Mei and Sol Liora followed the bustling corridors of Bottom Excalibur, the place where the Dust Knights, engineers, and squires protected Camelot, the city that lay underground.

Mei knew that Sol Liora was reserved and not prone to talk. She followed her steady walk. They passed the training grounds, where a couple of recruits were being taught by higher Squires how to block, parry, and attack.

The Grand Chamber, the headquarters for Sol Avelin and the Knights was guarded by two men with simple clothes and vibrostaffs, with a small handgun holstered. Liora requested entrance, and the doors swung open. After an exchange of reverences, Liora and Mei walked inside.

Sol Aveline, the High Marshall of the Dust Knights, stood tall and imposing. He had a commanding presence, his broad shoulders and rugged features exuding strength and determination. A thick, well-groomed beard adorned his face, adding an air of wisdom and authority. He wore the same underarmor as Liora but with his badge of High Marshall.

"Mei, Liora, welcome," Aveline greeted them with a nod.

"Yes, High Marshall," Mei replied respectfully with a tint of happiness "We arrived promptly as requested."

Sol Liora stepped forward, her scarred face carrying an air of determination.

"Now that no one is listening, they can come forward"

Aveline's eyes focused on two figures: the father and son, who stood far away. Mei looked at them.

"What? Is this..."

"Mei," Liora interrupted "We are not requesting your help because of the cases of Withering."

"It's something more important," Aveline said while encouraging the father and his son to approach them.

The father wore a worn expression, eyes with dried blood, evidence of the hardships he had endured, while the young boy clung to his side, his eyes filled with both fear and hope.

"Tell us of your findings."

The father took a step forward.

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"High Marshall Aveline, it seems that Lord Mortis has stumbled upon an ancient map of underground structures. We don't have all the information, but this dataslate..." the man showed the golden dataslate. "Inside this dataslate, there is information about the Withering and possible remedies. It seemed to hint at the existence of a final cure, referred to as the Holy Grail."

"How?" Aveline asked with a grave voice.

"There is an ancient laboratory near Highpoint, buried underground."

Mei contained a gasp.

"The Holy Grail? Are you certain?"

The father nodded fervently.

"Yes. We believe this information could be crucial in finding a permanent solution to the Withering. Also, we don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. We deleted some of the original Lord Mortis had. He could do more harm than good."

Aveline stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"If Lord Mortis has more information, he probably has a way to discover more ancient structures hidden underneath the wasteland. But this laboratory..."

"High Marshall," Sol Liora intervened "That's what my parents were looking for in Highpoint."

"That's what also caused the disaster."

"Aveline, we should..."

"Liora, enough. We will talk about your parents at another time," he looked at Mei "Mei, you are our best engineer regarding ancient texts and cryptography. Can you examine the golden dataslate and gather any additional insights it may hold?"

"Of course, High Marshall Aveline. I will do everything in my power to extract as much knowledge as possible from the dataslate. If there is any information about the Holy Grail, I will find it."

"We need to go back to Highpoint," Liora intervened "My family..."

Aveline's gaze met Liora's, a silent understanding passing between them.

"You know what happened, Liora. The quest for the Holy Grail has been an underlying motivation for our order for generations. But I won't risk the safety of Camelot or any of its people"

Liora tensed her jaw.

"At least let me go there. You've sent Galahad to the Far West instead of me, at least..."

Aveline's voice resounded with authority.

"We will wait until we have more information. Mei, you will work tirelessly to decipher the golden dataslate. We must leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the Holy Grail without fooling ourselves. It might be a plot of Lord Mortis."

As the tension grew, Liora stormed out. Mei looked worried at Aveline.

"High Marshall was it..."

"Do your job, Mei. And you..." Aveline turned to the father and his son "You and your son deserve full citizenship. We have L-blockers for both of you. I will permit you to reside in Middle Camelot and Upper Camelot."

"Thank you, sir."

"Someone will escort you out. You are probably tired. Get some rest."

Aveline approached his forearm to his mouth, where he had his radio. His voice commanded someone to enter the chamber to escort them. After a few seconds, two women wearing military uniforms entered. They took the few belongings the father and his son had. After they went out, Aveline looked at Mei.

"Mei, anything you find... Tell me first."

"I understand. What about Sol Liora? Her parents might be..."

"I was there, Mei. And the King had to sacrifice his health because of it."

"What if the Holy Grail is there?"

Aveline closed his eyes.

"You have my private comms channel. And don't tell anyone about this"