When we exited the mountain, we found a still colossal column of Avalon tanks waiting for us. General Gallus drove his command tank up to meet us at the foot of the mountain, and I saw that this was a different variant from the smaller, blocky ones that made up the majority of the Avalon armor. Instead, this was several times the size, a superheavy tank that resembled more a mobile fortress absolutely bristling with dozens of weapons than an armored vehicle.
Hanging out of his cupola, Gallus saluted us crisply.
"Thank you for your assistance," he said, bringing his hand down sharply. "I can't express our gratitude enough. For you to help us in this direst of times, even though you are not of this world…to risk your lives for us…this is a debt we can never repay."
"We fight for all of humanity," Lionel Johansson replied gruffly, folding his heavily armored arms. Now unhelmed, his majestic, bearded face was bare for all to see, and it was having an effect on the common Avalon soldiery, all of whom were kneeling and lowering their heads in respect.
"The Emperor sends his Angels," one of them murmured.
"Dude, copyright…" I groaned.
"If you don't mind, we have a reception waiting for you at the governor's palace," Gallus said. "I believe our world's politicians wish to thank you in person…and also to discuss what to do going forward."
His tone sounded neutral and guarded, but I could tell that he didn't approve. Military and politics tended to be at odds with each other, so I didn't blame him. The politicians were so far removed from the battlefield that the policies they forced upon soldiers were often impractical and ridiculous. Furthermore, despite earning the respect of the Avalon soldiers we fought alongside, the politicians might not necessarily share that feeling of positivity and instead harbor suspicions and wariness against the people who had come to save them.
Johansson glanced at me, as if waiting for my decision. I sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, let's go."
"Is that a good idea?" Lin Xue asked when Gallus retreated back into the interior of his superheavy tank and had it drive away. "Should we get involved in the politics of another world?"
"We're not getting involved insofar as politics, but we are including Avalon in a protectorate of humanity where we link up and protect each other from alien threats." I sighed. "Earth cannot stand alone. If we are to survive, we are going to need allies. And more technology. Avalon has advanced technology that neither Earth nor Carmarthen has. And Carmarthen has soldiers. Knights specialized for a different kind of warfare. And Earth can serve as a homebase for us."
"Sounds good to me, and Tian Xing is right." Shang Xiao nodded, his beefy arms crossed over his broad chest. He smirked, and for some reason he was wearing sunglasses reminiscent of Sicaro. "Earth can't fight off an alien fleet on its own. As fellow humans, let's all help each other."
"Yeah." Lin Xue, being the ally of justice that she was, didn't need further persuasion.
The journey to the capital city of Avalon didn't take too long because we were picked up by a transport and ferried there through air. I would have used my shuttle, but it wouldn't have fitted the knights. Meanwhile, Gallus left a garrison of Avalon army soldiers there, along with combat engineers, and they began transforming the interior networks of Mount Excalibur into a human fortress. Already, I saw them reverse engineering the Sagittaur artillery emplacements and turning them to human use. They were more suited for that task than the relatively primitive knights of Carmarthen.
"Ah, welcome, heroes!"
The governor of Avalon turned out to be a chubby old man in his early seventies, balding and sporting white hair. He spread his hands jovially in a welcoming gesture and bowed when he realized he couldn't embrace someone as massive as Lionel Johansson, especially when the latter was clad in resplendent armor that made him almost a titan.
"You have our eternal gratitude for saving our world! Come, we have prepared a banquet for you heroes! Let us discuss…uh, matters of payment."
"Payment?" Johansson inquired.
"Of course! You risked your lives and fought for us, paying for our victory in blood. It's a given for our soldiers to receive rewards for their efforts, but we don't have a system in place to reward you. I do not believe you use the same currency as Avalon, for example. Nonetheless, I'll see if we can make do with armaments, armor and upgrade. Or perhaps some sort of trade agreement."
"Ah. You are paying us." Johansson nodded in comprehension.
"Of course. What else could it be?"
"Knight-general Johansson probably thought you were asking us to pay you for damages caused during the war. Reparations and such." I was quick to explain diplomatically. "He has unpleasant experiences with rival lords from neighboring fiefs on his world."
"I see. Understandable. Of course we are not shameless enough to demand such things from our saviors. If anything, we should reward you for saving us!" The governor looked dismayed. "You will find that Avalon is a more cultured world. Pardon, for I mean no offense. I mean…"
"I understand what you mean. It matters not." Johansson waved his hand. "It is I who should apologize. I should have been less…defensive."
"Not at all, not at all!" The governor chuckled. "If anyone should pay reparations, it is those dastardly aliens who dare lay waste to our pristine world and invade our sacred soil! Fellow humans who come to our aid, such as you, are to be revered! Please, accept our hospitality!"
We were led to the palace, a cathedral shaped structure that towered almost a kilometer in height, resembling a mountain. I craned my neck as I stared up at the spires that almost pierced through the heavens, overawed at the kind of heights human architecture were capable of achieving.
"Speaking of reward, great general, I believe we have something appropriate for you." The governor cleared his throat and gestured for his entourage to fetch something. A massive casket was borne aboard track equipped robots, their mechanical arms bearing a stasis pod aloft. Within it lay a huge hi-tech plasma pistol that clearly was not designed for mortal hands.
Yet it fitted in Johansson's massive grip almost perfectly.
"I believe that this weapon was crafted specifically for you, lord," the governor said with a smile. "It cannot be a coincidence that you arrive on our world so soon after a crisis, and that this weapon has been waiting for a wielder for millennia."
"I am no lord," Johansson said, but he accepted the pistol, admiring it in his gauntlet as he studied. He nodded and placed it in a holster that a robot offered, magnet-locking it to the hip of his armor. "I thank you for this gift."
"Not at all. It is us who should thank you. Now, shall we?"
The politics weren't much, fortunately. I was clear in telling the governor and his court of nobles and politicians that we were only here militarily, and that we would continue to serve only in that capacity. We were not here to rule or meddle in politics, and we valued the autonomy of Avalon's ruling class. Instead, we proposed a protectorate of human worlds that now included Earth, Carmarthen and Avalon, the trio of civilizations pledging to protect each other from alien threats and Abyssal enemies when the need arose. We also discussed on the rewards and came to an agreement.
Avalon would arm the knights of Avalon with laser weapons. They didn't have the technology to improve upon the knights' armor, but it was easier for them to manufacture and supply them with laser weaponries than the obsolete micro-missile guns that they currently wielded.
With that satisfactory resolution, we left the governor's assembly room in good spirits. Though, before we parted, the governor called out to me.
"Lord."
"I'm not a lord," I said the almost exact same thing as Johansson. "What's up?"
"We have some information that might interest you." The governor, whose name I learned was Pennydrake, said hesitantly. He swallowed. "A few of our, uh, psychics, have been receiving telepathic messages, and they've finally deciphered it. or at least, they deciphered who the intended recipient of the telepathic messages was."
"Let me guess," I said, even though it wasn't hard to put two and two together. There was no other reason why Pennydrake would approach me out of all the bigwigs in this room. "That telepathic psychic was trying to contact me."
"In a way, yes. We didn't know at first, because…you only just arrived for the first time. That's when it clicked for our telepaths. But when you arrived and images of you were being spread around holographic videos – ahem, you know, for news and media – they were able to identify you as the recipient. But apparently the telepathic broadcast was first activated about nine months ago."
"Nine months ago?" I repeated incredulously. This wasn't a coincidence. It was about the same time when I first discovered Aegis and was conferred upon the title of Commander of the Holy Terran Empire.
"Correct. Here, please let me bring you to the telepaths, and I'll brief you on the way." He beckoned for me to follow him. As I did so, the governor led me along a long, vast candlelit corridor that was carpeted with lush, velvet fabric on the flooring. Skull-shaped machines hovered, transmitting what appeared to be morse code or Avalon's equivalent and spewing parchment. Cyborg cherubs flew, broadcasting what sounded like religious music, enjoyed by priests in long, sweeping robes who bowed low when they saw the governor.
Pennydrake acknowledged them with a nod, but he distractedly called up a bunch of holographic windows.
"This is Lake Loe," he introduced to me, an enormous freshwater lake that occupied low-lying plains, surrounded by verdant trees and settling on a scenic view that took my breath away. It was beautiful and picturesque, the very image of a medieval legend come to life. "It might look pretty, but within its depths lies a great beast."
"Huh? You want me to slay this beast?" I asked, wondering where this conversation would lead. The governor hesitated.
"Uh, well…no, not exactly. That's totally up to you. We did try to lure the beast out and kill it with heavy armor and antitank weaponry, but it was too much trouble to draw it out. It's an intelligent creature, you see. If it knows it can't win a fight, it'll retreat and hide in the depths of the lake."
"Okay?"
"However, what's of interest to you is the source of the telepathic signal…which is currently being guarded by said beast." Pennydrake swallowed. "We don't have the means, but I suspect that you might."
"What do you mean?"
"Whoever is calling out to you is located deep within the lake and guarded by that beast," Pennydrake explained. "And I think…fate has called you here to save her."
"Her?" I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know it's a her?"
"Not me, but the telepaths." He stopped in front of a choir chamber and punched in a code in the security panel next to the entrance. Stepping back, he allowed a biometric scanner to confirm his genetic code before waiting for the doors to rise. Within, blindfolded telepaths sat and sang, their shrill voices resonating with psychic energy. I felt my hair stand on end as hoarfrost began spreading across the ledges that the blind telepaths were seated upon.
Before I could say a word, a series of mental images struck me, a flood of telepathic messages.
"Help me…please help me…I wish to be free…"
A feminine voice that quite clearly belonged to a "her" echoed in my mind, along with the images of the lake. A great, yellow reptilian eye that blinked, and vague visuals of massive wings and wicked claws, along with ripples and bubbles. A golden sword. A lady knight in blue, silver and white, her blond hair pinned up stylishly as she gazed over the horizon. Behind her, an invincible army of knights, all at her command.
They resembled the knights of the Order commanded by Lionel Johansson.
Gasping, I stumbled back and shook my head. Immediately I understood the significance of those telepathic messages.
That lady knight…she was a fellow commander of the Holy Terran Empire, and she was currently trapped within the abysmal depths of the lake.