"Saint Elizabeth! You spoke with the King before he left, why didn't you try and stop him from seeking justice against Lord Claremont?" Sir Robert of House Galahad spoke loudly, his voice seemed to echo throughout the castle. Sir Robert was the knight in charge of the archer division within Camelot. Despite being only thirty, he rose up through the Galahad family, eventually becoming its head and its representative on the Council. Despite the aggressive front he put on, he cared a lot about Ulrich. Robert was an older brother figure to Ulrich, he was the knight who trained him in archery and hunting when he was younger.
"You know why Robert, you know as well as everyone here, that he would have chosen to sneak out by himself. I chose to allow him to leave with the representatives of the Lancelot and Mordred houses. I will take responsibility for Princess Alicia leaving with them, though I think we all know that she probably broke our King's will. He is particularly weak willed when it comes to the Princess." Elizabeth's speech was, as always, very eloquent and warm. Her gaze happened to meet with Sir Gerald's, who decided to speak on the matter.
"While we may agree with the fact that he would have left on his own no matter what, I think we all know that the consequences of his actions there could lead to some bigger problems down the line." Sir Gerald of House Bedivere, Captain of the lancer division, was an older man at sixty years of age who was close to retiring. He was a well respected general that served under Ulrich's mother Rose, he was a tactical genius who focused more on calculations and commanding than using his own power. He admired Ulrich's flexibility on the battlefield and his ability to quickly learn from the other knights on the Council. Despite being the one who taught him the longest, and also being impressed at the fact that he was able to, occasionally, beat him in strategy games, he was very critical of Ulrich. Gerald knew that Ulrich would often let his emotions get the best of him.
"Worried about your daughter, Gerald?" Next to speak was Sir Richard of House Ector, Captain of Camelot's Cavalry. "I do agree with Richard and I understand Robert's feelings, but I must say that I don't think his actions there will affect us for a few years, that will allow us to prepare for the future hardships. Our King may be headstrong, but he is someone who always prepares plans in case his actions have negative implications for the future. I'm sure Boudica will be fine when she takes over your post Gerald. If I know the King as well as I think I do, then I'm sure he already favors your daughter and will make sure she is protected, in case trouble rears its head. You trained in him tactics, so you should know how he is when he messes up." Richard was twenty-five, and was a close friend of Ulrich. He didn't get in trouble with Ulrich like Leanna, but he was always quick to defend him on the Council. All respected his ability, in fact, it was thought that none could match him on horseback. He had a cocky smile as he looked towards Gerald.
Gerald clenched his fists, "I may have trained him, and his abilities are impressive, but you know that his actions this time may have gone to far. You may be friends, but the King has gone to far this time. Why don't we ask our master of intel, Nina, what her opinion is on the matter?" Gerald looked over at Lady Nina of House Kay, Captain of the ranger division. As a descendant of Sir Kay, the adoptive brother of King Arthur, and being three years older than Ulrich, her relationship with him was that of an older sister, even though she was actually his second cousin. She quickly became a member of the Council with her genius like skills. She was proficient in archery and swordsmanship, as well as being a powerful druid, allowing her to be able to speak to and control nature itself.
Nina let out a heavy sigh and took her feet off of the Round Table, "My little cousin's temper has always been a bit fiery and untamable. I won't deny that his actions against Claremont are a bit sloppy. However, according to the intel gathered by my rangers and myself, the actions of Claremont are suspicious. The plants have been corrupted by some kind of dark magic. I have a feeling that he may have saved us the trouble of having to send a raid group there. He's powerful enough to take care of a demigod by himself, so I doubt we have any real reason to be worried." Nina then rested her chin on her hands and slightly smiled. "Besides, he has that little trouble maker Leanna and his favorite knight Maria with him. Our little Rose may seem fragile, but her sword will get them out of a bind if need be. To answer Gerald, no, I don't think he's gone to far. I would wipe the whole city out if I was given the chance. To use magic that corrupts even the soil, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole city were maniacs."
Gerald looked at Nina with a scowl, Nina then raised her feet back on the table in reply. A rough voice then filled the air. "I think that Nina, Richard, and Elizabeth are all biased in this conversation. Their close relationships with King Ulrich may be blinding them to the actions of our King." All attention then turned to Sir Marius of House Dagonet, captain of the sorcerer division. "Our King may have started something this time that could have disastrous effects. There was a massive surge of magical power coming from the city of Sastin about a week ago, the magical signature was close to god level." As Marius finished, all members of the council all had a panicked expression on their faces. "If the signature is from a deity, then we have to believe that our King may have bitten off more than he could chew. His magical energy may be impressive, but he constantly undermines our authority and doesn't listen to us. I doubt he's dead, but I have dealt with Claremont and he isn't someone who would just offend him."
"It sounds like you're just covering up for Claremont, sorcerer." Nina quickly spoke up and stared daggers at Marius. Marius attempted to speak again before Nina violently stabbed her dagger into the table. "If I find out that you have any part in this, I will personally rip your spine out of your back while having my plants pull all of your limbs apart!" Her bluish brown eyes seemed to have a raging fire in them, even her green aura was visible. Half of the present council members all smiled at Nina's outburst, while the other half all seemed to be defensive. Marius sat back in his chair.
"Nina, that's enough." As soon as the soft and melodic voice reached Nina's ears, she sat back in her chair, leaving her knife in the table, while remaining to stare at Marius. The rest of the Council all looked towards the voice. Sitting opposite of Nina was Lady Laura of House Tristan, captain of the fairy division. She had silver eyes and long silver hair, with the same sharp and beautiful features of the fairy race. While only half fairy, she inherited all of the traits of a fairy. "I understand your anger Nina and I think Marius was out of line with his comment. I also believe that he should have spoken up about the magical surge, that way we could have sent people earlier. I know that King Ulrich is all right, I placed a rune on him when I taught him about them. The rune is still active, meaning that he must have accomplished his mission. That's a reason for us all to celebrate, right Marius?" Laura smiled sweetly at Marius, however, he couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down his back at the sight of her smile.
"Right, it is good news." Marius replied with his rough voice, however, it was noticeably quieter and more sheepish than before. The Council seemed to all have a look of relief on their faces, all except for Nina, who continued staring down Marius, and Marius, who could tell that many on the Council all seemed to turn their backs on him.
"Since only Ulrich, Alicia, and me know how to use runes, it is safe to say that he was able to overpower Claremont and whoever was the cause of the surge. You can all trust that I am impartial, I have no real close ties to our King, besides the fact that he opened the city to all races, starting with the fairies. I would like to add, that he made that decision of his own free will, without consulting me in any way. So, with that out of the way, I can say that our King isn't so shortsighted that he would allow the citizens to face harm. Whatever may come our way from this, he surely has thought of a way to combat it." Laura looked around at the rest of the council and focused on the two present remaining members, Sir Barric of House Agravain, captain of the city guard, and Sir Savaris of House Lamorak, captain of the magic knights.
"Sir Barric and I are in agreement, that we should await our King's return. Sir Barric has informed me that his guards have spotted King Ulrich, Princess Alicia, Lady Leanna, and Lady Maria. They should arrive shortly, we think we will abstain from commenting further until he returns. It would be pointless for us to continue without hearing Ulrich's testimony. Sir Artorius has yet to return from his expedition into the western forests. Without him here, it is up to us to vote on what to do with King Ulrich, but we cannot pass judgement until he defends his actions." Savaris spoke with a deep and commanding voice, the hood of his cloak obscured his face, except for his haunting crimson eyes. The Council all looked towards Savaris and all nodded in agreement.
"It is decided, we shall continue our discussion after King Ulrich has explained himself." Saint Elizabeth spoke the final word, bringing an end to the Council's debate. A few minutes passed until the door to the Council's chamber opened. The first to enter was King Ulrich himself, followed by Leanna, strangely, Maria was not following behind Leanna or Ulrich. Leanna quickly made her way to her seat, taking note of Nina's dagger in the table. Ulrich slowly made his way to his seat, the crown on his head. He glanced around the table and took note of Artorius's absence. As he sat down, Marius quickly spoke up, knowing that Nina wouldn't act out in front of Ulrich.
"King Ulrich, I trust you know why we have all gathered together. While we are all pleased about your return, we must discuss your actions against Lord Claremont." As Marius spoke, he noticed Ulrich's lack of shoulder armor and chainmail. While his blue surcoat was new, the rest of his armor was still damaged and dirty. Blood was still visible on some parts of it, as well as on the scabbard of Excalibur. "I'm sure that we can put this on hold, so you can rest up King..." Ulrich raised his hand in the air to interrupt Marius mid sentence.
"Saint Elizabeth, I want to hear the reports you have gathered of the demons that have begun to spring up." Marius grimaced at the fact that Ulrich had just ignored his words completely. The Council all noticed a look in Ulrich's eyes, it seemed fierce and full of rage, at what, the members dared not ask. Elizabeth's eyes widened at Ulrich's request, she quickly stood up and stammered a bit before speaking.
"Y-y-yes King Ulrich, we have had multiple reports from around the kingdom under your rule. While most reports were swiftly handled, the reports were somewhat alarming. Most were nothing more than imps and a few soldier class demons. The number was somewhat alarming, however, we didn't think that such low level demons would be cause for concern. That is the extent of the reports." Elizabeth bowed before quickly sitting back in her seat.
"I see, thank you for sharing that report. Next, Lady Nina, has there been any reports out of the ordinary in the forests surrounding our lands?" Nina rose and grabbed her dagger from the table, sheathing it behind her back.
"My rangers have discovered some of the magic beasts going feral and breaking out of their usual habitats to attack small villages and homes of hunters. They were quickly dealt with by my elite rangers. The villages and families of the deceased were all given funds from the treasury to compensate their losses. Some of the families were relocated to the city and have been given residences. The orphans of the hunters were taken to the church, sister Therese has given them shelter in the orphanage. I, myself, have noticed some of the high class magical beasts migrating to the North. The most disturbing of which has been two nuckalevee." The members of the council all turned their attention to Nina, a look of concern on their faces. "Luckily, none were harmed during this migration. Myself, along with two of my best rangers killed one. So, only one went north." Nina then sat down and placed both of her hands on the table, instead of her feet
"You've done well Nina, I thank you for taking care of the villages and families. If you need a break, then I will grant you time off and have Maria take over managing your unit." Nina smiled and shook her head. "Very well, at least allow me bestow you a magical weapon from our weaponry, as well as gold to reward you and your unit." Nina bowed her head in appreciation at Ulrich's offer, not wanting to appear ungrateful for the reward. Nina then remembered something she didn't share and quickly rose to her feet.
"I apologize for interrupting you, King Ulrich, but I forgot to mention that I have noticed some dark magic causing damages to the land surrounding Sastin. While I know that you have just returned from there, I found it important to tell you of that information." Nina then turned her gaze to Marius, who simply ignored the gaze.
"Yes, we will discuss Sastin and all I have uncovered there in due time. For now, I want to continue with some reports that may help me in figuring out a question I have. Now, let us continue, Laura, I understand that you made a trip to the Forest of Fairies recently. Correct?" Laura rose to her feet, her flowing green dress seemed to flow, even with the absence of wind. She turned to face the king, her movements having a gracefulness in them, seldom seen among knights.
"Yes, I took a small detachment of my fairy unit there to receive extra training from the fairy queen." Laura could see the look in Ulrich's eyes and could feel a sense of unease in them. Only she could tell that he was shouldering a heavy burden, what it was, she knew would come after he had the answers he sought. "While there, I found that a large amount of magical energy was being generated to the south of the forest. The fairy queen didn't pay it any mind, since the magical field of the forest would repel any invaders. However, it does line up with Nina's report of the magical beasts being drawn there. On our way back to Camelot, we did notice an alarming amount of scouts from the Holy Empire and from the Western Federation. That is all my King."
"Humans, demons, and magical beasts, from what I saw coming in, I can see that the rest of the city is in working order and that there are no pressing issues here, correct Sir Savaris?" Savaris quickly nodded at Ulrich's question. "Good, now on to the issue at hand. You were all debating my actions against Claremont." As Ulrich finished his sentence, Maria then walked into the chambers and made her way to her seat. The rest of the members were all puzzled at the sight of Leanna and Maria's clean and pristine looks, while Ulrich's remaining armor was still heavily damaged and covered in blood. "Very good, now that all members of the Council are now present, barring Sir Artorius, who is on an expedition, we shall continue." As Ulrich finished, Marius decided to finally speak up again. Before doing so, he exchanged brief looks at Barric, Gerald, Robert, and Savaris, getting confirmation that he would have backup in his decision.
"My King, some of the council members and myself, want to know the reasoning behind your actions against Claremont, as well as the outcome. We certainly don't see Claremont behind you, and your bloodied appearance certainly tells us that you didn't seek a peaceful resolution to the matter. Many times now, you have acted against the wishes of the Council and have refused to listen to reason many times before. I think we all deserve an explanation of your actions as of late." Marius stood up defiantly, with a smirk on his face. Nina's hands were clenched tightly and, even Richard was beginning to lose his temper with Marius. Ulrich stood from his chair and removed his crown, he then threw it in front of Marius, who recoiled at the action.
"Are you king, Marius?" Marius stood frozen in place, the council members all shocked at Ulrich's action. Marius's smirk was now gone, replaced with an expression of shock and sudden fear. He dared not look Ulrich in the eye, the pressure he felt from Ulrich, felt as if it would crush him. "By all means Marius, pick up the crown and place it on your head. From that moment forward, you shall be king. Then, you may demand whatever you want from me." Sweat began to drip from Marius's forehead. Ulrich then walked around the table to where Marius was standing. "Of course, as soon as you do so, I will proceed to bury Excalibur into your chest and then separate your head from its body for usurping the crown." Ulrich's blue aura then began to emerge, startling everyone in attendance, even Maria and Leanna. "Now sit down and shut your mouth, before I have Nina break your jaw."
"Y-y-yes, of course, my King." Marius quickly sat down in his seat, Ulrich's aura slowly disappearing afterwards. Ulrich slowly reached his hand over Marius's shoulder to grab his crown. Marius then hung his head in defeat, the rest of the ones who were to back him up, followed suit. Ulrich then made his way back to his seat, however, he chose to stand, instead of take his seat.
"Now, as you may know, Maria, Leanna, Alicia, and myself made a trip to see Claremont. The reason, was information that I received from a slave trader. Sir Richard and Sir Lawrence were both there during the raid on the slaver's compound. He told me that Claremont had ordered him to capture the Princess of Babylon and deliver her to him. When I confronted Claremont about it, he confessed and he also confessed to making the entire city not use any soul protection when using magic." The members began to look around at each other and there was slight murmuring between all of them. "He didn't use any either, however, he had been using sacrifices to curb his soul degradation. His goal was to research a way to not use any kind of soul protection, be it charms or the blessings of a deity. Things became rather, elevated, so to speak."
"Are there any witnesses to corroborate your story, King Ulrich?" Elizabeth spoke up after hearing the information he shared. It all seemed far fetched, even though Nina's report earlier did seem to back it up. It wouldn't hurt to have a witness to back up his story. Leanna stood up from her chair quickly.
"Yes, I was the only one in attendance the whole time. Maria and Alicia went to act as our rearguard half way through the conversation. He was sacrificing his own citizens, including children. From the way he spoke, he had been gathering multiple people with potent magic, who he would then use as a sacrifice. He claimed that the gods would no longer be needed in this world. I actually battled Claremont, he was at demigod rank, and he was also a necromancer." Once again, the room began murmuring to each other. All discussing the information Leanna gave, Sastin had another demigod in their ranks, and the use of necromancy. Necromancy was forbidden in all the kingdoms, only madmen and witches practiced such dark arts.
"Along with that, Claremont was also working with a northern god of war." The Council then became quiet. Not a sound was heard among them.
"A god? You expect us to believe that a god was in Sastin? If that were true King Ulrich, then you and the city would surely all be nothing more than dust." Leanna then began snickering at Gerald's comment. "What is so funny, Mordred?" Leanna's playful laugh ceased, her eyes were once again black and colorless, just as they were when she killed Claremont. The look caused Gerald to put his hand on his sword.
"You should watch your tone, Gerald. The next time you speak of my house with such disrespect, then our King will have to explain to your daughter why you won't be returning home."
"You may have royal blood, but I won't back down from someone who threatens me." Gerald drew his sword, which led to Leanna drawing both of her swords in response. "I've seen more combat than you could ever dream of little girl, don't think that I won't kill you just because you are King Ulrich's cousin."
"If you do, then I will personally kill you and your family, Gerald." The King's voice wasn't enraged, it was calm and cold. The glare he gave Gerald, sent chills down his spine. It was no bluff. "Both of you, sheathe your swords and sit down. What I said is true, I'm sure that you already know that. Right, Marius?" Marius looked up at Ulrich, his eyes seemed to glow with ferocity. The others then remembered Marius's earlier report. "I killed him Marius. All the plans that were in place were all destroyed. The city itself, destroyed. If no one believes me, I'm willing to wait until you get confirmation."
"If what you say is true, then I'm sure you know that the other cities will surely act. They have all been waiting for something like this to happen. We now have enemies on all sides, all of which want nothing more than to remove you from power. Ever since you began to enforce the laws with a iron fist, they have become more restless. Not to mention, the fact that you allow other races to gather inside of Camelot. It hasn't sat right with the Holy Empire ever since." Robert decided to speak up, so as to remind Ulrich of the problems they may face. Unknown to him, Ulrich knew more.
"Yes, indeed, you are correct Robert. We aren't just surrounded on all sides, we also have enemies in our midst." Ulrich then threw papers onto the table. They were all correspondence between Marius and Claremont, discussing the need for sacrifices and the need to dethrone Ulrich, and replace him with Alicia. "This would explain why some prisoners of ours were going missing. It would also explain why it seemed he was expecting me." Marius quickly jumped up and began to chant a spell. Before he could, vines burst through the ground and restrained his legs and arms, another wrapped itself around his tongue. Everyone looked at Nina, who remained seated, as if nothing had happened. "Thank you, Nina. I retrieved these after I awoke from battle. It seems this conspiracy has been going on for awhile now. Normally, I would allow you some words, however, a traitor's words mean nothing." Ulrich turned to Nina and nodded.
"As you wish, my King." Nina then began to smile as she pulled her dagger from it's scabbard. She slowly walked behind Marius, who began to struggle fiercely, his mouth began to move, as if to speak. "Didn't you hear our King? You get no final words." The vine then tore itself from his mouth. Before Marius had the chance to yell out in pain, Nina stabbed his spine, reaching her hand in, grabbing it, and tearing it out. Within one second, Nina's earlier words were fully realized. Luckily, Saint Elizabeth managed to put a holy magic shield in front of Marius when it happened, otherwise, the rest of the Council would be showered in blood. "Let this be a reminder to anyone else who wishes to betray our King." Nina then calmy walked to her seat and sat back down. The rest of the members were all unsettled at the ruthlessness that Nina had just displayed. Without even making a sound, she managed to maneuver her vines underneath Marius's feet and quickly disposed of him. The same thought crossed everyone's minds. She was more of an assassin than a ranger.
"Now, this is the real news I came to share. After hearing the reports you have given me, I now understand our situation a bit better than before. I did kill the god, but he said something to me before we began fighting each other. He asked me if I knew why the continent was united. Why we all stand on a huge landmass. The answer is very simple, I'm sure all of you know what it is, correct?" Laura stood, her eyes seemed shaken.
"The fairy kingdom has a legend about it, they say the continents used to be spread across the world. Then, they all began to merge together, suddenly, and without warning. It was said, that the reason it happened, was so that the gods can have a battleground in the mortal world. Since gods can't die in heaven, the war up there has been waged since the beginning of time. So, they made a battleground here, so that they may do battle with each other."
"That's the idea. It seems that the god of war came here prematurely, for his own benefits. However, with his death, I'm afraid that they'll target the people who are capable of defeating gods. We have the most knights capable of such an act, meaning that they'll most likely attack Camelot." The council then began to deliberate amongst themselves, the previous issue seemed like childs play when compared to Ulrich's revelation. Suddenly, a voice then came from the doorway, it was old and grizzled, at the door stood a hulking figure in heavy armor, wielding a halberd.
"Two years. We have two years until it happens." The man was Artorius of House Gawain, General of the Twelve, second only to Ulrich. He bowed to Ulrich, before continuing. "I have information that, the reason for all the events happening, is because the gods are gathering an army to wipe us all out." Artorius then sat beside Ulrich.
"Is this because of King Ulrich killing that god?" Gerald spoke quickly, he was still trying to find a way to turn others against the King.
"No, in fact, he bought us more time. It was going to happen sooner, however, now that they know that we have people that can defeat a god, they feel they must prepare. However, more time for us, also means they have more time to amass forces against us. I can see we no longer have Marius. There is another in that Dagonet family, he is talented, he will take his place. Is that alright, King Ulrich?" Ulrich nodded. "I know the orginal reason this council meeting took place. That problem is no longer our main concern. I think we should unite together and listen to our King." The members of the council all looked at each other and nodded. Artorius turned to Ulrich and nodded, while his helmet remained on, Ulrich could tell he had a smirk on his face.
"From this point on, all members of the Council will begin training their members in advanced techniques. We will recruit any willing citizens who wish to join our forces. Laura, I want you to send some of your units to be trained by the others, at your discretion. The expeditionary forces are to remain in Camelot for the time being, they will also recieve specialized training. Leanna, Maria, and Alicia will be trained personally by certain members of the council. I want Boudica to be trained in your place Gerald, I understand you are close to retiring, I know now isn't the time for me to let that happen, however, we will need her help in this upcoming war. I want maintence done on all ships in our port, if the enemy gets past the gates, the citizens will escape to Avalon. From this day forward, consider Camelot at war."