Arthur's Point of View

Lestrania Thousands of Years Ago

"Pardon?" Aydan asked when he heard me mumble.

Shaking his hand, I looked at him with a forced smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Sir Aydan." Now I remembered why the name Aydan sounded so familiar.

He chuckled and patted his shoulder with his free hand. "Just Aydan will do!" He said mirthfully as we broke the handshake, and he then gestured to me. "May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Time travel has been debated for years about the consequences of revealing certain details. However, if this was the same Sage who created the Book of Prophecy and he knew about me already, why ask for my name? Was it truly magic at work like the 'Priestesses' said, or was it me who revealed things? With a frown and unsure of what to truly do, I thought about how to respond.

Deciding to keep with Arthurian lore but ignoring the original name I chose, I decided to go with another familiar name. "My name is Mordred." Was my answer.

It was either that or Gawain, but I've never been a huge fan of that name. This way, I still have ties to the Pendragon name depending on which version of events you believe.

"Mordred?" He repeated as if the name was foreign, which it was. "Interesting name, but who am I to judge?" Aydan bowed to me slightly and thanked me again. "I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you for coming to the aid of my student and the Princess when I could not. While I cannot reward you properly at the moment, if you travel with us back to the castle, I can make sure you're handsomely compensated for your deeds."

I cared little for rewards and wanted nothing to do with this situation altogether. Unfortunately, there wasn't a choice to be made here. If Aydan was the one who made the book, he was likely the only one to help me. Especially since I looked exactly like the description he put in the book.

As I was about to answer, Kandma and I both looked off to the distance where the forest was at the same time. "Arthur…" She began.

"I know." Looking over the treetops, I saw that same red and black energy again, but it was getting closer. "It would seem that a large force of Demons is heading directly towards us." This got everyone's attention even though I was speaking to Kandma. "And something darker and more powerful than a mere Ghoul is leading them." While they couldn't understand Kandma, they could understand me, and almost all of them were put on alert immediately.

"How large is this force? Can you give us any details of their numbers?" The young Arceana inquired as she stepped next to Aydan.

"I don't know for sure," It was a lot of demonic energy coming from the forest as my eye focused on the hundreds if not thousands of signatures. "Well over a thousand. Maybe more…" I answered in an unsure manner.

The large wafts of demonic energy shooting over the treetops gave me pause once more. It was likely from the Ancient Demon Kandma spoke of before. While it didn't compare to Tor in any regard, it was still far stronger than all of the Ghouls I had faced until this point.

"Form a defensive line and prepare to charge!" Arceana began shouting out orders as she moved through the camp.

Not sure why she was a Princess instead of Priestess, but I assumed I'd figure that out in time. "Wait!" Aydan boomed across the mud and moved beside the startled Princess. "Princess, I believe it would be best to retreat for the time being." He stated firmly. "My men have been riding without rest to come to your aid. While they were prepared to deal with a few dozen Demons, and maybe even a few hundred, thousands of demons is not something we can handle at this moment." He then gestured to her soldiers. "Your men are already injured and exhausted, the encampment is in ruins, and you are low on magic." Leaning forward, he whispered quietly, but not enough where Kandma and I couldn't hear. "You aren't prepared for this, and neither are these soldiers. I urge you to retreat post haste."

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My stone bear companion and I watched from the sidelines to see what decision the young Arceana would make. While this was amusing to watch in person, Aydan was correct. Retreat was the only option here, but given how she was alive in the future, I wasn't too worried.

The Princess was undeterred. "You, The Great Sage Aydan, wishes to retreat? Surely you could handle most of the fodder yourself!"

"I suggest you heed my wisdom, young Princess. You are low on magic, and so is my student. A single man may be able to change the tide of a battle, but at what cost." He then gestured around the destroyed encampment and to the dead bodies as his tone turned darker. "There is nothing to be gained from holding this position, and we have nothing to lose in retreating."

"Retreating makes me look weak!" Arceana replied angrily and in a firm tone.

"Staying makes you look like a fool!" Aydan responded in a raised voice, which made the Princess pause as the entire encampment looked at her now. "A single Ghoul brought you to heel and my student to his knees! If there are multiple Ghouls among the enemy forces, I will not be able to protect you, my student, or these soldiers!" The man was not happy that this was even a discussion, but to be fair, it was a stupid discussion. "The Demons already surprised you once. Will you let it happen again?"

Naturally, the beta male moved forward and next to the Princess. "Master, perhaps the Princess is-"

"Hold your tongue, boy!" Aydan commanded as he looked at his student with a firm gaze before returning it back to Arceana.

Everyone had their eyes on the Princess. "Prepare to retreat!" Arceana suddenly shouted and began moving through the camp once more. "Secure our wounded and supplies! We make for the Capital!" She ordered, and everyone started running around with purpose.

Looking at Aydan showed a proud and approving smirk on his face as he watched the Princess start issuing orders. Arceana was given a horse that she hopped up on and grabbed the reins before circling to check the area. While I was a Knight of Lestrania, I'm not sure this was exactly my situation to handle, and I was glad Aydan had it covered.

"They're getting closer." Kandma told me, and I looked back to the forest to see the dark energies getting closer to the tree line. "That smell from earlier is from the same Demon responsible for killing my mother."

Eyeing the bear and reaching out to rest my hand on her leg, I spoke. "Another time, Kandma. We'll deal with it another time."

She looked down at me. "There is nothing I can do. I know that."

"But I can. Before this is all over and done with, that Demon will die. I promise." It was the least I could do for the creature that saved my life.

We were interrupted when Arceana and Aydan stopped in front of us on their horses. "Have you made a decision?" The Great Sage inquired.

Kandma and I had to look down at them, even when bending over. "Decided what exactly?" I asked back.

Arceana answered. "Will you ride with us and come collect your reward, or will you do something else?"

"How fast can you run?" My question was directed to the giant stone bear.

"I'm not entirely sure. Weaving in and out of trees is difficult, but I could probably outrun most Demons on an open field like this." Kandma responded with a low hum.

"Probably?" This got a huff from the bear, and I turned back to the Princess. "We will join you. I'm not sure Kandma will be able to flee in time. I would stay behind and let her join you to buy you all time, but…" I trailed off as I saw the waves of Demonic energy getting closer. "I think it'd be best to join you at this time."

Aydan nodded. "Good! I look forward to seeing your skills in battle if you are indeed as good a warrior as the Princess claims!"

I nodded in return. "I feel the same, Aydan. Surely such lovely titles have to mean something."

He guffawed at that. "There are few who could claim they haven't heard of me, but I'm more than willing to show my mettle!" Aydan then gestured to Kandma. "We'll be in the rear guard to deter any Demons who get to close." Smirking at me, he continued as he turned his horse. "When we get back to the Capital, after being handsomely rewarded, we may even offer a place among us."

"Maybe." Was my reply.

Arceana looked between us and eventually focused on me. "It will be reassuring to have a warrior of your caliber with us." She then smirked as she looked at Aydan. "You may even match our Knight!" I didn't respond. "Yah!" The Princess let out in a very non-lady like manner.

"Come, Mordred! We must keep up!" Aydan moved in a different direction before he and his horse just straight up fucking disappeared.

Looking up at Kandma, I spoke. "You saw that too, right?"

The bear nodded. "I did." She then leaned down and gestured to her back. "Get on." While I was surprised, it didn't stop me from jumping up on her back.

Grabbing a tree trunk that was sticking out of her back, she took off out of the encampment behind all the horses. Roaring as we took up our positions startled some of the soldiers, but Arceana looked back with a smirk while Aydan popped into existence right next to us. I eyed him for a moment as I saw him smirking up at me. While we had escaped for the moment, everyone turned when a sickening hiss and screech caught our attention.

Looking back towards the encampment, we saw Demons by the thousands pouring over the hills. Behind them, the forest was catching on fire in an unnatural way. Lines of fire shot throughout the trees as the Demons quickly laid eyes on us and started to give chase. They weren't the real problem. The giant fire Demon that shot from the forest and into the air was.

"That's not good." I said as I moved around the trunk to face the rear while standing on Kandma's back. "We got company!" My shouts drew the attention of several who started screaming in fear.

"Those who specialize in fire spells, water spells, and shields to the rear!" Aydan ordered out, and then he looked to me. "Mordred, can you provide assistance against the Demons while the main force gains some distance?" He asked in a shout.

Glancing over my shoulder at Arceana, I saw her looking back and observing the situation, and I sighed upon looking back at Aydan. With a nod and finding my balance on my bouncy steed, many fell back to surround Kandma and I. Moving towards the rear of the large stone bear to get a better look, Aydan and his others rushed to their spots in some manner of formation.

"What do you think of that Ancient Demon, Aydan? Can you deal with it?" I asked him over the wind.

He looked up at me with a smirk. "I wouldn't dare take all the glory for myself!" Aydan replied playfully. "Surely you can handle such a foe with no issue!"