Arthur paced across the deck of his ship feeling the restraints around him. He felt them weakening soon he would be free of the ten mile prison Mordred had temporarily confined him too. The landscape was a wasteland even more than it had been from all his attempts to break out of his containment. He felt like it might be possible but the ability that restrained him hear seemed to draw on his own power to keep him bound.
His rage seethed within him as he looked at the smoldering wasteland around him. He had used the time to discover the functions of his ship finding the strange siege weapons built into it. He needed no crew the ship responding to his will to target anything in sight.
He hadn’t been able to stand the sight of the ghost city, the ruined buildings of Camelot were no more reduced to smoldering shards of stone and molten metal. The power weakened further and the ship began to move forwards, finally he broke the limits that had contained him.
The hulking ship of alien metal roared through the skies its engines filling the sky with black clouds mixing with the ashen winds. He made his way to the new capital of Camelot. As he approached griffon knights flew out to confront the threat. Arthur dropped from the bow of the ship his feet impacting the ground with the force of a comet. The knights landed around him their lances aimed at him uncertainly.
“Who are you?” the captain of the griffon flight asked.
“Do you not recognize your King?” Arthur answered irritably.
“King Arthur died in the Void,” the captain said. “I recognize an undead when I see one, whatever fell spirit you are no life exists within that armor.
“You are brave knight, but do not test me,” Arthur growled. “I am Arthur, son of Arthur from whom I descend from the first Arthur. I am the last Champion of Viviane, bearer of Excalibur, wearer of the Crown of Camelot.”
“King Lancelot rules Camelot,” the guard captain answered. “It was he who saved our people from the Plagues of Mordred, I don’t know how you carry the sword Excalibur or the crown but you are living no longer.”
“I am not,” Arthur agreed. “But I am your king none the less and will not put aside my crown until the creature Mordred is destroyed.”
Another figure landed beside the guard captain who made way for him. Lancelot armed in all his glory with a gold circlet on his head looked at the gold coated Atlas armor that Arthur had worn before disappearing into the Void after fighting Mordred.
“Is that really you Arthur?” Lancelot asked.
“Of course its me brother,” Arthur said.
“Don’t…don’t call me brother,” Lancelot said his fist’s clenching. “Your actions destroyed our nation.”
“I hear your king of it now,” Arthur answered dryly.
”What’s left,” Lancelot spat. “What are you Arthur? Why do you hide your face from us now?”
“This is my face,” Arthur said touching the helm of his atlas armor. “My armor and I are one now.”
“Then you are an abomination,” Lancelot answered his voice a sharp rebuke. “Why have you come back.”
“To finish what I started,” Arthur replied. “Mordred must die.”
“That is a task for you alone now,” Lancelot said. “Camelot has suffered to much trying to fullfill your vain ambition.”
“Vain ambition!” Arthur snarled his voice suddenly filling with rage. “Do you not remember how many of our people he slaughtered?”
“Yes!” Lancelot shouted. “And I also no how many more will die if we continue on your course, armies will not help against him he’s already almost a god!”
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“And he cannot be allowed to become one!” Arthur roared.
Lancelot stilled his shoulders. “The world has survived Chaos gods winning before, it will not survive your ambition, leave Arthur.”
“I am still your king,” Arthur said.
“No you are not,” Lancelot said drawing his sword. “Our oaths were until your death and you died, we do not owe it to your spirit.”
“Treason, I would have thought you above that,” Arthur said Excalibur appearing in his hand.
Lancelot shook his head. “I thought the world of you Arthur, there was a time we were brothers, but you’ll never change and you’ll make others pay any price for your ego and vengeance.”
“Don’t make me destroy you,” Arthur growled.
“I’m not,” Lancelot said readying his shield. “Its always your choice, you just choose wrong every time.”
The last two knights of the round table rushed towards each other. Excalibur met the shield of Lancelot and they rebounded. Again and again the two knights clashed but Arthur was in his Atlas armor empowered by his abilities and the Void and Lancelot was a champion but still merely a man. Excalibur crashed into Lancelot sending him colliding into the walls of the castle. The griffon knights charged Arthur but he moved like wind driving his sword through them the red energy of his blade creeping across their bodies burning them to ash leaving behind a malignant Entropy demon.
An arrow exploded against his armor driving him back.
“No Mira!” Lancelot called. “Run!”
Arthur turned his gaze to her but Lancelot was back in his face the fury of a husband and a father bearing down on him. Nobles gathered on the walls of the castle casting down abilities at Arthur but he weathered them the way a mountain weathers the wind.
“Pass on,” Lancelot growled. “Let your children inherit your titles and responsibilities, you died Arthur your battle is over.”
“It will not be over till the blood of my goddess, of my people, of Ammerila is avenged!”
The red energy suffusing Excalibur struck Lancelot’s armor and it began to crack as the artifact destabilized as the power of Entropy began to corrode it. Arrows struck Arthur again and he turned his attention on Mira the guns of the ship above blasting apart that section of wall. Lancelot once again charged in to draw Arthur’s attention. The strike of Arthur’s sword this time shattered the living wood of Lancelot’s prosthetic legs and left arm.
“Surrender to my will,” Arthur demanded as Lancelot’s helm came loose falling away to reveal his face and the blood coming from his mouth.
“Guinevere was right about you.” Lancelot coughed. “You don’t want to change the world, you just want to keep it the same. I thought we would leave the world a better place for our children, for your sons…”
“I do this for them,” Arthur said bringing down Excalibur.
Mira screamed in anguish as her husband’s head rolled across the battlefield, no entropy demon rose from his corpse as Arthur spared his former friend that fate. She fled with their son dodging the claws of the Entropy demons she shot an arrow a rip in space appearing as she dove and she dove through it the portal snapping closed behind her.
“Let her go,” Arthur said, “She is no threat to me.” Arthur turned to the assembled army on the castle walls. “Your King has returned, kneel to me or you will join me as one of them.”
He pointed to the entropy demons and the men atop the wall shivered. One by one they knelt to their King Arthur.
---
Mira held her son sobbing in an ashen wasteland. She looked up at the sky but looked away, the gods would be of no help to her she already knew how terrified they were of Arthur. She needed someone who could and would stand up to him no matter what. She closed her eyes and prayed.
“Mordered, I don’t know if your capable of hearing us…I know I’ve been your enemy….but…my baby needs help…”
A presence appeared behind her and she whirled around seeing a woman made of pure darkness lines of silver light the only thing giving her any features at all a flowing mass of thick strands of air surrounding her as if she were under water.
“Hello mortal,” the woman said her voice soft.
“Who are you?” Mira asked. “Wait your that spirit Mordred….”
“My name is Voidra,” Voidra said. “Herald of Change, I heard your prayer, how can I help you?”
“Lancelot is dead,” Mira said. “Arthur is king of Camelot again, he killed him.”
“I am sorry for your loss,” Voidra said. “it is…difficult for me to understand humans but I’ve grown to understand loss you may be able to see Lancelot again but it will never be the same between the two of you.”
“I know,” Mira said with a nod holding back tears. “But our baby isn’t safe hear, not from Arthur, not in this word.”
A portal opened up behind Voidra. “This will take you to Avalon,” Voidra said. “It is a place not without its own dangers but you will be under the protection of Mordred.”
“He isn’t angry at me?” Mira asked. “For all the times we fought and I tried to kill him?”
“It wasn’t personal between him and you,” Voidra answered. “Besides you are a hero, you’ve always fought because you thought it right. You’ve made sacrifices just as you are now, sometimes being a hero means sacrificing yourself and sometimes it means sacrificing your vengeance. Come with me.”
Voidra extended a hand to Mira. “Its time to come to your new home.”