simple but well-made robes, standing straight and unafraid.
He spoke in broken Malay with a heavy accent:
"I am Captain Miguel, sent by His Majesty the King of Spain and the Holy Church. We come in peace and bring the true word of God!"
He waited for me to bow.
Instead, I smiled and answered in fluent Spanish:
"Buenos días, Capitán. ¿Habla usted español?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
The captain's eyes widened. The priest stopped chanting mid-prayer. Several soldiers gripped their weapons tighter.
"You… speak Castilian?" Miguel asked, stunned.
"I speak many languages when necessary," I replied smoothly. "Just as I know why you are really here. Gold. Spices. And souls to convert."
I gestured behind me.
"We have laws. We have iron. And we have fire."
BOOM!
One of our lantaka cannons fired a blank shot. The thunderous roar echoed across the bay. The Spanish soldiers flinched hard.
The Negotiation
Captain Miguel recovered quickly, but the arrogance in his voice had lessened.
"Let us speak as men of power," he said. "My King offers you protection and friendship. Accept the True Faith, swear loyalty to the Spanish Crown, and you shall keep your lands and grow rich."
I met his gaze without blinking.
"And if I refuse?"
Miguel's hand moved to his sword hilt. "Then you choose war. Our God has granted us victory over greater kingdoms than this."
Pagbuaya let out a deep, mocking laugh. "Big words for men floating in wooden boxes! Your armor is heavy, Captain. Our sea is deeper."
I raised my hand for silence and stepped closer.
"Listen well, Captain, because I will say this only once."
"We are open to honest trade. Gold, rice, wax — for your cloth, tools, and silver. But hear me clearly:
Do not plant your cross by force.
Do not turn my people into servants.
Do not raise your flag above mine.
This land is free. It has always been free."
Miguel's face hardened. "You dare defy the Pope and the Emperor of Spain?"
"I defy anyone who tries to take what is ours," I answered coldly. "You have two choices:
Be our friends… or become our targets."
Miguel stared at the cannons, the disciplined warriors, and the strange flag fluttering above us. He realized this would not be another easy conquest.
He clenched his jaw.
"We will… discuss your words aboard the ship," he said stiffly. "You will have our answer soon."
"Please do," I replied with polite calm. "But the tide waits for no one."
As the longboat rowed back to the galleons, Hiraya leaned in.
"They look furious. Will they attack tonight?"
"Not today," I said, watching the ships. "They came expecting savages with spears. They found something much more dangerous."
Pagbuaya grinned. "I still want to fight."
"Save your strength, Sea Wolf," I replied. "This was only the first wave. The real storm is coming."
I looked at the three towering galleons anchored in the bay.
"History says we should fall here," I whispered. "But history is wrong."
Quest Status Updated:
Standoff Achieved!
Reputation Gained: The Savage King
Warning: Spanish Forces preparing for larger invasion in 6 months.
To be continued...